Coming Soon: American Academy in Jerusalem

From the Foundation for Jewish Culture:

“Mishkenot Sha’ananim and the Foundation for Jewish Culture are collaborating on the creation of an institute at Mishkenot, modeled after the successful American Academies in Rome and Berlin. Groups of distinguished artists and scholars, leading experts in their fields, will be in residence at Mishkenot for two ot three month periods. They will work on projects inspired by Jerusalem and connect with cultural and academic institutions, thereby enriching the city’s cultural discourse. We expect they will return home with new connections and share their appreciation of the rich diversity and potential of this extraordinary city.

We are currently planning a pilot mini-residency for June 2010, which will include literary artists Jonathan Safran Foer and Nicole Krauss, urban planner Joshua Sirefman, and theater artist TBA. The selection process for the full residency will be by nomination. Details will be provided after the pilot residency is complete.

Initial research support for this initiative was provided by the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies, and support for the pilot residency has been provided by the Bracha Foundation.”

Very exciting news! I just hope that the residencies will be open to those of us who are slightly less well-known than Jonathan Safran Foer and Nicole Krauss!