INTERESTED IN BRING OR SELLING? Where Chicken Kiev Meets An Israeli Art Village VISIT OUR GALLERY AND YOU'LL SEE AN EXTRAORDINARY COLLECTION OF: • Fine Jewelry • Perfume Bottles • Vintage and Designer Costume Jewelry • Paintings • Bronzes • Silver • Crystal • Furnishings NEED ASSISTANCE? We Offer You Estate , Insurance and Fine Art Appraisals. ARE You MOVING OR IN NEED OF AN ESTATE SALE? We offer professionally run sales and also buy out whole or partial estates. Monday—Saturday 11:00 6:00 and by Appointment. - 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 • Fine china, fine crystal and interesting gifts • 20% off most of your favorite brands w • Computerized bridal registry Ci) • Free gift wrapping w CC Mon.-Sat. 10-6 ; Thurs '01 8 LU LLJ 78 Bloomfield Plaza • 6566 Telegraph Road at Maple • Bloomfield Hills 851-5533 L 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