The Tel Aviv Museum of Art recently doubled its exhibition space with a new building by American architect Preston Scott Cohen. On ‘Art Weekend’ the museum hosts a 24-hour marathon. Tel-Aviv, Israel. 22-Mar-2012.

Tel-Aviv – Yafo Municipality press release, February 2012:

Art Weekend launches Tel Aviv’s Art Year with major art
projects transforming the urban landscape of the non-stop city
Tel Aviv Art Weekend 21st to 25th March 2012

2012 is a pinnacle in Tel Aviv’s cultural life, with the completion of 3 major construction and renovation projects of the city’s cultural institutions: The Tel Aviv Cinematheque, Habima National Theatre and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, which doubled its exhibition space with a new building by American architect Preston Scott Cohen. To mark this milestone, Mayor Ron Huldai declared 2012 as Art Year.

Tel Aviv Art Weekend will be the launching event of Art Year, and will encapsulate the creative spirit of Tel Aviv by engaging its art museums and 100 of the city's independent galleries and alternative spaces with main cultural centers. The city will radiate creativity as Tel Aviv’s famous restaurants, cafes and bars will also engage with this general atmosphere of art. Mayor Ron Huldai says: “Since its founding, the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo has been identified by its art and culture, with the Tel Aviv Museum of Art functioning as the beating heart of the city’s art community; the museum's first exhibition space was the living room of the city's first Mayor, who believed that the city should not only create infrastructure but also lay down the foundation for creation”.

Key events over the weekend of March 21 - 25, 2012 will include:

- Non-Stop Museum, March 22 - March 23
A 24-hour marathon at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art starting Thursday 4pm, will
include talks, panel discussions, art tours, dance, video-art screenings and a special
exhibition.
Highlights at the Non-Stop Museum:
- “8-Cubic Meters”: As part of the Art Year initiatives, the Tel Aviv Museum of
Art announced an open-call for artists whose work has not yet been exhibited at
the museum. 15 artists were selected by a professional committee and each will
exhibit a piece that fits within the dimensions of 8-cubic meters.
- “Land of Promise” - contemporary Israeli Video Art: This one screen
exhibition presents a selection of 24 video artworks by 19 Israeli artists. The
works chosen for this exhibition are ones of Israeli reference. When edited
together into one 90-minute piece, they portray a mosaic of views and present
moments of grace, of bursting beauty and meditation, human reality and
landscapes. Curator: Hagit Peleg-Rotem.
- Gaga at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art:A
dance style that is getting the world on its feet, developed by Ohad Naharin, the world renowned choreographer and Artistic Director of Batsheva Dance Company. Gaga lessons will be given at the museum in cooperation with the dance company.
- Indie City: A series of video clips documenting bands performing unplugged
will be screened in the museum. The musicians are active in the flourishing Tel
Aviv music scene and were filmed in different locations around the city which
illustrates Tel Aviv's role as a creative force for musical creativity.

“Street Art” – Contemporary art on buildings throughout the city, March 21
A Contemporary art exhibition will present the artwork of young Israeli artists in
large format prints on central buildings in Tel Aviv. The exhibition is initiated and
produced by BARAM City Press.

Launch of Tel Aviv Art Tours, March 21
Art tours focusing on different topics will enable the public to become better
acquainted with the scores of art initiatives taking place in the city. The Association
for Tourism Tel Aviv-Yafo will operate the tours, which will include Urban
Photography, Women artists, poets, actresses & their life in Tel Aviv, Contemporary
Art and South-Side Graffiti & Street Art.

ARTFI – The Fine Art & Finance Conference, March 21
The conference will focus on the financial aspects of art, which in recent years has
become an alternative and increasingly popular option for investment. ARTFI invites
the public to experience the passion of collecting art, and to become acquainted with
the latest financial tools available for investing in art.

“aMUSEment Park” (Mazeh Bayit) – Emerging Artists Live-in project,
Private view March 22
The title translates to “What is a house?” a question that resonates through this art
project. For three weeks a group of selected artists will live in a house on 9 Mazeh
Street in the Historical Center of Tel Aviv. Through the process of leading a domestic
life together and providing a space to freely act, think, explore and create, these
artists will slowly transform 9 Mazeh into their home. While living in this space,
artists will have the opportunity to invite colleagues, converse with people from the
art and culture scene, and chronicle the process of discussing and imagining the
meaning of “home.” By the conclusion of the month, the artists will prepare a series
of sculptures and performances, which will be presented during Tel Aviv Art
Weekend under the title of “Mazeh aMUSEment Park.”

Art Year opening event, at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art Concourse, March 24
This event spotlights the dynamic relationship between the worlds of technology and
art, which also reflects the vibrant character of Tel Aviv as a city. Artists and
performers have proposed a series of works that connect visual art to music,
interactive design, conceptual architecture, live performances, sound, animation and
computer programming. This multi-media gala will be displayed Saturday evening at
the concourse situated between the new wing of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, the
Cameri Theatre and the Israeli Opera House. Visitors will walk through these
interactive artworks, and as such will become a dynamic participant in the exhibition.

Europe Capitals of Culture Salute Tel Aviv-Yafo, March 25
Directors from various European Capitals of Culture (ECOC) will convene in Tel Aviv
for a weekend that will afford them first-hand acquaintance with the art and culture
scene in the city. The guests will be exposed to the events of Art Weekend and to the
unique projects instituted during Art Year. At the end of their visit, the directors will
share best practices in the field of urban art, and will discuss various strategies to
enable culture in the public sphere.
For additional information and images please contact:
Jacob Peres, Jacob@jacobperes.com, +972 50 630 4101
Niva Navon, nniva@netvision.net.il, +972 52 329 2226
For a full list of Art Year events: http://www.artyear.co.il
NOTES TO THE EDITOR

Tel Aviv Art Year - additional key events throughout the year:

Fresh Paint Contemporary Art Fair Tel Aviv: May 14 – 19, 2012
Fresh Paint Contemporary Art Fair is Israel’s largest, most influential annual art event. The Fair attracts over 30,000 visitors each year, who enjoy presentations of the nation’s top galleries, promising emerging galleries and the unique Greenhouse which showcases the works of select, independent, emerging Israeli artists.
http://www.freshpaint.co.il

Houses from Within: May 18 – 19, 2012
Over 100 homes that have special architectural value will be open to the public free-of charge, offering dozens of tours and discussions about architecture, preservation and the public space. Designer lofts, urban villas, unique synagogues, architectural landmarks and significant public buildings, will all be open to visitors. As a special feature of Tel Aviv Art Year, homes where some of Israel’s most important and influential artists lived will also open to the public, as well as private homes with unique art collections. http://www.batim-il.org

White Night: June 28, 2012
UNESCO proclaimed the historic zone of Tel Aviv, also known as The White City, as a
World Cultural Heritage Site in 2003. To pay tribute to its unique urban and historical fabric, The Municipality holds a large-scale annual all-night festival. White Night is celebrated with cultural institutions open until sunrise and 100 different cultural and artistic happenings throughout the city.

Loving Art Making Art: September 6 – 8, 2012
Loving Art Making Art launches Tel Aviv’s new exhibitions' season, with three days of art activities in collaboration with some 60 galleries, museums, exhibition halls, and 240 local artists who open their studios to the public. Additionally, street exhibitions and commissioned works are presented on the opening night and artists' groups offer special events on this unique weekend.

Gay Pride Week: 1 – 8 June
Art-related activities will pay tribute to Gay Pride Week and highlight various topics that are on the community's agenda. The main event will be on June 8th with the Gay Pride Parade, when huge crowds and processions paint the city streets a rainbow of colours.

Tel-Aviv Pixel Hotel: 15 October, Bugrashov Beach
Who hasn't fantasized about spending a few hours or an entire night in a lifeguard tower on the Tel Aviv beach? Next winter it will be possible to make this dream come true thanks to an art project named Pixel Hotel, in the course of which a lifeguard tower will be converted into a hotel room open during the winter months.

About Tel Aviv–Yafo - The city in Numbers
el Aviv–Yafo’s population is slightly over 400,000. Tel Aviv-Yafo's greater
metropolitan area is home to over 3 million people.
One third of the city's residents are under the age of 35.
Over 5% of the city's budget goes to art.
Tel Aviv–Yafo is famous for its 1748 bars, pubs, cafes and restaurants, 1 for every
220 residents.
Tel Aviv-Yafo is a center of Art: 1.5 million people visit the city's 16 museums
each year. The Tel Aviv Museum of Art displays the world's largest collection of
Israeli art, as well as classic masterpieces; The Helena Rubinstein Pavilion
specializes in modern art; several historical museums reveal the rich history of
the city and its environs; and over 100 private galleries and exhibition spaces
present cutting-edge Israeli art.
Tel Aviv–Yafo is a center of Festivals: Over 40 annual festivals attract hundreds
of thousands of participants. The festival themes range from food to classical
music, beer to open-air dancing, visual arts to opera, and even an annual
Hummus event!
Tel Aviv-Yafo is a center of Theatre: 2 million tickets are sold for local
performances each year. 75% percent of theater ticket sales in Israel are for Tel
Aviv's theaters.
Tel Aviv–Yafo is a center of Sports and Recreation: The city enjoys over 120
kilometers of bicycle routes, dozens of parks and gardens, 220,000 trees and 14
kilometers of very beautiful beaches.
Tel Aviv-Yafo is a center of Music: The city is home to the Israel Philharmonic
Orchestra, the Israeli Opera, the Israeli Chamber Orchestra and dozens of bands
and musical groups.
Tel Aviv–Yafo is a center of Dance: the city's many dance troupes include the
Israeli Ballet and the internationally acclaimed Batsheva Dance Company.

White City
In 2003, UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization, proclaimed the historic zone of Tel Aviv, also known as The White City, as a World Cultural Heritage site. By this proclamation, the world recognized the special architectural qualities of the buildings, streets, squares and avenues of Tel Aviv. The White City is the world's largest grouping of buildings in the International Style, also known as Bauhaus. About 4,000 buildings were constructed in this style in the 1930s and 1940s. The buildings of The White City were designed by European Jewish architects, who had studied in, or were influenced by, the Bauhaus School in Germany. When the Nazis rose to power, they shut down the school; many of its students and professors left Germany – a considerable amount of them moved to the young city of Tel Aviv. This group created a new architectural language, which is rich and diverse, characterized by its asymmetry, functionality and simplicity. The balconies, building pillars, flat roofs and "thermometer" windows became the trademarks of the city. These buildings reside in a unique zone, planned by the famous Scottish urban planner Sir Patrick Geddes. At a first look, houses in the International Style seem like white cubic buildings with little ornamentation. Yet a close observation of the fine details reveals the characteristics of the style and, of course, a focus on functionality and simplicity. The best way to experience the White City is by walking down and around Rothschild Boulevard, where many of the buildings have been restored to their original glory.

Tel Aviv Global City

Tel Aviv-Yafo is currently leading Tel Aviv Global City - a municipal and national
initiative aimed at elevating the city's global standing. The main target of the initiative is to position the city as a global business center with an emphasis on technology and innovation, and as a global culture center.

Israel is known internationally as the Startup Nation and Tel Aviv as the beating heart of the Nation’s extraordinary innovation scene . Greater Tel Aviv has emerged as a national center of technological companies and services, and a creative hub for entrepreneurs of all sorts. The Tel Aviv Global City initiative is a 10-year process that will result in a global leap of the city's centrality, attractiveness and relevance to become a sort of "Silicon Valley" for companies outside the US.

Launched in 2011, the initiative includes dozens of projects: the city will seek to attract young start up entrepreneurs from around the world, global financial institutions and international corporations; will market its local cultural assets to international markets; will focus on enhancing the various foreign communities in the city, including students, business people and international visitors; will promote the filming of international television and film productions; will upgrade its tourist performance; and will implement various social and educational programs for local residents in the spirit of global values.
The Global City Initiative is spearheaded by the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality, in
partnership with the Israeli Government and 10 ministries, the nation's major financial institutions (The Bank of Israel, Israel's Security Authority, The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange), major academic institutions, and various public and private entities.
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