Bringing Jerusalem's artists in under one roof
One of Jerusalem's key long-term goals is to convert artists who come to study at its various educational institutions into long-term residents, and that goal was given headquarters with the opening of Urbanica last weekend. A new artistic incubator that gives free space to artists of all stripes to hone their wares and make names for themselves in Jerusalem, Israel and around the world, Urbanica is a joint project between the municipal government, the Jerusalem Development Authority (JDA) and the Ruach Chadasha (New Spirit) student collective.
The innovative space is located near the Machane Yehuda market in the Shukenyon, a blighted retail structure from the 1990s, with the market itself and the adjacent Nachlaot neighborhood serving as a burgeoning area for up-and-coming artists and hipsters. Urbanica's stalls are available to young artists and those finishing up studies in Jerusalem's several art schools.
In many cities, a project like Urbanica might attract a sculptor here or a dancer there. But Jerusalem, which has the largest concentration of art schools in the country and a thriving community of every kind of artist from painters and musicians to puppetteers and designers, is ripe for such a project, which will help grow the community here by giving the artists a common work space.
One person who merited to be one of the first to use the space is Yaniv Schonfeld, 25, an experimental sound artist ("Like a kind of musician," as he puts it). "It was an amazing experience you don't get to do everyday," Schonfeld says of the Urbanica launch event, where he provided entertainment. "It was interesting as a sound project. It's always interesting to play with space."
Schonfeld, who is originally from Belgium and studied at Camera Obscura in Tel Aviv and the School of Visual Theater in Jerusalem, tells GoJerusalem.com that he believes Jerusalem is a good place for artists. "I love Jerusalem - I think it's a great place to do art. It gives me inspiration," he says. "I think everybody should come to make art here."
The festivities included DJ sets, performances, and many of the new tenants displaying their work - from graffiti artists and video artists to jewelers selling their wares and exhibitions by photographers and painters. The party was part of the three-weekend Jerusalem festival Hamshushalayim. With ties to Mayor Nir Barkat, Ruach Chadasha's goal is to stop the Jerusalem brain (or artist) drain. The Jerusalem Center of Design, a relative newcomer to the Jerusalem scene that was recently launched by the JDA, which promotes and shepherds artists and designers in Jerusalem, also played a big part in Urbanica's conception.
Photos courtesy of Daniel Greenberg for Ruach Chadasha.
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