Al-Ma‘mal Foundation for Contemporary Art: A Hub for Palestinian Art and Culture in the Heart of Jerusalem

“The road to al-Ma‘mal Foundation within the Old City walls by the New Gate is like taking a walk down memory lane,”5 says film program manager Muayad Alayan. Muayad is a well-accomplished Palestinian Jerusalemite filmmaker and producer. Besides his pioneering films, he has also had an impressive film teaching career, including in cinematography and lighting, most notably at Dar al-Kalima University in Bethlehem. His recent involvement at al-Ma‘mal Foundation is an important step for cinematic progress in Jerusalem.

The two-year film production program that al-Ma‘mal Foundation recently launched under Muayad’s management offers 15 courses. These include preproduction, editing, directing, production design, and music composition for film and cinema. Although it is a two-year program, it is by no means traditional, Muayad is quick to clarify. “One does not have to stick to the two years; it is open to a wide range of people and offers a flexible plan.” As described by Muayad, the program targets both newly emerging filmmakers as well as seasoned professionals. “It is also for artists who may want to cross over specific fields in cinema or film production,” he explains.

Already this year, Muayad has given two of these courses, namely, scriptwriting and film appreciation.

Levon Kalaydjian, recently employed as the Foundation’s public relations manager, is himself quite excited about the programs. Thanks to the scriptwriting course, in which he participated, Levon shares that his dream to document the history of his late grandfather (a boxing champion who served as a general in the Jordanian army) may soon come to fruition. This is due to the great effort and creative energy he derived from his experience in the course, he notes.

It’s clear that the al-Ma‘mal team members—much less the local and international visitors—are passionate about the programs offered. “Before I started working here,” Levon says, “al-Ma‘mal’s crucial platform encouraged me to sing.”6 A multitalented artist, Levon (described by those who know him as “the social butterfly”) has had multinational concerts and music performances along the years. The most famous of these happened to be on al-Ma‘mal’s rooftop. “These concerts were never entertainment-only,” Levon shares. Each performance had a global cause or charity in mind, such as raising funds for the Syria-Turkey earthquakes (early 2023) and raising awareness about the threatened Armenian community land property (summer 2023).

“I feel like this is my home,” Levon emphasizes, and deputy director Shireen Mufdi nods in agreement. Working with a small team of nine people, Shireen described that she could visibly see how al-Ma‘mal’s workshops (particularly the educational training and children’s workshops) are bringing about change and making an impact. “There were several issues (mostly behavioral problems) we detected in the children participating in our arts workshops, such as cyanotype printing and cinematography,”7 she clarifies. “It was positively surprising how much of these issues were resolved simply by participating and feeling at home at al-Ma‘mal.”

As they talk about the significance of the art workshops delivered at al-Ma‘mal Foundation, Levon and Shireen reflect on how moving it was for them to find out that two of the young students were coming to al-Ma‘mal by foot. “These two were so excited to take these workshops; their mother told us that they’d wake up early in the morning and walk from Silwan to the New Gate (a distance of a little over 2 kilometers) to make it to these classes,” Shireen says. The classes are part of the “expressive art workshop,” but essentially, they are “art therapy.” In a place like Silwan, where residents are under tremendous pressure and living under constant threat of forcible expulsion (see Silwan, the Bleeding Wound and Determined to Stay—A Deep Dive into the Nightmare That Is Childhood in Silwan), such workshops are pivotal.

Furthermore, Levon and Shireen reveal that simply being in the physical space of al-Ma‘mal provides exposure to diversity and openness that may be out of the norm: the space and the artists could be opening young students’ eyes to a world that is different from their somewhat militarized surroundings as Palestinians living in Jerusalem.

People often undermine the importance of art, Shireen reflects: “It is often dismissed and if given at schools, it is usually seen as a random, extracurricular, and unimportant subject.” However, as she sees it, art is so important that it may be the most essential element for the community. It is pivotal to see the role that art has in making connections, changing mindsets, and opening the room for self-expression, she notes. “People, children included, may be unable to verbally express their issues and concerns, and yet art allows one to tackle social, political, and cultural issues.”

Shireen explains that al-Ma‘mal had quite a meaningful project during the coronavirus pandemic that focused on visual literacy: through this project, art education was introduced in schools (namely, the third and fourth grades at the College des Frères) as an essential component to learning, comprehension, and communication. The influential artists who implemented the artwork during that time were Jack Persekian (Mapping Jerusalem), Loor Oukal (Scientific Concepts through an Artistic Perspective), Hamada Maddah (Jerusalem’s History through the Eyes of Children), and Benji Boyadgian (A Fragment of the Ecosystem).

Access to art education and promotion of visual literacy can expand the cognitive abilities of children and adults through providing the means to grasp information in less traditional forms. After all, there are different learning styles, and developing visual literacy is a promising medium that can open new paths for creativity, expression, and understanding. Also key to this initiative is equal opportunity: the idea is to incorporate art into routine learning for all—not restrict it to the most talented few.

“The parents whose children took these classes were so impressed that they kept asking us to continue,” Shireen shares. It proved their ability to embrace the youth who have creative innovative modern ideas and who need support. Clearly, the art workshops and professional training are having an impact on the community.

Among the major projects that al-Ma‘mal has accomplished are “Qalandiya International” (Qi) and “The Gift.” The former was founded in 2012 (after the establishment of Biennial Foundation in 2009), by seven Palestinian cultural institutions, al-Ma‘mal being a core partner. Qi was conceived as a monthlong biennial celebration of Palestinian visual art around a common theme across geographies, with simultaneous exhibits in multiple cities, both in the region and beyond, crossing borders Palestinians themselves are not allowed to pass. Qi, aiming to put Palestine on the world’s cultural map, was held every two years from 2012 to 2018, growing along the way. In its third edition, there were 16 participating organizations. Events included installations, book launches, film screenings, artist talks, musical performances, tours, and museum openings—and al-Ma‘mal got much local and international recognition for its hosting of its share of these Qi events.

Another activity worth mentioning is the end-of-year fundraising exhibition, “The Gift,” in which al-Ma‘mal presents the multidisciplinary works of prominent and emerging Palestinian artists from across Palestine, including painting, drawing, photography, and sculpture. Through this initiative, the Foundation marks the celebratory holiday season by promoting Palestinian art and culture in Jerusalem and invites the public to view and purchase unique pieces of art.

Al-Ma‘mal also makes visual art works by Palestinian artists available for sale on its website.

Over the years, the Foundation has hosted the works of highly accomplished Palestinian artists, including Inas Halabi, Emily Jacir, Mona Hatoum, Nasser Soumi, Jumana El-Husseini, and Jumana Abboud.

In this way, the Foundation brings to Jerusalem the works of many Palestinian artists who frequently cannot themselves access or visit the city due to Israeli laws and policies.

As she highlights the importance of art, Shireen smiles about the fact that her own education was far afield of art: “You’re going to be shocked, but my background is in accounting and administration. I previously worked in a bank for 14 years and was hired here essentially as an administrative and financial supervisor.” Her first day of work at al-Ma‘mal was on February 14, 2019; “Valentine’s Day,” she smiles—perhaps a harbinger of a love that would later bloom. More than five years later, her passion for the important work and her appreciation for her team (“which is like family”) is steadily growing.

In summary, the words from almost 20 years ago describing the Foundation, and how it has been a medium for artists, curators, and activities with art on the periphery, still hold true today. “What began as a commercially styled gallery became the pivot and central point of Palestine’s young art scene”:8