Inauguration Ceremony of the Idan and Batia Ofer Arts Wing and International Hub

The Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design Jerusalem has been leading the field of art in Israel since 1906. Its students, graduates, and faculty win prestigious competitions and awards and exhibit their work in the world’s most important museums.

The establishment of the Idan and Batia Ofer Arts Wing and International Hub constitute a significant milestone in the development of the Academy’s educational and creative infrastructure, reinforcing its position as a central institution for innovation, research, and teaching in the fields of art, design, and architecture.

The Arts Wing brings together the four departments at the heart of artistic activity at Bezalel—the Departments of Fine Art, Visual Communication, Photography, and Screen-Based Arts—a home for creation in diverse content worlds including painting, sculpture, graphic design, branding, computer games, photography, animation, video and documentary and experimental cinema.

The wing encompasses advanced workshops that form an essential professional infrastructure for the creative process, such as analog and digital photography laboratories, printmaking, sculpture, metalwork, and 3-D printing workshops, print farms, editing rooms, and photography and video studios. Alongside these, four spacious galleries comprise a first-class pedagogical tool as well as a central platform for presenting the work of students, faculty, and guests from Israel and abroad. The wing constitutes a space for promoting innovative artistic discourse in Israel and beyond, and strengthens the Academy’s position as a leading institution in the international art field.

The establishment of the Arts Wing was made possible thanks to the generous donation of Idan and Batia Ofer, out of a deep commitment to encouraging and nurturing art, culture, and education in Israel and around the world. The donation expresses support for the vision of creation and partnership in a multicultural society, and the promotion of values of equality, tolerance, freedom of expression, and dialogue between different groups in Israeli society—in the spirit of Bezalel’s long-standing commitment to promoting a joint life and democratic and pluralistic values.

Prof. Adi Stern, President of Bezalel: “Bezalel is proud of its partnership with the Idan and Batia Ofer Family Foundation, thanks them, and is pleased that the Foundation sees creativity and education at Bezalel as a key driver of change in culture and society, in Israel and Jerusalem. In the State of Israel today, nothing is more important than educational activity in general, and humanistic and democratic education in particular. The Bezalel Academy was founded and operates in light of the values of human dignity, diversity, equality, and freedom of expression, thought, and creation. The establishment of the Arts Wing, with the support of Batia and Idan Ofer, constitutes an exceptional infrastructure for training the creators who will have an impact here in the future. In addition, in times of severing of ties and academic boycott, the launch of the Idan and Batia Ofer International Hub is an unprecedentedly important move, reflecting a belief in the power of art to change and influence and support of the Academy’s activity and position on the global stage.”

Batia Ofer: “The opening of the Arts Wing and the International Hub at Bezalel is a significant moment for Idan and for me, and expresses an aspiration to help establish an open, vibrant, and inviting home for creation, research, and artistic and cultural dialogue. I believe in the power of art to bring people closer together, reflect complex realities, and sometimes contribute to processes of social change.

The Wing is meant to serve as a supportive and inspiring space for the younger generation of creators, who will find there the tools and infrastructure that will allow them to dream and shape a better future—here and in other places in the world.

Alongside the opening of the Wing, I am particularly excited by the honor of receiving the Yakir Bezalel Award for 2025. Bezalel is an institution with a profound influence on the culture, education and art in Israel, and this recognition is extremely moving. I see it as a reminder of the values that have accompanied me along the way—tolerance, faith in democracy and coexistence, and continuous investment in the upcoming generation.”

The ceremony also announced the launch of the Idan and Batia Ofer International Hub.