Herzliya Museum of Art

September 10th 2014

Some art museums are all about passively viewing great, classical works of art. The Herzliya Museum of Art has a different vision. Its aim is to use art to engage the community. The Herzliya Museum of Art uses Israeli and international artists to cultivate a love for art in the next generation.

One of the museum’s special strengths is in the domain of video art. To that end, the museum sponsors video events for the community and video is integrated into each of its exhibitions. Unlike other museums that have a combination of permanent and temporary exhibits, the Herzliya Museum of Art has no permanent collection. Four times a year the museum mounts a totally new exhibit that takes up the entire display space. Sometimes these shows feature the work of a single artist. At other times, the current exhibit is a collection of works around a theme.

Another distinctive feature of the museum is its emphasis on social dialogue and politics. In a sense, the museum asks the question, “What is the connection between art and society?” The museum puts the tools of digital media, video installations, architecture, photography, sculpture and painting to use in order to engage museum visitors in their special form of social dialogue.

The Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art has a special mission to nurture the careers promising young artists whose careers are in their infancy. As an expression of this commitment, the museum mounted an exhibit called Rising Star. In this exhibition, every work displayed was created by a diverse group of young artists who recently graduated from art school in Israel.

Guided tours are available by appointment. Public events include lectures, video-art evenings, workshops, courses, creative activities in the fields of video art and photography, weekend gallery talks and other cultural programs. If you’re traveling with a group and would like to participate in a hands-on creative workshop in the museum’s educational wing, ask your tour guide to arrange it for you. The Herzliya Museum of Art has an entire wing called MUZA – A Place for Visual Experience. MUZA offers public programs and special events that are suitable for both children and adults.