The Department of Arts and Photography at Musrara is a space for experimentation, research, and creation in contemporary art. The department’s curriculum exposes students to a wide range of practical tools, from traditional techniques to advanced technologies. Alongside hands-on studio practice, the program includes theoretical and conceptual courses that provide a solid intellectual foundation for artistic action. Students receive close personal guidance from the department’s lecturers – active artists and leading figures in the Israeli art field – as they develop their unique artistic voices and positions as creative individuals in the world.

The curriculum places strong emphasis on the connection between contemporary art, new media, and technology. We offer specialized courses in areas such as photography, video art, sound art, and interactive interfaces. This unique curriculum enables in-depth material and conceptual research processes, while simultaneously developing high-level technical skills that serve as a bridge toward future integration in the professional work field.

During the first year, students take introductory courses in diverse fields including sculpture, performance, video, photography, sound, and drawing, alongside theoretical and conceptual studies. In the second and third years, students choose areas of specialization and participate in advanced courses, where they work with tools such as video mapping, interactive sculpture, and creative practices involving AI-based tools. Throughout the program, the department also hosts practical workshops, artist talks, and special projects.

Throughout the studies – and especially in the final year – students receive supportive, individualized mentoring in interdisciplinary research processes and are encouraged to engage in experimental, cross-disciplinary practices. The department is founded on the belief that the various fields studied should intersect and merge through projects and hands-on exploration, culminating in the graduation exhibition at the end of the third year.

Musrara School of Art and Society is a socially oriented art school with a long-standing history of artistic, research-based, and community-centered activity in the Musrara neighborhood. These values are reflected in courses and projects conducted both within the neighborhood and beyond it. Students participate in community-based projects and collaborative artistic practices, gaining tools to understand, analyze, and actively respond to contemporary social realities in Israel. Students become part of the school’s community and often remain connected long after graduation.

Learning, Creation, and Experimentation Spaces

The department’s physical facilities include exhibition and creation spaces such as classrooms, galleries, a woodworking shop, computer labs, an analog photography development lab, a digital printing lab, photography studios, and a fully equipped warehouse. At the heart of the department is the JerusaLab – an artistic interaction laboratory where students work with technologies including 3D printers, laser cutters, controllers, sensors, and more. Students are encouraged to make independent use of these technological resources as part of their personal artistic practice.

The workshops – JerusaLab, the woodworking shop, the digital lab, and the analog lab – are open and available on Thursdays throughout the year. Students may work independently using professional tools, with guidance and support from the workshop supervisors on site.