Welcome to Friends of Bezalel,

For more than a century, Bezalel has trained generations of Israeli artists and designers against a background of large-scale immigration from a world-wide diaspora, extraordinary development frequently interrupted by war and profound economic and social struggles. Not only has Bezalel survived, it has flourished, far surpassing the dreams of its founder, Boris Schatz. From modern buildings to milk containers, from children's walkers to the Vespa scooter, from fine art to jewelry, hardly an area of Israeli life has been untouched by Bezalel. For more than thirty years, Friends of Bezalel has supported the mission of the Academy.

In each generation Bezalel has produced artists who reflect the world around us. Exhibitions of Bezalel graduates’ work are seen everywhere in the world. Artists like Adi Nes, Sigalit Landau (currently showing at the Museum of Modern Art), Ron Gilad, Michal Rovner, Gal Weinstein and Nir Hod, to name only a few, are represented internationally in museums, galleries and at auction.

Recently, Nahum Tevet, Head of the Master's Program in Fine Arts, was honored with Israel’s Minister of Culture Lifetime Achievement Award. Zvi Efrat, head of the Department of Architecture, is one of the lead architects in the major redesign of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Prestigious prizes have been won by Bezalel graduates including the Lennon Foundation’s Honor Grant for Peace at the U.N. to artist and Bezalel graduate Tzvi Goldstein, and the Bucksbaum Award given to Irit Batsry for her entry in the 2002 Whitney Biennial.

Throughout each year Friends of Bezalel sponsors social and cultural events including private viewings and artists’ studio visits. In addition to our Annual Gala, Friends of Bezalel often plans events in conjunction with ArtIs, which this year has supported an extraordinary number of Bezalel graduates in shows around the March Armory fair in New York. In 2006, our Centenary Year, we helped sponsor the Israeli Design Exhibition at the Cooper Hewitt Museum Our gala event co-incided with the opening of that prestigious exhibition.

In past years, our July trip to Israel has coincided with the Academy’s end-of-year student exhibit. The trips have included many one-of-a-kind visits with both students and established artists. In addition, prominent Israeli collectors have hosted Friends in their homes to view their private art collections and meet other collectors.

More than one hundred years and counting: that is the miracle of Bezalel. When the creative spark is ignited, when a young mind is nurtured, when inspired teaching sharpens skills and hones talent, great things can happen.

And great things DO happen at Bezalel every day! We hope that you will join our family of Friends who share in the sense of excitement that surrounds Israel’s National Academy of Arts and Design! Become a Friend today.

Jennifer Roth
President, Friends of Bezalel