The Idan & Batia Ofer Arts Wing is dedicated to promoting innovative artistic discourse in Israel and beyond, reinforcing Bezalel’s status as a leading academy in the international art scene. Its establishment was made possible thanks to the generous contribution of the Idan & Batia Ofer Family Foundation, reflecting their deep commitment to supporting and nurturing art and culture in Israel and around the world.

The Idan & Batia Ofer Arts Wing is a major pillar of Bezalel’s campus encompassing almost 10,000 square meters.

Nestled between the historic Russian Compound and the more recent City Hall, at the intersection between the Old City and the modern city center, embracing Jerusalem’s matchless mix of civilizations and communities - the Ofer Arts Wing is quickly taking shape and making its presence known. Created by the Tokyo-based SANAA Architects, Pritzker Prize recipients, it is a physical manifestation of the Academy’s values and beliefs.

In this place, the Academy’s students are developing a critical and ethical way of thinking, acquiring the ability to cope with constantly changing circumstances, and becoming the artists and designers, leaders and entrepreneurs that will impact and energize the world of tomorrow, at home and abroad. 

The Idan & Batia Ofer Arts Wing amazing transparent glass façade, departments, galleries and workshop spaces, will aid to implement Bezalel’s belief that artistic expression involves breaching boundaries to shape the culture and conversation, inviting the public and passers-by to participate in the thought-provoking conversations within. It is a powerful testament to the Academy’s vision that the future of art and design lies in a synergy and symbiosis between peoples and ideas, between the place and region it inhabits and between the universality of the challenges it responds to.

Conceived to encourage initiative and interaction, the multi-level interior space of the Idan & Batia Ofer Arts Wing consists of five floors. The unique design provides an easy ebb and flow between floors, departments, galleries and interdisciplinary spaces, with ramps and stairs facilitating movement so students and teachers can meet, study, design and display their work.

The Idan & Batia Ofer Arts Wing houses 4 principal Bezalel Departments consisting of over 1000 of the Academy's students: The Department of Photography, Screen-based Arts, Fine Arts and Visual Communication planned as follows:

Level 3 – The Arts Wing top level, contains the Department of Photography
Level 2 – This floor contains the Department of Screen-based Arts
Level 1 – The Main Entrance floor, contains the Department of Visual Communication (Bezalel's largest Department) as well as accommodations for print, computer labs and classrooms.
Level 0 – Lower Entrance Floor - houses the Department of Fine Arts, along with printing, 3D modelling and robotics workshops.
Level -1 – contains workspaces requiring darkness, including Stop Motion animation studios, editing rooms, a TV studio and workshops. This level also contains work studios of the Department of Fine Arts.

We are grateful to the Idan & Batia Ofer Family Foundation for their leadership in establishing this important and unique teaching and learning space.