Musrara

Musrara, the Naggar Multidisciplinary School of Art and Society was established in 1987 and is located in the heart of the picturesque Musrara neighborhood on the seam line between East and West Jerusalem - A borderline neighborhood both geographically and demographically, a cultural and social meeting point, a microcosm and a symbol of Israeli soc... iety, with a history of social protest. It is a higher education institute for interdisciplinary art, qualifying students for professional and artistic activities with a commitment to the community and social activism, based on the values of the state of Israel, and on Jerusalem as a multiple identity basis for authentic and experimental creativity. The school has 160 enrolled students in its various departments. Its faculty is comprised of academics, interdisciplinary artists and social activists, amongst which are school graduates. The school operates 5 departments of a 3 year trajectory: Photography, New Media, New Music, Visual Communication, the department of Phototherapy. Apart from the educational core activity, the school runs tens of photography projects for disadvantaged communities such as workshops for mentally and physically challenged children and at risk youth, weekly photography and art classes for adolescent level advancement pupils, a phototherapy program for senior citizens, workshops for Arab women from the Jerusalem periphery, special tours and workshops for educational groups such as IDF groups, tourists and more, 3 art galleries in the neighborhood, the international Musrara Mix Festival and the Musrara Residency Program. All this in complete synergy to its purpose as an art school, as students and graduates take active part in the programs. These initiatives attract an audience of over 20,000 visitors a year. The school and its founding director received the Enrique Kavlin Llife Achievement Award from the Israel Museum in 2011 for their contribution to photography in Israel and Jerusalem, the Martha Prize for Tolerance and Democratic Values ...Read More