Bezalel Academy prepares to build new Jerusalem campus
Design school raises $70 million for new premises, set to open in 2021
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The Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design has raised $70 million for its new Jerusalem campus, led by a $25 million donation from philanthropist Morton Mandel.
The new campus will be called The Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design Jerusalem, Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Campus and is scheduled to open in 2021.
Other supporters include The Russell Berrie Foundation, The Polonsky Foundation, the William Davidson Foundation, the Y&S Nazarian Family Foundation, Romie and Blanche Shapiro, and Linda and Ilan Kaufthal. The state of Israel also supported what will ultimately be a $100 million campaign.
The Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design is Israel’s oldest institution of higher education and the birthplace of Israel’s art culture. Courses of study include: fine arts, architecture, ceramic and glass design, industrial design, jewelry and fashion design, photography, visual communications, screen based arts, urban design, and art history and theory. The academy is home to some 2,000 students and 500 faculty members.
The new campus will be located on the border of eastern and western Jerusalem, and will include a library, galleries, workshops, classrooms, studios, offices, auditoriums and a cafeteria. It is designed by Pritzker Prize winners, Sejima and Nishizawa and Assoc. architects from Japan. It will feature a modern glass exterior fused with old Jerusalem stone and is the company’s first design in the Middle East.
The Times of Israel Community.