Artport Tel Aviv – A Place of Possibilities
by Sarah Peguine | 21.04.16Since its establishment in 2012, Artport Tel Aviv has become a key art hub of Tel Aviv. Artport is a nonprofit organization founded by Mr. Jason Arison, Chairman of The Ted Arison Family Foundation and provides a residency program for emerging Israeli artists and a platform for an alternative artistic dialogue, connecting the local art scene with the international one.
Non Finito #3 exhibition opening, Picture by Dan Haimovich
Each year, Artport receives over 200 applications from Israeli artists who have been active in the past 5 year and the 6 selected residents receive a studio and a generous stipend. The prestigious program regularly hosts open studios events, allowing both art professionals and art lovers to see the works in process by the artists. The residency also accepts applications from curators, for their proposals of exhibitions and projects at Artport, where they can present works by the residents but also by guest artists from Israel and abroad.
The Yearly Art Books Fair Picture by Dan Haimovich
Most importantly, Artport is a place of dialogue for artists, it celebrates the power of the group and it fights off the feeling of loneliness artists sometimes experience, through workshops, open studios, feedback sessions and more. An example for these initiatives is the ACDP (Artistic career development program) retreat, organized by Artport, Artis and Asylum Arts. The program’s aim is to empower artists from Israel with tools to develop the professional skills necessary for a successful long-term international career in the visual arts.
Artistic career development program Dinner Picture by Dan Haimovich
On my latest conversation with Artport’s director, Vardit Gross, I understood that what makes this venue so special and unique on our scene is indeed its strong sense of artistic community. Artport offers a space for artists, art lovers and art professionals alike, to exchange their ideas, create and support one another, or as Gross puts it, it is “a place of possibilities”.
