Touch The Icon

“I have a mission”, Ofri said when we first met in her Kibbutz ( An Israeli communal village)  in the Izrael Valley.

“I work in the first museum that was built in Israel by local pioneers. When they arrived here in the early twenties they collected Judika pieces. They agreed that thier art and culture are important for their life. 

They presented their treasures in a“Art Corner” in a small wooden shack. They slept in tents and dreamt about their museum.

We are standing in front of two beautiful iron doors by the artist David Palombo .Ofri has curly hair and I could feel her enthusiasm to make a change in the way visitors relate to the building.

“In 1948 they inaugurated this precious building Mishkan Le’omanut.(The art museum in Hebrew.)”Since then it has become an iconic white cube   building .

The architect, Shmuel Bickels, designed galleries around two patios. All the galleries are lit

 with natural light .In each gallery the light comes in a different way. In his research : David Bahar - Prachia found five different ways to let the rays in a way that visitors will feel that they are outside. 

“Now it is  time to enable visitors to discover hidden corners in the museum and engage them with architectural features”. Ofri said when I visited her two years ago.

Furtuanally,  Ofri joined my virtual course. 

She designed a game for families and individuals . 

On the cover picture you see the landing page. There are pictures of nine visual hints that visitors are asked to look for .When they reach the gallery Ofri suggested them an experiential learning activity in situ.These activities will yeild authentic outcomes : Photos and artworks,insights and lyrics.

Ofri completed her missionery to interpret the building in artistic and scientific ways.

Now ,visitors to the  Mishkan Le’omanut will be able  to touch the icon.

We hope that we will be able soon to collaborate again and inform you about visitors outcomes and insights.

For the moment, you can touch the icon!

I would like to thank:

Ofri Gardi Cohen for inspration discussions.

David Bahar Prachia- For an outstanding research and book

Yaniv Shapira - For an impresive exhebition.