EDUCATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS
Since 2005, AIDA has been giving scholarships to artists and helping to place teachers from Israel at the great Summer Studio Craft Programs in the United States.
In 2011, we formalized our relationships with the Studio at the Corning Museum of Glass, Haystack Mountain School, Penland School, Pilchuck Glass School and Watershed Center for Ceramics, and in 2012 we were able to provide 20 scholarships to artists to attend programs at these prestigious schools. AIDA was founded on the premise of “giving the unexpected the chance to happen” and we’re going back to our roots to move forward vigorously.
Click here to watch a video of a panel discussion at SOFA Chicago 2013 - with the Directors of the Corning Studio, Haystack Mountain School, Pilchuck Glass School and Penland School of Crafts.
Click to read a letter from Jean McLaughlin, Director of Penland School, who wrote to deliver special notes from the recipients of AIDA 2012 scholarships.
Click to read a letter from ceramist Molly Hatch, one of three artists we sent to Israel in 2012 on our AIDAshed program that we host in partnership with Watershed Ceramic Center in Maine and Givat Haviva in Israel.
Click here to read a letter from Liv Sperber, Director of International Relations and Resource Development at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design Jerusalem, regarding AIDA's support of a fellowship to Haystack and a stipend to Pilchuck.
AIDA SPONSORED TRIPS TO ISRAEL
In 2012, AIDA brought Jim Baker, Director of Pilchuck Glass School, to Israel for a week to work and travel the country meeting the arts community. Click to read a letter Jim wrote when he returned from the trip, addressed to our Director, Aviva Ben-Sira.
In 2012, AIDA partnered with Artis to bring Cindi Strauss (Curator, Modern and Contemporary Decorative Arts and Design, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston) to Israel. Click to read a letter Cindi wrote when she returned from the trip, addressed to our AIDA Trustees.
In 2011, Stuart Kestenbaum, Director of Haystack Mountain School and Amy Schwartz, Director of the Studio at the Corning Museum of Glass traveled to Israel to spend a week with our Director, Aviva Ben Sira. Aviva introduced them to artists, collectors, educators and museum directors to meet their colleagues, present their programs and start thinking about programs they might create together. Click to read a letter sent from Amy Schwartz when she returned from her week in Israel.
CRAFT SHOW PARTNERSHIPS
Several years ago, AIDA participated in the Philadelphia Craft Show and brought 26 artist/craftsmen from Israel to present and sell their work directly to the public.
In 2012 we brought 16 artist/craftsmen to Craft/Boston. Based on the success of this project, Craft/Boston has issued an open invitation to the artists who participated to come back anytime without having to be juried. While others would have to be juried in, they would be welcome.
We continue to work to make these opportunities available to our artist/craftsmen now that they have learned how to participate in these kinds of shows.
