Artis is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that supports and promotes contemporary visual artists from Israel internationally. We advance opportunities for cultural understanding and dialogue through artist commissions, talks and events; exhibition and professional development grants; research trips to Israel for arts professionals and collectors; professional development initiatives; and our online resource, www.artiscontemporary.org.

Recognizing the complexity of national identity, our programs support outstanding and diverse artists who have lived or worked in Israel. We are driven by the power of art to foster dialogue, inspire individuals, and mobilize social change. Founded in 2004, Artis is based in New York with activities in Los Angeles and Tel Aviv.

Rivka Saker, Founder and Chair
Nancy Berman
Sonia Cummings
Wendy Fisher
Ellen Schloss Flamm
Edmund G. Glass
Shulamit Katzman
Jon Kessler
Steven Henry Madoff
David Mugrabi
Vivian Ostrovsky
Mitchell Presser
Joan Rosenbaum
Lynn Schusterman
Manon Slome
James Snyder
Joseph Varet

In addition to our Board, major support for Artis is provided by the following Foundations and Individuals (as of January 2012):

Foundations
David Berg Foundation
Philip and Muriel Berman Foundation
Russell Berrie Foundation
ACBP - Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies
Nathan Cummings Foundation
Ostrovsky Family Fund
Charles & Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation
Benjamin Slome Charitable Foundation
Liora and Menachem Sternberg Family Foundation
Taubman Foundation
Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund

Individuals
Rina Scott Cowan
Marge Goldwater
Ellen Schwartz Harris
Linda and Alan Landis
Laura Maslon
Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer and Joseph Neubauer
Suki Sandler
Michael and Judy Steinhardt
Donald Sussman

New York




Yael Reinharz, Executive Director
yael [a] artiscontemporary.org

Yael has spent her career working with visual arts nonprofit organizations and commercial enterprises. After receiving her B.A. with honors in Art History and Studio Art from Bowdoin College, Yael worked at the Peggy Guggenheim Museum in Venice, Italy and as Day Sale Administrator at Christie’s in the Contemporary Art Department in New York. She received her M.A. from New York University’s John W. Draper Interdisciplinary Program in Humanities and Social Thought with a focus on public art, and then joined the staff at Creative Time, a New York based international public arts organization that presents innovative projects in the public realm. As Director of Individual Giving, Yael helped the organization triple its budget size in six years, developed a broad audience for the growing organization and curated the 59th Minute video series with artists such as Thomas Struth, William Wegman and Hiraki Sawa in the heart of Times Square, and more. In 2008, Yael became the first full-time employee of Artis.




Chen Tamir, Program & Operations Manager
chen [a] artiscontemporary.org

Chen is a curator and arts writer with a passion for experimental contemporary art. She served as the Executive Director of Flux Factory, a non-profit arts center in Long Island City, NY where she now sits on the Board of Directors. Chen holds an M.A. from the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College and a B.A. in Anthropology, and a B.F.A. in Visual Art from York University. She recently curated "Stutter and Twitch" at the Justina Barnicke Gallery, "Life Stories" at Gallery TPW, “The Mobile Archive” at Art in General, "Into the Eye of the Storm" at the Israeli Center for Digital Art (2010), "Double Take Triple Give" at the Museums of Bat Yam (2011), and "Emotional Blackmail" at the Southern Alberta Art Gallery (2011). Her writing has been published in Flash Art, C Magazine, Ciel Variable, BlackFlash, and in various monographs.




Persis Singh, Program & Development Manager
persis [a] artiscontemporary.org

Prior to joining the Artis team, Persis held various curatorial and research positions within diverse non-profit art organizations, most recently at Art21, Performa and SculptureCenter. She has also worked as a Gallery Assistant and Registrar at Tracy Williams, New York and in the Department of Marketing & Communications at the Asia Society. Singh received her B.A. with honors from New York University in Economics, Spanish Literature and Art History and her M.A. in Art History with Distinction from the University College London, where she specialized in contemporary art, cultural theory and globalization studies. Her research interests focus on contemporary practices from postcolonial settings and zones of conflict, including Israel and the Middle East. Independently, Persis has worked on a number of curatorial and writing projects.


Levi Prombaum, Administrative Assistant
levi [a] artiscontemporary.org


Tel Aviv

Vardit Gross, Associate Director
vardit [a] artiscontemporary.org

Vardit has worked in various sectors of the arts throughout her career. As a curator and producer, she has worked in the visual arts, music, and technology arenas; as a writer and critic, she contributes to Israel's leading newspapers, including Yedioth Aharonot and Ha'aretz. From 2001-05, Vardit served as curator and producer for the internationally-acclaimed public art organization Creative Time, where she worked closely with artists including David Byrne, Jenny Holzer, Laurie Anderson and Kimsooja. Vardit received her M.A. from the Interactive Telecommunications Program at New York University and her LL.B in Law and B.A. in Philosophy from Tel Aviv University. Vardit is also a member of the Israeli Bar.

Yehudit Shapira-Haviv, Associate Director
yudit [a] artiscontemporary.org

Yehudit Haviv earned her MA in Advanced Studies for the Arts, Musicology and Film at Tel Aviv University. She directed the arts and cultural studies programs for Ascolot’s continuing studies at the Open University and for Campus at Tel Aviv University. Haviv was the founding director of a program for the Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa Cinematheques that integrated feature and documentary films with lectures in the humanities. Recently, Haviv curated an exhibition celebrating the first 70 years of The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. She is a founder of ART TLV, the Tel Aviv Biennial, and is the Director and Curator of Oz in the City, an interdisciplinary performing arts festival.


Los Angeles




Andrea Feldman Falcione, Associate Director
andrea [a] artiscontemporary.org

Andrea Feldman Falcione is a Los Angeles-based art advisor and consultant specializing in 20th-century and contemporary art. She earned a BA in the History of Art at Brown University. Current projects include her role as VIP Program Director for Pacific Standard Time, a Getty initiative as well as working with a small group of collectors to build their art collections. Feldman Falcione’s previous positions include curator of the Ovitz Family Collection; Assistant Curator at The Broad Art Foundation; and Assistant Curator at The Museum of Modern Art, New York, Department of Prints and Illustrated Books.

Art Asia Pacific
Art in General
Art TLV Biennial
Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem
Columbia University
Center for Contemporary Art, Tel Aviv
Creative Time
Erev Rav
The Hammer Museum, Los Angeles
The Herzliya Museum
Independent Curators International
Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia
The Israel Museum, Jerusalem
The Israeli Center for Digital Art, Holon
The Istanbul Biennial
Just Vision
Galerie Kamel Mennour, Paris
KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin
Maarav
Manifesta
Mass MoCA
LA MoCA
MoMA
Muslala
New Israel Fund
MoMA PS1
New Museum
Participant INC.
Performa
Picnic Magazine
Programma
Schir Foundation, Berlin
The Shpilman Institute for Photography, Tel Aviv
Tate Modern, London
Tel Aviv Museum of Art
Umm El-Fahem Gallery
Whitney Museum of American Art
X-Initiative