Encouraging creativity and culture

creativity-culture-color

Centers of Arts and Design Excellence in the Israeli Social and Geographic Periphery, Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design

Jerusalem, Israel

Kick off meeting with Ofakim Mayor

Vision

Students are one of the most important resources of society. They have the power and the opportunity to change the world. The students at Bezalel play an important role in inspiriting and influencing culture. They have the ability to criticize and change society visually and practically. It is our duty to allow them possible welfare to establish themselves as creators and initiators. As well as initiate social and communal opportunities for them to experience and acquire tools as active and influencing citizens in the future.

The opportunity to enjoy arts and design and to experiment with their practices are opportunities that should  be available to each and every person.  Our social role at Bezalel is to share the inherent knowledge and practices of  the  academy with  society and the community in all its diversity.

Activity

As part of their role at the Bezalel Dean’s office,   Shelly and Tamar developed the following activities:

  1. Establishment of Students Support Center, including the creation of learning programs and regulations for students with learning disabilities and a variety of other difficulties.
  2. Development of a unique course- “Learning Disabilities & Creativity”.
  3. Accessibility programs for students from the Arab population
  4. Establishing and managing over 15 socially engaged courses and projects with external communities.
  5. Established educational programs for youth in west and east Jerusalem in order to expand the accessibility to higher education in art and design.
  6. Took a leading role in the establishment of Bezalel’s Haredi Branch.
  7. Created a Teaching Certificate Program for art and design students in collaboration with the Hebrew University.
  8. Took part of the Tempus ESPRIT Project. Shelly and Tamar led a research group that developed models and a toolkit with socially engaged curricula.
  9. Created and implemented the Unit for Multicultural and Diversity at Bezalel Academy.

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