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Brides in white. Photo by Amar Yuones

Abu Shakra, founder of the Umm el-Fahem Art Gallery: “Despite initial doubts, the gallery has since become a vital platform for Arab artists in Israel and a hub for multicultural connections with Israeli and international art. It serves as a beacon for local residents, showcasing the path towards social change" Photo by Yigal Pardo

Art in the community, Al-Midan neighborhood

considered a ‘delusional idea’, and doubt was immediately cast on the initiative’s chances of survival,” says Said Abu Shakra, the founder, who also founded the first Arab historical photographic archive in Israel. “Despite initial doubts, the gallery has since become a vital platform for Arab artists in Israel and a hub for multicultural connections with Israeli and international art. It serves as a beacon for local residents, showcasing the path towards social change.”. A unique ability to unite, engage and empower Umm el-Fahem Art Gallery, a pioneer in Arab society in Israel, quickly established itself as a noteworthy institution on both the local and international cultural scene, attracting a multicultural base of friends and frequent visitors. Through its exhibitions, extensive education department and archives, the gallery plays a central role in the lives and economic development of local Umm el-Fahem citizens and residents of the Wadi Ara region. But most significantly, as the only gallery for contemporary Arab art in Israel,

it plays a crucial role in coexistence activities between Arabs and Jews - providing an inspiring model for peace and collaboration between these two communities. Realizing the tremendous potential of community building, and for connecting people of different religions and cultures via the arts, the team at the Umm el-Fahem Gallery has set a few goals: to present contemporary and high quality art, to develop and An inspiring cultural experience | Some of the projects instigated by the Umm el-Fahem Gallery Shared Space – Coexistence through Art: a coexistence through art program aimed at establishing a long-term relationship between Jewish and Arab children. The program works with two classes – one Arab and one Jewish – over the course of an entire year. Each meeting offers an opportunity for an unmediated encounter between the pupils in a positive and constructive environment, based on a shared experience of art observation and creation.

enhance the awareness of art in all age groups, to serve as a cultural and artistic center for Arab and Jewish artists in Israel, and to encourage cultural dialogue between them on a variety of themes, including ones related to critical current affairs, to create a multicultural dialogue between artists from Israel and abroad, and to establish the first Arab Museum of Contemporary Art. ummelfahemgallery.com The Archives of Wadi Ara: In 2008, the gallery began compiling the first Arab archives of their kind in Israel, telling the story of the Wadi Ara area through the mementos, photographs and oral history of the Arab families who have lived there for hundreds of years. Today, the archives include hundreds of photographs of Umm el Fahem (many of which recovered from archive collections in the UK, Germany and the US), as well as historic documents, artifacts and more than 500 video interviews with local elders, telling their personal stories that together make up the narrative of an entire community.