Globes | Creation during these times – an interview with the President of the Academy, Prof. Adi Stern

In an interview with Globes, Bezalel President Prof. Adi Stern, discusses the uniqueness of Bezalel as an academic institution that brings together students from diverse backgrounds in a creative hub in the heart of Jerusalem, and reflects on this year’s graduate exhibition.

On the complexities of studying art and creation at Bezalel during these times, he says: “I recently contemplated the encounter between a student living in East Jerusalem, who has to pass through checkpoints every morning, and a student who comes from Tel Aviv or Herzliya. They come from different worlds, and meet in the classroom. This can perhaps cause anxiety. In my view, this meeting is the greatest thing we can do. And it lasts for four years. They become friends. Not always, not everyone. But there is also hope.”

“Direct involvement in the community is the central element. Training creators to excel is a given. More important is civic education and education for coexistence, always, and especially today in Israel. We do many community activities: working with children and youth, workshops for schools, an excellence program in exchange for scholarships for students who teach. And a student who experiences this during their studies is more likely to become a committed citizen for a cause – I don’t intervene in the cause. Activism is related to understanding your power and responsibility as a creator in the world,  in order to improve it.”

Full article in Globes