The Umm el-Fahem Art Gallery
Introduction
The Arab city of Umm el-Fahem lies in the eastern part of Israel, near the seam line separating the State of Israel from the Palestinian Authority.
50,000 people reside in the city that serves as an urban center for both the residents of Wadi Ara as well as the villages around it. The residents make their living in the building sector, in agriculture and in the liberal professions.
A shortage of land and permanent work places, acompanied by an unemployment rate which is among the highest in Israel, had previously markled the city as a place of economic and social hardship. In recent years the city has experienced an economic growth, and with it an increased sense of responsibility to social welfare and environmental issues, both from the residents and the local authority.
The Art Gallery
The Umm el-Fahem Art Gallery was founded in 1996, on the initiative of local residents and artists who wanted to bring quality contemporary art to the city and its population and to exhibit original Arab and Palestinian art.
With a lack of other art galleries in the Arab sector in Israel, the gallery has become an important social and cultural meeting place. Contemporary art exhibits, symposiums, creative workshops and seminars have drawn large audiences and have established the gallery as an important center in the local and international culture scene.
The gallery operates under the auspices of the El-Sabar Association, with a membership that includes intellectual and cultural figures from the entire Wadi Ara region. The association is a non profit organization and is supported by funds from the Ministry of Education of the State of Israel, the local municipality, various foundations, private donations and contributions from local residents.
The goals of the El- Sabar Association
- To present contemporary and high quality art.
- To develop and enhance the awareness of art in all age groups.
· To serve as a cultural and artistic center for artists of the Wadi Ara region as well as for other Arab and Jewish artists in Israel.
- To encourage cultural dialogue between Arab and Jewish artists on a variety of themes, including ones related to critical current affairs.
- To create a multicultural dialogue between artists from Israel and Abroad.
Between vision and reality – The Umm el-Fahem Museum of Contemporary Art
The gallery is working in the last few years toward the establishment of first Arab-Israeli museum of contemporary art.
This museum will be an inviting place, capable of embracing visitors and enriching them, bridging over differences and connecting different cultures, all this in the heart of a troubled, war weary region.
The idea of establishing a museum was born into a vast and anguishing void, a devastating lack of professional staff, of resources and of infrastructure. Out of a sense of awareness and responsibility for the future, the gallery started to operate, aiming to chart a new path. The means are meager and the road is long and difficult. With only the meagre existing means we have embarked on several different activities: planning, raising funds and training professional staff.
Artists, curators and other professionals from different countries and different cultures have been invited to take part in this joint collaboration and to help turn our dream into a reality. In this way we hope to raise a generation steadfastly commited to its culture and to its identity, able to take responsibility for its life and its future. A generation of proud and deep-rooted youth, committed to reclaiming the wilderness and to the pursuit of peace.
We hope to see you among our guests,
Said Abu Shakra
Gallery Director
10/09/2010
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