Amber Aguirre will be our artist-in-residence for the month of August.

Amber is the recipient of NCECA’s International Residency grant for 2013. Partnering with NCECA for this unique residency program offers the Benyamini Center wide international exposure and an opportunity to engage in international professional, cultural and creative exchange. We are honored and thankful to NCECA for collaborating with us.

Amber Aguirre - amber playing jihad

Amber, a graduate of San Francisco State University, currently lives, teaches and creates in Hawaii.

Most of her work is figurative sculpture which enhances a narrative used to comment, observe and explore the human condition.

As the child of a Holocaust survivor I was indoctrinated from a young age into awareness of the fear, apathy, and victimization inherent in human cultures. Throughout history artists have functioned as social commentators. I use human and anthropomorphic figures as the vehicle to explore the results of these prevalent emotions on society.

To accentuate the narrative the artist developed a unique technique – “Naked Fauxku” which reproduces a likeness to Naked Raku but is created in a high fire, oxygenated atmosphere with no reduction. It creates a cracked and painful looking surface that adds subliminal meaning to the work by visually suggesting breakage and disintegration.

www.amberaguirre.com

Betty Woodman:

“I make things that could be functional, but I really want them to be considered works of art”.

Betty Woodman Is a renowned, established ceramic artist – known for her vibrant deconstructed vases that are influenced by art history and ceramic culture. Her works are found in fine art collections of leading museums as well as venues showing craft.

“It was not, ‘One day I’m a potter, and the next day I’m an artist.’ It was a gradual expansion”.

Woodman was born in the USA in 1930, studied ceramics at Alfred University, and began her career making wheel thrown functional vessels that she and her artist husband decorated. With time she broke away from the traditional ceramic pot and looked for new directions in deconstruction, influenced by the New York artists of the Pattern and Decoration Movement although remnants of the basic vessel form are still evident in her work.

“It’s there throughout the history of art, there’s always a vessel. No matter where you look, there’s a pitcher pouring water, there’s a vase sitting there”.

Her sculptural work is a play between 2D and 3D with the ceramic surface becoming her `canvas`, creating large compositions as wall pieces employing light and shade as well as positive and negative as integral parts of her work. She is still an active artist working in New York and Italy and showing in galleries and museums around the world.

Bibliography:

  • Clark, Garth, Strauss Cindi (2012). Shifting Paradigms in Contemporary Ceramics: The Garth Clark and Mark Del Vecchio Collection, U.S.A: Yale University Press in association with the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
  • Henriques, Paulo, (edited by), (2006). Teatros, Theatres, Theaters, Milan: Skira
  • Woodman, Betty (1990). Opera Selecta, Hague: Gegevens Koninklijke Bibliotheek

Activity for children during Pesach – experiencing clay.

A one time workshop for children to work in clay, inspired by the exhibition SHIFT showing currently at the Benyamini Center. Suitable for children from 5 years old.

Thursday, 28 March 2013, from 10:30 to 12:00.

Cost: 40 shekels a participant.

Prior registration required:

Tel: 03-5182257 or e-mail: [email protected]

Social activism is a part of our agenda as artists and leading ceramists have initiated a project to support the needs of refugees.  Ceramic artists have donated bowls made specially for this fund-raising event.   The money from the sale of the  bowls and the soup made by the Joz and Loz restaurant will be donated to buy food for refugees.

You are invited to participate in this event.

Saturday 29/12/12 between 16:00 and 19:00 in the garden of Joz and Loz and Rahel O.

Entrance from 51 Yehuda Halevy Street, Tel Aviv

For details:
Eti Goren 03-6825876 or Joz and Loz 03-56063085

The event is organized by the Ceramic Artists  Association and the Benyamini Center in cooperation with Joz and Loz.

“Donkey” Catalogue Launch and gallery talk with the curator Revital Ben Asher Peretz and Itamar Levy

Full scheduele:

10:30   Donkey at the Benyamini Center – the idea and motives behind the exhibition

Revital Ben-Asher Peretz | A curator of contemporary art, former student of Lidia Zavadsky, graduate of the Department of Ceramic Design at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem (1995). Her curatorial work focuses on consolidation of artistic action groups combining artists and non-artists from various disciplines, who experience a common process over time.

11:15   Between Pottery, Art and Psychoanalysis

Itamar Levy | A psychoanalyst, writer, lecturer, art critic and curator, Levy was cast for the role of the exhibition’s “ceramicist.” He regularly attends an afternoon pottery class, maintaining the inevitably binding status of “amateur.”

11:45 Break

12:00 Donkey Time – Screening of the film by the director Yahin Hirsch

An unusual view of the image of the donkey in Israeli society.  Through the donkey and its physiology we gain insight into the place it fills in history, literature and culture.

(2002, 35 min. Production: Israel Film Society)

Celebrate with us the Benyamini Center’s 1 year birthday!

first_studio

A street party with our new neighbor – ALARAMPA restaurant

DJ Ofer Schoolmaster (The Apples)

Thursday evening 21/6/12

This summer, 2012, the Benyamini Center will introduce a new program full of ceramics courses for beginners and advanced ceramicists and artists. Please visit our courses page for more information

Rina Peleg

American Craft Magazine published a story titled Cross Cultivation in Israel about activities of AIDA – Association of Israel’s Decorative Arts. AIDA is “…fostering the development of Israel’s contemporary crafts field….” writes American Craft. The story quotes Akio Takamori: “It was an incredible experience, so dense and deep and complex”.

american craft magazine story

Alix de Rothschild Crafts Award winners were announced on April 22nd at the Benyamini Center

Uri Shapira

  • First place: Rimma Arslano
  • Second place: Shlomit Bauman and Itamar Sagi
  • Third place: Uri Shapira Asnat Koblenz Noam Dover and Michal Cederbaum

More information on our events page

[nggallery id=90]

The exhibition Breaking the Mould – April 20 – May 12, 2012 – displays works by finalists of the Alix de Rothschild Crafts Award.

Shlomit Bauman - Untitled

Participating:
Avi Biran, Efrat Eyal, Rimma Arslonov, Shlomit Bauman, Nurit Baltiansky and Tamar Akov, Ohad Benit, Avner Bar Hama, Dina Berman, Ruth Barkai, Noam Dover and Michal Cederbaum, Israel Hadani, Rina Haikin, Iris Tutanauer, Einat Leader, Orit Marili, Yael Friedman, Asnat Koblenz, Liora Kowan, Nava Segev, Itamar Sagi, Uri Shapira

Opening on April 20th, 2012

The Benyamini Center is hosting the biannual Alix de Rothschild Crafts Award this year.

Winners of this year’s award will be announced by Ruth Corman and lawyer Pazit Shalmon-Baratz at the Benyamini Center on Sunday, April 22nd, 2012 at 19:00

Works by the finalists of the Alix de Rothschild Crafts Award are on display at the Benyamini Center gallery in the exhibition Breaking the Mould 20/4/12 – 12/5/12

For more information please visit our gallery page

Advanced Throwing – idea / form / function is an 8 meetings advanced course in May & June focused on creating a teapot or other functional objects. Instructor: Amnon Amos
קורס קדרות למתקדמים בהדרכת אמנון עמוס Advanced throwing course with Amnon Amos

Anna Carmi is the instructor of the course 2D on 3D: Color and surface in clay. In this course we will experiment with a wide range of decorating techniques and surface treatment.

Tuesdays @ 18:00

Please visit our special courses page for more details

Anna Carmi אנה כרמי

Advanced throwing course with instructor Amnon Amos. We will make a set of vessels based on an idea-form relationship and focus on creating a personal style with each participant. For details please visit our advanced courses page.

Wednesdays @ 16:00

Amnon Amos אמנון עמוס

Akio Takamori demonstrated his technique at the Benyamini Center master class

[nggallery id=80]

Students of Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem, visiting the Benyamini Center, December 2011

[nggallery id=78]

A video excerpt of Akio Takamori demonstrating his work process during a master class at the Benyamini Center, December 25th, 2011

Master class demonstration by Akio Takamori, at the Benyamini Center, December 25th, 2011. Tel Aviv, Israel

Yonatan Amir, Erev-Rav editor, is conducting an art criticism writing workshop for artists and writers. The workshop will run critical reading and writing sessions and provide students with tools for clear, sharpened thought and writing for text such as artists statements and others. For more information please visit our Courses and Workshops page

סדנת כתיבה בבית בנימיני Writing workshop at Benyamini Center

[nggallery id=67]

The Benyamini Center Ceramic Art School caters for beginners as well experienced artists and designers who are interested in the ceramic medium. We offer a variety of courses and workshops including throwing, sculpture, hand building, decorating, drawing and idea development with a team of professional lecturers from different backgrounds. For more information, visit our Courses & Workshops page

Amnon Amos - Naila

Miri Krimilovski interviews Marcelle Klein about Beit Benyamini on the morning program of Reshet Bet on 20.7.11 Miri Krimilovski – Benyamini house is the new Contemporary Ceramics Center
MP3 file playing in a new window

Ten shelves for ten artists for ten weeks. A changing display where we sell the work of some of the best ceramic artists. This is our showcase to the field of ceramics in Israel.

On the Shelf exhibit פריט בתצוגה "על המדף"

Lidia Zavadsky
Lidia Zavadsky


"בקבוקים" - שלומית מנדלקרן
Bottles - Shlomit Mandelkern

Bottles: Cast porcelain bottles based on a project of abstraction of the form of glass bottles where the function is lost and the object is no longer a container.

Marcel Klein, Shlomit Bauman, Ronit Tzur, Ravi Latzer, poetry Silverstone and Esther Beck

[nggallery id=47]

The building on Ha-Amal street number 17 in Tel Aviv was purchased. The building, once renovation is completed, will house – in its 3 stories, a roof top and a small garden with an old pomegranate tree – the Benyamini Center and its activities. images of the building before renovation began are on a gallery on this page. A Google map, also here, provides directions.

Ha-Amal (the street’s name) is the Hebrew word for “labor”. Issachar, who appreciated workmanship and labor, would have loved it…

[nggallery id=1]

These days we have began creating content for the newly born Benyamini Center Web site. Students of Issachar, artists participating in the Center’s activities and others, are invited to contribute content – text & images – to the new Web site. Please use the Contact Us form to, well, contact us in this matter