Open call – Designing Mezuzahs

The Department of Ceramics and Glass Design in collaboration with the Friends of Magen David Adom U.K. and U.S., are delighted to invite artists in the fields of ceramics and glass to submit their proposals for designing unique mezuzahs for the Marcus National Blood Services Center and Human Milk Bank currently under construction in Ramla, scheduled to open in September 2021.

The Marcus Center will house the most advanced labs, various aid rooms and the largest blood and human milk bank in Israel.

Author Joyce Carol Oats wrote: “We are linked by blood and blood is memory without language.” The point of departure in this exceptional collaboration between Bezalel and Magen David Adom stems from contemplating the notion of blood as a common ground linking humanity as a whole and the beauty in the equality that blood creates amongst us.

Magen David Adom is at the final stages of constructing the Marcus National Blood Services Center and Human Milk Bank. The momentous building, located in Ramla, will serve as a blood and human milk bank for any person in need of its services, and help save lives of all who need it amongst the communities in Israel and its surrounding. Magen David Adom Israel is a global organization working in collaboration with the Red Cross and the Jordanian Red Crescent in saving lives worldwide. The organization aims to save lives regardless of race, religion or gender differences.

Magen David Adom is a volunteer-based, multi-cultural organization with volunteers from all walks of Israeli society, whose identity as an all-inclusive organization is the guide for all its activities, and as such, calls upon artists from all backgrounds and communities to take part in this exciting project.

We are interested in incorporating the artists' unique and original perspectives and welcome proposals that intertwine values of multi-culturalism and inclusiveness, and how these values are expressed in connection with saving lives through the Marcus National Blood Services Center and Human Milk Bank.

We invite you to submit proposals for designing unique mezuzahs to be placed in the entrances to the main wings of the building.

The open call is to submit proposals for two separate projects:

1. A proposal to design a one-of-a-kind mezuzah to be placed at the three entrances leading to the wings of the building from the main lobby. Such a mezuzah will be produced in 6 replicas – one mezuzah for each of the main entrances, and 1 replica for the donor of that entrance. 
2. A serial design mezuzah – a limited edition of 60 replicas: 30 for the additional entrances to the main areas in the building and 30 replicas for the donors of each entrance.

The proposals will be examined by a judging committee comprised of Magen David Adom representatives in the U.K and U.S. The representatives are individuals who have been involved in the project and oversee it since its inception.

Magen David Adom expects this project to emphasize values of inclusiveness and life-saving inherent in blood and that the mezuzahs prominently displayed with a brief text alongside them, will draw attention and become a topic of discussion amongst the infinite number of visitors arriving at the center.

It is a rare opportunity to design a Judaica artifact for such an important and central structure. 

Following examination, all relevant proposals will be displayed in an exhibit held at the Marcus Center, and all accepted proposals will be featured in a prestigious catalog distributed by Magen David Adom.

In addition to having their designs displayed in the center, the winners of the competition will win a monetary prize of $1,000 on top of their development and production costs for the series.

Requirements:

• CV in Word format.
• Portfolio of previous work in Power Point format.
• A conceptual and visual description of the proposal, 400 words max. in Word format.

Please add sketches/simulations, scale and choice of materials.

Also accepting a joint proposal by a number of artists. Other materials may also be submitted.

Deadlines:

• Conceptual proposal submission 5.4.2021.

• Responses given by 12.4.2021

• Completed artifacts ready for catalog photography by 10.6.2021

• Winners will be given time to produce the limited series (30 replicas) by 29.8.2021.

• Opening of the Center is in September 2021.

Please email your proposals to:

Eranehrlich1@gmail.com or hadarara@gmail.com