THE SCULPTURE CENTER OF CLEVELAND

ART AND ADVENTURE IN ISRAEL

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21 SUNDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2017
ITINERARY BEGINS SUNDAY AFTERNOON OCT 22 & ENDS SATURDAY EVENING OCT
28
Mission of The Sculpture Center
The Sculpture Center is an arts institution dedicated to the advancement of the careers of
emerging sculptors of Ohio and its greater region and the preservation of Ohio outdoor public
sculpture as a means to provide support for artists and to effect the enrichment, education,
enjoyment, and visual enhancement of the Cleveland community and beyond.
The Israel Museum
Founded in 1965, the Museum houses encyclopedic collections, including works dating from
prehistory to the present day, in its Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Jewish Art and Life Wings, and
features the most extensive holdings of biblical and Holy Land archaeology in the world. The
Museum has built a far-ranging collection of nearly 500,000 objects, representing the full scope
of world material culture. It also has the world famous Billy Rose Sculpture Garden.

James Snyder, Director

Throughout his tenure, Snyder has been responsible for the overall direction of the Museums
curatorial program. Highlights include:A Brief History of Humankind(2015);Twilight over Berlin:
Masterworks from the National Galerie, 1905-1945;James Turrell: Light Spaces(2014);William
Kentridge: Five Themes(2011)
ADI NES
Ness exhibitions have been shown from Tel Aviv to
San Diego. He is most notable for the his series
entitled Soldiers which was criticized for its
homoeroticism and usage of dark-skinned Israeli
models who are often subject to discrimination for
looking Arab. Ness has said that the inspiration for
his photography is partially autobiographical.
RUTH KESTENBAUM BEN DOV
Born in the United State, Ruth has made Israel her home for most of her life. After taking summer
school courses at the Vermont Studio Center and the Corcoran School of Art, she earned her BFA from
the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, a degree in Art History at the Hebrew University, and a
teaching certification in art and art history at Kerem Institute. She has been featured in a multitude of
solo and group exhibitions in addition to a few publications. She says that Painting is a lifetime
commitment, a source of inspiration and a continual challenge. Observation of reality keeps me
focused, providing a foundationfor journeys exploringmultilevel identities, histories, and even
languages, with text playing a role in many of my works.
Ilit Azoulay
Ilit Azoulayis best known for panoramicphoto montages, depicting arrangements of different
objects and materials she has collected from demolished buildings around south districts of Tel Aviv.
She visited the buildings before demolition, exploring their rooms, and examining their walls. After
the demolition, Azulay returned, searching through the remains and gathering pieces of them. In the
studio, she sorted and cataloged the findings. Then photographs were made separately and used for
collage preparation.
Sigalit Landau
Sigalit has been scratching the surfaces for over two decades. But the bruises are still open; the pain
doesn't seem to ease. She spreads salt crystals on open injuries, blends them in sugar, covers them
in papier-mch, immerses them in the Dead Sea. But their bloody presence is always here.

Landau's work is of a bridge maker.

[Un]consciously looking for new and vital materials to connect the past to the future; the west to the
east; the private with the collective; the sub-existential to the Uber-profound; the found objects to
the deepest epic narratives and mythologies.
Yehudit Sasportas
Yehudit Sasportas was born inAshdodin 1969. In her early works, for example, Cradle (1991) and
Trash Can Scale (1996), she created three-dimensional structures based on images of household
objects. Her work, The Carpenter and the Seamstress (2000), focused on the architectural project of
her parents apartment in housing project in Ashdod. In it she created a large installation from
dimensions that combined sculpture and drawing. In the 2000s, her works began to include images
from nature, mainly forests and swamps, and concrete and metaphorical dimensions. In addition,
she began to work in the field of video. In 2007, she was the representative of Israel in The
Guardians of the Threshold, 52 which took place at the Venice Biennale, Italy.
THE ITINERARY
DAY ONE - ARRIVAL
Sunday, October 22
Arrive at Ben Gurion airport.

1 group assistance with arrival formalities,

meet guide and ascend to Jerusalem via
the Judean Hills.

Check in to the Inbal Hotel.

Depart for the Goldman Promenade for a

special Arrival Ceremony, overlooking the
Old City from the South.

Cocktails at the home of James Snyder,

the Anne and Jerome Fisher Director of
theIsrael Museum.

Continue to the center of Jerusalem for a Festive

Welcome Dinner, at the Chakra Restaurant with
representatives of the Israel Museum.

Overnight: Inbal Hotel, Jerusalem

Monday, October 23 EXPLORING THE LAYERS OF JERUSALEM
Breakfast at hotel.

Israel and Its Art: Contemporary Art in an Ancient Land with Amitai Mendelson, curator of Israeli Art. In Jerusalem,
One Never Knows What One Will Find.Drive around the Old City to the corner of Neviim St. and Rt 1 for a special
viewing of the Byzantine Armenian Bird Mosaic, in the basement of a 19th century Jerusalem building.

Enter the Old City and walk to the Austrian Hospice to ascend to the roof for an overlook of the Temple Mount
Harem a Sharif and the alleyways of the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem. Continue along the Via Dolorosa, stopping at
selected Stations of the Cross and enter the Church of the Holy Sepulcher via the Ethiopian Orthodox rooftop
community.
Monday, October 23 EXPLORING THE LAYERS OF JERUSALEM (continued)

Guided visit through the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, followed by a meeting with a representative of the Greek
Orthodox Patriarchate and a special viewing of the some of the Patriarchs private art collection.

Guided walk through the Jewish Quarter to the

Western Wall, with time for personal reflection,
followed by an overview of some of the newest
excavations in the rear of the Western Wall Plaza.

Time permitting: Enter into the multi-layered

excavations at the City of David for a guided
visit through the site, exploring the roots of
Jerusalem and contemporary realities on the site.

Return to the Inbal Hotel.

Dinner at Mona, with chefs Moshe Gamlieli and

Itamar Navon.
Tuesday, October 24 CREATIVITY and MEMORY
Depart for Yad Vashem.

Art and Holocaust Memory in Israeli Society, with Yehudit Shendar, deputy director and senior art curator at Yad
Vashemsmuseums division.

Guided visit through the Yad Vashem complex,

including the Avenue of the Righteous Among the
Nations, the Historical Museum and a special
program at the Yad Vashem Art Museum, with art
both from the Holocaust era and contemporary art
which uses Holocaust motifs, concluding with a visit
the Archive to explore some of the newly found
materials relating to places, people and events
connected to the Holocaust.
Tuesday, October 24 CREATIVITY and MEMORY (continued)

Continue to the Israel Museum for a guided walk through the Billy Rose Sculpture Garden, with time for personal reflection.

Lunch at the Israel Museum, followed

by dessert with James Snyder.

Visit through the Shrine of the Book

and the Model of Jerusalem from the
days of the Second Temple.

Guided visit to selected exhibits at the

Israel Museum with Curators and
Senior Staff.

Depart for the First Station for dinner at

what has become one of Jerusalems
most active sites of culture and culinary arts.

Overnight: Inbal Hotel, Jerusalem

Wednesday, October 25 THE DEAD SEA BASIN AND JORDAN VALLEY
Ascend to the top of Masada for a guided visit through the Herodian era remains while exploring the significance of the
Masada story in contemporary Israel. Conclude with short a presentation on the Fresco Restoration Work undertaken over
the past 15 years, since Masada was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Drive to Ein Bokek for an opportunity to float in the

Dead Sea or for Spa treatments, followed by lunch at
one of the Dead Sea Spa hotels.

Drive through the Jordan Valley to the Sea of Galilee.

Stop at Beit Shean, the Byzantine city of Scytopolis, for a

guided visit through the extensive excavations and a
glimpse at some of the renovation artisans at work.

Visit the village of Yardena in the Cleveland

Beit Shean/Valley of Springs Partnership Region, for an
authentic Kurdish experience, including dinner

Drive to Tiberius and check in to the Mitzpeh Hayamim

Spa Hotel. Dinner at the hotel.

Overnight: Mitzpeh Hayamim in Rosh Pina

Thursday, October 26 ART IN THE GALILEE
My Photographic Art and Contemporary Israel, with photographic artist, Adi Ness.

Drive to Eshhar in the Misgav region and visit the studio of artist Ruth Kestenbaum Ben Dov, who combines contemporary
Israeli, Galilean, Jewish, and personal themes in her artwork.
OR
Visit the Tefen Open Museum, at the Tefen Park.

Visit the Tulip Winery in Kfar Tikvah (The Village of

Hope) for people with special needs.

Drive along the Mediterranean Coast to Caesarea.

Guided visit through Caesarea, with its wealth of

Roman Byzantine remains, beginning at the
Theater and continuing through the Hippodrome
and Palace to the renovated Crusader city with its
modern cafes and galleries.

Drive to Tel Aviv.

Evening at leisure to enjoy Tel Avivs numerous

culinary, cultural, and Fun at The Jaffa Port or the
Tel Aviv Port. Optional: Attend a theater or concert
performance in Tel Aviv.

Overnight: David Inter Continental, Tel Aviv

Friday, October 27 TEL AVIV: THE FIRST HEBREW CITY
Defining Identities through the Environmental Art and Architecture of Tel Aviv, a guided walk through the streets of Tel Aviv
with Professor Micha Levine, of the Shenkar College for Engineering, Design and Art. More than almost any other individual,
Micha has left his mark on the public art and architecture of Tel Aviv in the past forty years, including Neve Zedek, and the
Rothschild Boulevard area, the heart of the UNESCO White City collection of Bauhaus architecture.

Free time to wander around Jaffa (the artists colony and flea market) and Tel Aviv (the promenade and Rothschild Blvd.) as
Tel Avivians begin celebrating the weekend.

Dinner at special chef restaurant in Tel Aviv

Overnight: David Inter Continental, Tel Aviv

Saturday, October 28, 2017 CONTEMPORARY ISRAELI ART
Tel Aviv and the Story of Contemporary Israel Art, special program at the Tel Aviv Museum of Contemporary Art.

Visit the studios of:

o Photomontage artist Ilit Azoulay, to hear about and see her work which focuses on remnants from demolished
buildings in Tel Aviv and the artistic message that she creates.
o Sigalit Landau, for a dialogue about her sculpture and video installations which synthesize history, contemporary life,
and geopolitics.
o Yehudit Sasportas, who works in a combination of film, sculpture and drawing to create a variety of mental landscapes.

Festive farewell dinner at the new Segev Concept restaurant in the Sarona Market.
THE SCULPTURE CENTER OF CLEVELAND
ART AND ADVENTURE IN ISRAEL
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