Opening night: visitors strolled through an elegant lobby enjoying the outstanding artwork while musicians played softly in the background….are we in New York, Paris, Melbourne or Sydney? No indeed, we are in the auditorium on Sapir Center in the Arava!

The Arava Community Center invited local artists to create art that reflects how they interpret and inhabit their surroundings, and the response was breathtaking. Beautiful work in various different media was received, showing how each artist responded to the challenge.

The exhibit was initiated by artist and Partnership activist Celia Yitzhak, who has believed in the artistic potential inherent in the region for years. Mounting the exhibit under the auspices of the Community Center, and with the support of Partnership 2000 and the Regional Council, was a dream fulfilled. 

Popular demand kept the exhibit in place for double the one month originally planned, and the hope is to hold regular group exhibits, interspersed with shows by individual artists. Please click on the following link for a closer look at the exhibit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_44kYY5wRE

 
A moment before the opening

On of the innovative ways in which the exhibit was advertised in the Arava was through production of poster-sized artwork that was displayed in the plaza in front of the auditorium and along the path leading to the Community Center. This was so successful that it has become a permanent feature, with the second lot currently in place.

One of the aims of the Arava-Australia Partnership is to brand the Central Arava region as a region that promotes art and encourages creativity, holding combined tourism and arts activities. This first exhibit by local artists, together with the public artwork on display, which leverages the existing large and high-level artistic community in the region, is a giant step in the right direction.