By Bonnie Boxer
Art Cube’s Artists’ Studios was launched by the Jerusalem Foundation in 1982 in order to support Jerusalem artists, to facilitate their working in Jerusalem and to enrich Jerusalem’s cultural life. In 2009, the foundation purchased what has become Art Cube’s permanent home, in a busy industrial area, and now is enlarging it by building more meeting spaces on the roof.
“The heart of Art Cube,” says director Lee He Shulov, “lies in its 13 studios, which accommodate between 13 and 17 artists from Jerusalem.” Selected by a committee of artists and curators who choose for excellence and aim for variety, artists are given free use of the space for three to five years. They might be beginners or longtime artists. They work in a wide variety of media – painting, sculpture, photography, video, installation and new media – which creates interesting interactions. The studios are large and light-filled. Art Cube also has several gallery spaces and changes exhibitions four times a year. These exhibitions may include artists from outside of Jerusalem.
Painter Matan Ben Tolila remarks, “I am very happy here. This place has wonderful conditions. Being an artist can be very isolating, so interacting with other artists is refreshing. Curators come here every month or two. There is a lack of affordable studio spaces in Jerusalem, and Art Cube answers a real need for artists. I am grateful.”
Art Cube helps its resident artists develop their careers. In addition to meeting curators on a regular basis, there are workshops on relevant professional subjects with consultants who advise on building and maintaining a career. There is another program for young artists who graduated art school in the previous three years or began their careers without going to art school. Says Shulov, “In this young incubator, we teach them what they don’t learn in art school: how to build a career, budgeting and bureaucracy, the availability of grants, residencies and the like.”
Art Cube itself is a creative hub as well as being a valued home for creative artists.
Art Cube sees art as means of social activism, a way of bringing people together. There are programs for elementary school children, high schoolers and senior citizens. There is a summer program that introduces participants to active artists, to expose growing circles of people to art and what it has to offer. There is a bilingual program for elementary school children and their parents from both West and East Jerusalem. “This is not a dialogue program, but a rare opportunity to learn and create together. It has helped Art Cube itself become more diverse, including the studio’s own staff,” notes Shulov.
In 2008, Art Cube launched what has become an annual festival of original contemporary art, using spaces all around the city, including some not associated with art exhibitions, like an outdoor promenade or historical churches. Manofim (impetus) shows the work of Jerusalem artists, artists from elsewhere in Israel and occasionally from abroad. The intent is to expose the Jerusalem public to art and its potential for interaction with the city and people’s lives.