Israel Cultural Excellence Foundation
The Israel Cultural Excellence Foundation (IcExcellence) is a private cultural foundation which aims to identify, nurture, and support Israel's most outstanding artists.
The foundation locates Israeli artists with potential for excellence in a wide variety of artistic fields, including visual arts, music (classical, jazz, and Israeli), dance, theater, cinema, product design, visual communication, fashion design, and writing. The foundation supports its chosen artists for a period of up to five years.[1]
The foundation
IcExcellence was founded by its managing director Rachel Marani, formerly Israel’s cultural attaché in Washington. It is financed by businesspeople, companies, and foundations from Israel and all over the world.
The artistic advisory committees consist of 35 artists and public opinion makers, including six Israel Prize laureates, all acting on a voluntary basis. Members include Dubi Lenz, Gal Uchovsky, David Tartakover, Michal Smoira-Cohn, Chaim Topol, Dani Caravan, Yossi Marhaim, Mendi Rodan, Ohad Naharin, Danny Gottfried, Ron Arad, Asher Fisch, Gershon Bram, Alex Padua, and Micha Lewensohn.
The work of the foundation focuses on two main areas. The first, "Developing and advancing the artist’s knowledge and skills", involves building a personal advancement program suited to the artist and their needs. The programs may include taking advanced courses in a foreign country, or learning a relevant professional software program. The second area, "Developing and advancing the artist’s professional career, involves encouraging artists to assume a proactive approach to advancing their careers, based on the understanding that great artistic talent is a prerequisite but in itself does not suffice for developing a prominent local and/or international career. Seminars and annual meetings deal with “career skills”, exposing the artists to subjects such as strategic and business counseling, self-presentation, marketing, branding, and networking. Business coaching is also offered.
IcExcellence Chosen Artists, 2002-08
Israeli Music
Din Din Aviv, David D'Or, Lior Elmalich, Victoria Hanna, Rona Kenan, Ron Shem Tov (Izabo), Shlomi Shaban
Classical Music
Conductors Gil Shohat, Dan Ettinger, and Yaron Gottfried, Opera Singer Chen Reiss, Composer Avner Dorman, Keren Hadar
Jazz
Avishai Cohen, Eli Degibri
Theater
Actor Itay Tiran, Set & Lighting Designer Bambi Friedman, Mira Awad, Keren Zur
Writing
Author Etgar Keret, Eshkol Nevo
Film & Television
Directors Nir Bergman, Tomer Heymann, David Ofek,
Visual Art
Yael Bartana, Zoya Cherkassky, Adi Nes, Talia Keinan, Yehudit Sasportas, Gal Weinstein
Visual Communication
Graphic Designer Adi Stern, Illustrator Rutu Modan
Fashion Design
Avshalom Gur, Yaniv Persy, Mirit Weinstock, Claudette Zorea,
Choreography & Dance
Sharon Eyal, Emanuel Gat, Yasmeen Godder, Idit Herman (Clipa Theater),
Product Design
Ron Gilad, Tal Gur
Multi-Disciplinary
Ohad Fishof