Israel Cultural Excellence Foundation
Encyclopedia
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
's most outstanding artists.
The foundation locates Israeli artists with potential for excellence in a wide variety of artistic fields, including visual arts
Visual arts
The visual arts are art forms that create works which are primarily visual in nature, such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, and often modern visual arts and architecture...
, music (classical, jazz, and Israeli), dance, theater, cinema, product design
Product design
-Introduction:Product design is the process of creating a new product to be sold by a business or enterprise to its customers. It is concerned with the efficient and effective generation and development of ideas through a process that leads to new products.Product designers conceptualize and...
, visual communication
Visual communication
Visual communication as the name suggests is communication through visual aid and is described as the conveyance of ideas and information in forms that can be read or looked upon...
, fashion design, and writing. The foundation supports its chosen artists for a period of up to five years.
The foundation
IcExcellence was founded by its managing director Rachel Marani, formerly Israel’s cultural attachéAttaché
Attaché is a French term in diplomacy referring to a person who is assigned to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency...
in Washington. It is financed by businesspeople, companies, and foundations from Israel and all over the world.
The artistic advisory committees consist of 35 artists and public opinion makers, including six Israel Prize
Israel Prize
The Israel Prize is an award handed out by the State of Israel and is largely regarded as the state's highest honor. It is presented annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state ceremony in Jerusalem, in the presence of the President, the Prime Minister, the Knesset chairperson, and the...
laureates, all acting on a voluntary basis. Members include Dubi Lenz, Gal Uchovsky, David Tartakover
David Tartakover
David Tartakover is an Israeli graphic designer, political activist, artist and design educator.He studied at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem, and is a graduate of the London College of Printing...
, Michal Smoira-Cohn, Chaim Topol
Chaim Topol
Chaim Topol , often billed simply as Topol, is an Israeli theatrical and film performer, actor, writer and producer. He has been nominated for an Oscar and Tony Award, and has won two Golden Globes.-Early life:...
, Dani Caravan, Yossi Marhaim, Mendi Rodan
Mendi Rodan
Mendi Rodan was a Romanian-born Israeli conductor, composer and violinist.-Biography:Mendi Rodan was born in Iaşi, Romania, one of three children of Solomon and Miriam Rosenblum. Mendi began playing the violin at the age of five...
, Ohad Naharin
Ohad Naharin
Ohad Naharin is an Israeli contemporary dancer, choreographer and dance company artistic director.-Biography:...
, Danny Gottfried, Ron Arad, Asher Fisch, Gershon Bram, Alex Padua, and Micha Lewensohn.
The work of the foundation focuses on two main areas. The first, "Developing and advancing the artist’s knowledge and skills", involves building a personal advancement program suited to the artist and their needs. The programs may include taking advanced courses in a foreign country, or learning a relevant professional software program. The second area, "Developing and advancing the artist’s professional career, involves encouraging artists to assume a proactive approach to advancing their careers, based on the understanding that great artistic talent is a prerequisite but in itself does not suffice for developing a prominent local and/or international career. Seminars and annual meetings deal with “career skills”, exposing the artists to subjects such as strategic and business counseling, self-presentation, marketing, branding, and networking. Business coaching is also offered.
Israeli Music
Din Din AvivDin Din Aviv
Din Din Aviv is an Israeli pop and folk singer. After performing with Gaya and with the Idan Raichel Project, she released a successful debut album, Sodotay in 2006.-Background:...
, David D'Or
David D'Or
David D'Or is an Israeli singer, composer, and songwriter. A countertenor with a vocal range of more than four octaves, he is a three-time winner of the Israeli "Singer of the Year" and "Best Vocal Performer" awards. He was also chosen to represent Israel in the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest, at...
, Lior Elmalich, Victoria Hanna, Rona Kenan, Ron Shem Tov (Izabo
Izabo
Izabo is an Israeli band. Their musical style is diverse, ranging from indie rock, disco and Middle Eastern music.-Biography:Most of the band members are experienced musicians on the Israeli music scene. The lead singer and guitarist, Ran Shem-Tov is a versatile producer, who worked with artists...
), Shlomi Shaban
Classical Music
Conductors Gil ShohatGil Shohat
Gil Shohat is an Israeli classical music composer, conductor and pianist.Shohat was born in 1973 in Israel to the Ha'aretz journalist Tzipora Shohat. His first orchestral work was performed by the Israel Chamber Orchestra when he was 18. He served as the chief pianist of the Israeli Defense Forces...
, Dan Ettinger, and Yaron Gottfried, Opera Singer Chen Reiss, Composer Avner Dorman
Avner Dorman
Avner Dorman is an Israeli born composer of contemporary classical music.- Biography :Avner Dorman holds a Doctorate in Music Composition from the Juilliard School where he studied as a C.V. Starr fellow with John Corigliano...
, Keren Hadar
Visual Art
Yael BartanaYael Bartana
Yael Bartana is an Israeli video artist, who lives and works in Amsterdam and Tel Aviv.- Work :Yael Bartana has had several solo exhibitions at among others Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven, PS1 in New York and Moderna Museet Malmö...
, Zoya Cherkassky, Adi Nes
Adi Nes
Adi Nes is an Israeli photographer. He is the son of Iranian and Kurdish immigrants who came to Israel in the 1950s from Iran. His exhibits have been shown from Tel Aviv to San Diego...
, Talia Keinan, Yehudit Sasportas, Gal Weinstein