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Contact: Jake Sharfman / Puder Public Relations / 212-558-9400 / [email protected]

ASYLUM ARTS LAUNCHES TO BUILD INTERNATIONAL NETWORK OF JEWISH ARTISTS

New York, October 31, 2013 — Asylum Arts, a first-of-its-kind global network of Jewish artists, has launched with the aim of engaging more people with Jewish ideas, identity and community through the vibrant Jewish and Israeli cultural landscape. Asylum, which will connect and empower Jewish artists and cultural organizations around the world, will be supported in its pilot phase by the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Philanthropic Network.

Asylum will build capacity in contemporary Jewish culture on an international scale, bringing greater exposure to artists and cultural initiatives, providing opportunities for new projects and collaborations, and elevating the level of excellence and artistic activity. It will pursue its mission by hosting gatherings and trainings and providing small grants to foster connections between Jewish artists and arts organizations.

“In a world in which young Jews are seeking non-traditional opportunities for engaging in Jewish life, artists are creating meaningful, provocative Jewish experiences that provide a powerful way to connect to Jewish identity and expand the boundaries of Jewish life,” said Rebecca Guber, director of Asylum Arts. “Empowering Jewish artists from around the globe to advance their professional careers and connections helps to broaden Jewish culture and the collective Jewish narrative in the world.”

Asylum (www.asylum-arts.org) is an outgrowth of the successful Asylum: International Jewish Artist Retreat, held in March 2013 as part of a series of gatherings supported by the Schusterman Philanthropic Network. The first Asylum retreat brought together 60 international artists to build skills, knowledge and connections, both Jewish and professional. A key initiative of Asylum Arts will be a second Asylum retreat, scheduled for spring 2014 as part of the Schusterman Connection Points series.

In addition to hosting ongoing gatherings and training programs in locations around the world, Asylum will offer small grants of $1,000 to $3,000 to artists in its network to help move innovative projects from idea to reality. These grants will be given to projects that create opportunities for professional and creative growth, international collaboration and audience impact.

Asylum will be run by Rebecca Guber, who has demonstrated a deep commitment over the past 10 years to advocating for and supporting artists within the Jewish community. She served as the Founding Director of the Six Points Fellowship for Emerging Jewish Artists, which pioneered funding emerging Jewish artists as a strategy for creating new opportunities for Jewish engagement and is widely acknowledged for developing a new cadre of artistic voices in the Jewish community.

Asylum will be supported in its pilot phase by the Schusterman Philanthropic Network, which has long invested in arts and culture as a way to renew the city of Jerusalem as a modern, open capital and to enable Israeli and Diaspora audiences to connect with Israel through its fertile cultural landscape. Key Schusterman investments in this area include the Jerusalem Season of Culture, Artis and the Schusterman Visiting Israeli Artists Program.

“Asylum will help forge a much-needed global network of Jewish artists and organizations,” said Lynn Schusterman, Founder and Co-Chair of the Schusterman Philanthropic Network. “It will be a key addition to our broader efforts to create meaningful access points for young Jews to connect with their rich heritage and homeland through the vibrancy of Jewish and Israeli culture."