Oasis Art Gallery: Projects we are working on: April - December 2021

Meeting of Artists in the Community

On April 29, we were delighted to host ten Jewish and Palestinian artists from all around the country. Some were new participants in our activities or were not previously well acquainted with us. We introduced them to the village and its educational work. The artists were invited to take part in a brainstorming meeting, which will enable a few of them to create artworks for the outdoor area of the hotel.

Active for Peace

Just following the chaotic and violent events of May, Dyana was invited to meet with the artists Assaf Rahat and Ohad Shaaltiel at Assaf’s studio. The two artists have been working closely together, directing the art education center of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. Assaf and Ohad encouraged Dyana, as the Oasis Gallery director, to consult with them on a new initiative which would bring Jewish and Arab children together through art. She found that this could be a fruitful collaboration for the Gallery and our projects for peace building through art. The two artists have agreed to visit on July 5.

Planning Ahead

Artists Hosting Artists

On June 29, the first “Artists hosting artists” projects of the year is scheduled to take place in Haifa Gallery, located in Wadi Nisnas, a Palestinian neighborhood of Haifa. This is an important venue since Haifa is one of the country’s largest mixed Arab-Jewish citizens. The workshop will be attended by both Arab and Jewish artists, some of whom are new to our programs.

On the same day we will visit Haifa Museum to view the exhibition “Haifa’s Way”.
The second “Artists hosting artists” project will take place in Acre (عكّا, עַכּוֹ). We specifically chose this mixed city since it was badly affected by the terrible violence during the recent period, as well as on previous occasions. The intention is to meet with and support local Jewish and Arab artists in the city. Part of the meeting will be hosted in the studio of the local and socially-active artist, Walid Kashash.

New Exhibitions

“Moving Ahead!” – an exhibition exploring popular, social and political freedom of expression and movement in the shadow of the Occupation. The exhibition is due to open July 30 and will be on display until October.

Climate Change: Global and Local – this exhibition is in the early planning stages and is scheduled to open in November until the end of January 2022.

Other plans for the year

A new Studio at The Gallery Promoting Intercultural Encounters Through Art: The dream of establishing a studio for artists as part of the educational work of the Oasis Gallery, is due to be realized. We have been given the use of a room formerly used as a storage room of the primary school. The new studio will be open for local, domestic and foreign artists.

Creative workshops: We will be working with professional artists and teachers to host creative workshops.

Artistic Encounter: Groups from diverse backgrounds and ages will be invited to take advantage of the village’s wonderful natural location to come together and, through the medium of art, explore their personal and collective identities, and their perspectives of the other.

Publicity: In order to create awareness of the new studio, exhibitions and works of the Gallery,we will be working to develop our social media presence.

Renovations

Following the devastating fire of the SFP and Library we have been working to repair the damage caused to the Gallery. Thankfully the interior walls have now dried and are clean. We are able once again to hang canvases. Some artists have, through the years, donated works to the gallery for sale. The earnings from such sales will be put towards the renovation work.

The Gallery Courtyard

During the successive lockdowns and restrictions of the COVID-19 period, the gallery courtyard provided an alternative space for us to host groups, create artwork and introduce visitors to the concepts and artistic vision of the gallery. On two occasions we took advantage of the courtyard to conduct workshops for artists. They produced statues and small outdoor installations that remain to beautify the space. As a result, the courtyard itself provides an attractive permanent exhibition that visitors can enjoy when the gallery is closed, or when there is no current indoor exhibition. Their responses are encouraging. We will therefore continue to invest further artistic efforts to develop the courtyard as a welcoming interactive space. Practically, we need to improve ease of access, as the only way to reach the gallery courtyard from outside is via outdoor steps. We hope to conduct at least one more outdoor artists’ workshop in the courtyard.