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GALEN KARTEN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
I
n a Jerusalem mall in the
bustling Talpiot industrial
zone, Israel's first "incubator"
program to help promote new
immigrant artists recently
opened its doors. Combining an
art gallery, an artist workshop
and a restaurant, the Art Village
is, according to its creator and di-
rector, veteran Russian immi-
grant Lucy Brener, "trying to
create a total cultural atmos-
phere: a place where people can
go to eat, listen to music, browse
through exhibits and watch
artists at work."
Ms. Brener said she realized
the need for an Art Village while
working at the Absorption and
Enterprise section of the Cham-
ber of Commerce.
"My job was to help new im-
migrants set up their own busi-
De Ghatlice
Fine Arts & Antiques
$50,000 toward the center's cre-
"I had various jobs as a nurse-
ation. The Jerusalem Municipal- maid and cleaning floors," Ms.
ity gave $33,000 and the Joint Stepanyan says. "I would paint
Distribution Committee gave at home but didn't have the skill
$40,000. The Ministry of Absorp- to go out and market my works.
tion agreed to pay employees'
"One night I heard Lucy on a
salaries for two years. Sixty per- Russian-language radio program
cent of the total cost — $400,000 (REKA) talking about a new pro-
— came from Ms. Brener.
ject. Though I was skeptical, I
The Village is a large, illumi- phoned her that same evening.
nated hall with high ceilings and With the setting up of the Art Vil-
white halls adorned with tapes- lage, my daughter and I were
tries and oil and watercolor paint- both offered the opportunity to
ings. All are creations of the 30 sculpt at the workshop."
artists (two Ethiopian, the re-
Moshe Himein is a recent im-
mainder from the former Soviet migrant from Khazan, 800 kilo-
Union) displayed at the center.
meters from Moscow. A former
Cases featuring a variety of ce- director of Jerusalem's Shatz Art
ramics, jewelry and weavings are Gallery, he selects the center's art
in the center of the room, sur- and coordinates the various ex-
rounded by rows of wooden cafe hibitions.
tables topped with yellow carna-
"This," he admits, "can be
tion centerpieces. A musician rather difficult. On the one hand,
we want to make well-orches-
trated exhibits. On the other, we
want to help everyone we can."
Of primary concern is mar-
keting the new center through-
out the world.
515 S. Lafayette
She hopes the
center will become
a stop on UJA tours.
corner of 6th Street (in the old Church), Royal Oak
810.399.2608
STUDIO
330
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Immigrant artists in Israel: Making connections.
nesses and give them the tools
necessary to succeed," she said.
"Many of them clearly had no ba-
sic entrepreneurial skills. Here,
I want to teach them how to sell
their crafts, make connections
and market their products."
Ms. Brener approached the De-
partment for Immigration and Ab-
sorption in the Jewish Agency
with her idea; it agreed to donate
plays on a stage at the front of the
hall. Two arches in the back lead
into the workshop area, which
provides studio space for about
10 artists and a gallery to display
their work.
Inside, Luba Stepanyan and
her daughter, Dina, who made
aliyah in 1994 from Armenia, are
making ceramic wall hangings —
platters of tiny ceramic vegetables.
"While support from local res-
idents is important, the Village's
real strength will come from
abroad," Ms. Brener says.
Their aim, Ms. Brener adds,
is to bring tourists to the center
so they can enjoy the cultural ex-
perience and buy as well.
She is negotiating with the
United Jewish Appeal to have
the center become a regular stop
on the organization's Israel tours
itinerary.
Ms. Brener also has plans for
musical evenings, emphasizing
different musical genres, which
will include dinner in the cen-
ter's restaurant. Several differ-
ent cultural platters will be
available, including an Ameri-
can steak dinner, Italian
spaghetti, Moroccan couscous
and, last, but by no means least,
the Russian platter — chicken
Kiev.
Looking to the future, Ms.
Brener is full of optimism.
Despite the fact that the Art
Village will prove to be a meeting
place for immigrant artists, she
says, "at its heart it's an 'artist in-
cubator,' offering support to
artists so they can promote them-
selves, gain recognition, and,
eventually, move on." O
N