The Founding of Artis

In 2004, Artis Founder Rivka Saker was inspired to bring international attention to contemporary artists from Israel. Recognizing the need for a support system for this diverse community of artists, Rivka possessed intimate knowledge of the art community in Israel and the international contemporary art world, bringing the two spheres together to garner increased global visibility for their work. 

Her strategy began with a publication announcing a showcase for artists from Israel during New York’s annual Armory Show. These events and the momentum generated would eventually become Artis.

In its early days, Artis focused solely on shows of visual artists from Israel at select galleries throughout New York. It also sparked a newcomer to NYC’s Chelsea gallery neighborhood. Founded by photography curator Andrea Meislin, the Andrea Meislin Gallery introduced audiences to leading artists from Israel, contextualizing their work alongside that of other international artists and the gallery’s collection of documentary and historical photographs about and from Israel.

Such Stuff as Dreams Are Made On

As Artis developed, it began working closely with museums. In 2005, the Chelsea Art Museum (CAM) provided an exhibition space and curatorial lens on the work of a selection of artists from Israel. Curated by CAM and former Solomon R. Guggenheim curator Manon Slome, the exhibition proved key in centralizing Artis and establishing first steps in achieving longevity. In fall 2005, Manon traveled to Israel to meet artists and finalize the list of artworks for the exhibition. She titled it, “Such Stuff as Dreams Are Made On,” referencing a line from Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

“Israeli art is an art forged in a political and cultural hothouse, that meets a violent reality with an exuberance for life ever conscious of its extinction; hence the title. The work of these artists combines the muscle and visual drama of an engagement with materials, the ‘stuff’ of everyday life, with a fragility, a transient, fleeting sense of the ‘dream.’” —Manon Slome, curator and Artis Board member

Launch of the Artis Scholarship Fund

One of the first organizational commitments of Artis was to support artists through scholarship funds for an MFA program at New York’s Columbia University. Many of the artists with whom Artis continues to work received grants through the Artis Scholarship Fund, which ran through 2016.

First Curatorial Seminar in Israel

In 2007, Artis organized its first cohort of international curators, museum professionals, and writers for week-long intensive seminars in Israel. Artis Curatorial Seminars feature visits to museums, alternative spaces, private collections, and studios of leading artists. Through these meaningful encounters art professionals from around the world become familiar with the cultural ecosystem of the region. These explorations provide platforms for discussion between artists, curators, historians, and influential thinkers, and have generated numerous exhibitions, projects, residencies, and other initiatives.

Early Public Programs

In addition to curatorial and exhibition support, Artis begins to foster collaborative public programs to further understanding of the scope of artmaking practices within Israel and the region. In 2008-09, Artis expanded the discourse on contemporary art from Israel through public-facing presentations at institutions, galleries, and national and international venues adding to its growing presence.

Art Fairs and International Events

Art Fairs and International Events are ever more vital in providing international platforms for contemporary art, creating spaces for emerging and experimental work that defines the current zeitgeist for art and general audiences alike. Artis—launched during New York’s Armory Show—has engaged and grown along with these platforms to further define the landscape of contemporary art from Israel for audiences and potential collaborators.

Career Development Programs

Artis organizes intensive three-day programs focused on career development opportunities for artists. With over 125 graduates, the program provided sustainability tools for emerging artists and opportunities for all participants to deepen community and international connections. The Program ran through 2017. The Artis team continues to mentor artists throughout the year and around the globe through both studio visits and advisory services.

Marking 10 Curatorial Seminars in Israel

This year marks Artis’ 10th Curatorial Seminar in Israel. Since the inception of the program in 2007, Artis welcomed over 300 curators and arts professionals to Israel for Curatorial Seminars, leading to the realization of nearly 500 alumni curatorial projects to date.

Artis 10th Anniversary: Tel Aviv Museum of Art

The first-decade celebration of Artis as an organization was held at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art in a celebratory event featuring video screenings and artist performances. It also included news of an important and impactful gift:

“We are at a crucial point of expansion—increasing our support mechanisms for artists, and, of course, celebrating ten years of groundbreaking work.”  —Rivka Saker

Major Gift Supports Artis Grantmaking

Artis receives an anonymous major gift, which ensures funding for the Project Grant Program, supporting development and production of new works by contemporary artists based in Israel. In its inaugural year, Artis received 128 grant applications and awarded 12 artists direct support for the development of new projects and initiatives. From 2015 through 2018, Artis provided 35 artists with significant support through Project Grant funding.

Staring Back at The Sun

Initiated by Artis and emerging from previous Curatorial Seminars in Israel, Staring Back at the Sun: Video Art from Israel, 1970-2012 was the first comprehensive survey of video artmaking in Israel. The expansive research, exhibition, and public programs were first launched at New York’s New Museum in 2016, and traveled to 10 international venues over a three-year run. Staring Back at the Sun was a monumental moment in Artis’ history as it provided both context and insight to artmaking practices in Israel while bringing artists and curators into an international spotlight. The scope of the project continued to broaden and expand throughout the years of its presentation, culminating with the 2019 publication of a bilingual exhibition catalog. 

Biennales and Art Festivals

Providing an increasing number of exhibition grants, Artis enables the participation of Israeli artists in major Biennales and festivals. One such example is an Exhibition Grant supporting Roee Rosen’s presentation at documenta 14: “Learning From Athens.” Following this presentation, one of the works on view–The Blind Merchant (1989-91)– was acquired into the permanent collection of the Centre Pompidou, Paris, in 2020 through the support of the Artis Fund Program.

Launch of Residency Grant Program

In 2018, Artis launched its Residency Grant Program, providing artists from Israel direct support for travel, program fees, production, and other costs associated with international residency participation.

Acquisitions

The Artis Fund supports partner institutions internationally in the acquisition of artworks by contemporary artists from Israel, as well as funding research, curatorial travel, public programs, and publications pertinent to modern and contemporary art from Israel. Thus far, Artis has helped support the acquisition of 40 artworks into the permanent collections of leading museums around the world.

Artis has helped to bring Noa Eshkol’s work to international audiences for over a decade, beginning in 2012 on the occasion of the exhibition, “Sharon Lockhart | Noa Eshkol,” at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). The commissioned five-channel video artwork and large scale traveling exhibition was developed following a research trip that Sharon made to Israel, where she was first introduced to Noa Eshkol’s work. The trip was initiated by Artis Board member Nancy Berman on behalf of the TLV-LA Partnership in the Arts. 

“‘Sharon Lockhart | Noa Eshkol’ integrated performances of Noa’s rigorous movement system with the dramatic and colorful carpets and ephemera from her life and work. Noa, in her lifetime, never wanted publicity or filming of her work or, for that matter, calling her movement system “dance.” As Sharon immersed herself in the whole of Noa’s practice, she gained the trust of those preserving it. They came to see Sharon as an integral part of their community and that she had the poetic power to create a new and profound work of art in responsive dialogue with Noa. And she did. I am convinced that with a loving and respectful heart, Sharon channeled Noa as a co-conspirator in her own creation. In so doing, Noa Eshkol’s contribution to modernism and the performative movement was resurrected for future generations in Israel and beyond.” –Nancy Berman, Artis Board Member

Launch of the Residency Partnership Initiative

Artis’ work moves ahead with acute sensitivity to the needs of the time. In 2024, the impact of the war on all those in the international community of artists, curators, cultural peers, and colleagues called for adaptations and organizational agility. Thinking of new ways to support artists and art from Israel, the organization launched the Artis Residency Partnership Initiative, creating meaningful opportunities for residencies and spaces which will help artists develop and share their vital work undeterred.

By year’s end, Artis will have fostered 30 new residency opportunities around the world in response to the urgent needs of artists from Israel to continue to develop their practices during these difficult times.

"Visiting an artist’s studio is the closest one can come to sharing the creative process. In September, Artis arranged a studio visit with two artists who were in residence through the partnership initiative at the International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP) in Brooklyn. For me, the encounter was visceral. The artists took us on a deep dive into the world of their imagination, their concerns, their interests and their process. These residencies gave the artists a space to work, to explore and to present their work to new eyes.” –Jennifer Roth, Artis Board Member