bezalel

The

B

auhaus Of Israe

Jerusalem's Bezalel Academy of
Arts and Design boasts an inter-
disciplinary approach to the study
of fine and applied art that has born
fruit in the work of countless major
Israeli artists.

.

JANNE HEIFETZ

Special to The Jewish News

T

he Bezalel Academy of
Arts and Design is the
Bauhaus of Israel. The
only art college accredited by
Israel's Council for Higher
Education, it boasts seven
hundred students, seven de-
partments, and one hundred
fifty of the nation's most pro-
minent artists and designers
on its faculty.
Like the Bauhaus, which
existed in Germany from
1919 until the Nazis closed it
down in 1933, the Bezalel
Academy in Jersualem en-
courages an interaction be-
tween fine and applied arts.
"Bezalel," - notes Romie
Shapiro, Chairman of the
Academy's Board of Gover-
nors and President of the
American Friends of Bezalel,
"believes in a synergism, a
cross-fertilization of ideas be-
tween students of all the dif-
ferent disciplines."
The breadth of experience
offered at Bezalel gives its
students a unique opportuni-
ty for artistic and personal
growth. Its departments in-
clude Fine Arts (painting,
printmaking, and sculpture),
Ceramic Design, Gold and
Silversmithing, Graphic De-
sign, Industrial Design,

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Friday, June 12, 1987

Photography, Architecture/
Environmental Design, and
two interdepartmental units,
Animation and Video.
In addition to courses in a
student's specific field of
study, he or she will take
classes in other departments,
as part of a carefully thought-
out program designed to max-
imize one's understanding
and capabilities. For example,
photography students take
classes in drawing and paint-
ing; industrial design stu-
dents take metallurgy; stu-
dents of ceramic design take
painting, drawing, and silk-
screen; and everyone must
take photography. Other
courses are worked in accor-
ding to each student's in-
dividual needs.
Professor Ran Shechori,
who has been Director of the
Bezalel Academy for the past
eight years, offers a story to
illustrate the importance of
this Bauhaus-style of instruc-
tion: "There was a young
woman who studied ceramics.
As part of her studies, she
learned how to do sandcast-

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