Jerusalem Creative Spaces launched in 2021 as a small pilot that has since evolved into a residency programme that supports and offers artists, collectives, and organisations a place to create, connect, and share their work with the public.
Read about our previous residents:
2021 -2022
1.Bashar Murad, singer, songwriter and video artist produced the video Clip 'Ya Leil' with Palestinian creatives from across Palestine and hosted a pre-release event at the British Council premises in Jerusalem. Bashar performed at Outburst Festival in Belfast in November 2022.
2.Riham Isaac, multidisciplinary artists held an open laboratory three-month workshop on ‘Performance in Public Spaces’ with eight participants and hosted a final sharing of their work with site-specific performances at the British Council in Jerusalem.
3.Al Elieh for Science Environment and Art delivered their project 'Art for Change' exploring textile arts with eight participants through research, conceptualisation, design and making culminating with 'Weave of Ideas' an open studio and exhibition showcasing participants’ work at the Jerusalem Creative Spaces.
4.Contemporary Spaces led by Rawan Sharaf brought together a group of thirteen established and emerging artists selected through an open call to discuss in weekly seminars their art practices, the art ecosystem in Palestine, and to bridge the gap between arts education and the arts sector.
2022 -2023
Khalil Batran, theatre director, actor and music creator, and Bilal Khatib, filmmaker worked together on the development of ‘My name is Khalil’ both an experimental performance and a documentary film that follows Khalil, who was given the name of his brother, martyred in the first Palestinian Intifada. Through dance and music, he expresses his inner conflict and seeks to free himself from a name tied to memory, loss and expectation.
Ahmad Jubeh, circus performer and Ramzi Maqdisi, filmmaker, director and actor worked on ‘Shagal Mokhak’ (Use your Brain) a piece of circus for families that had multiple shows in Jerusalem, toured in Ramallah, Bethlehem and Larnaca- Cyprus.
Al-Block, Jerusalem based artist research collective that experiments with walking as an artistic practice to document lost histories of the Palestinian landscape. In their residency Areej Ashhab and Sireen Alawi expanded on their project ‘Tracing the Valley’ (Wadi Al-Sarar) hosting walks with the community, producing a narrative film, a digital archive website including walk-logs, and a physical publication of the walk logs that was presented at Wonder Cabinet during Sound of Places 2024.
Ashtar Muallem, multidisciplinary artist working across circus, dance and theatre. Ashtar worked alongside theatre director Emile Saba to develop the Arabic version of her show Cosmos, Awalem. It was presented at Al Kasabah Theatre in Ramallah, Jerusalem, Cairo, with the English edition showcased at Edinburgh Fringe in 2024 which received the Lustrous Award for Unforgettable Shows.
Eitar Collective, a Jerusalem based artist collective, originally participated at Contemporary Spaces one of the first residencies of Jerusalem Creative Spaces. They later applied for the next open call and went on to lead on a project the following year working with participants from Jerusalem and other parts of Palestine through weekly seminars, visiting arts organisations, expanding their community of artists.
2024–2025
1. Palestinian Art Court Al Hoash – conducted a series of nine workshops, discussions and mentorship sessions led by ten artists and creative practitioners in preparation for the Undying Cities exhibition at Al Hoash in October 2024.
2. Basta Theatre – developed "63 Days of Sit-In" a documentary performance highlighting the struggles and resilience of disability rights activists in Palestine and showcased it at Wonder Cabinet in Bethlehem, Spain and Germany. Basta also produced a video about the making of the play, ten years of Basta Theater Collective’s history, methodologies and its role in using theater as a tool for social change.
3. Art Market Jerusalem – Delivered training for both emerging and established makers to professionalise their practice, with sessions on brand creation, product development, marketing, storytelling, and visual identity. The programme culminated in a Christmas market and public workshops at Jerusalem Creative Spaces over two days in December 2024.
4. Eitar Collective – Took over the space from September 2024 until March 2025, organising six solo debut exhibitions for six emerging artists: Morgan Ghanayem, Shaima Sheikh Ali, Dalleh Tarabieh, Nadeem Mazen, Noor Jbaren, and Obayda Dahleh. Read more about their journey with us here