The implementation phase for establishing
the International Academy of Art Palestine
was launched in August 2006 by moving into
the house of the renowned Palestinian
historian Aref Al-Aref. This extraordinary
historical building later became the first
gallery in the West Bank, Gallery 79, named
after the year of its establishment.
However, it was closed down by the Israeli
army and then served as an unofficial artist
space and residence for many years during
the occupation. Following the Oslo
Agreement, the building housed the
Department of Visual Arts of the first
Palestinian Ministry of Culture but they
eventually vacated the building, leaving it
at risk of being lost to a commercial
enterprise. The Academy has endeavoured to
keep the building within the cultural
sphere.
The place has undergone some basic refurbishment,
such as building the first multipurpose white cube
room in Ramallah and creating a computer lab with
state of the art equipment. The lower level of the
building includes an art exhibition area also used
as four studio spaces while the garden area can also
be used as outdoors studio space during good
weather. The main level houses the administrate
offices including space for the Palestinian
Association of Contemporary Art (PACA).
The Academy aspires to have an independent campus
dedicated solely to the arts that will guarantee the
technical needs for a better education. To do so,
land must be located and funds raised for a building
that encompasses state of art facilities including a
modern and specialized library, digital art labs,
large exhibition halls, auditoriums, workshop
spaces, and studios as well as all administrative
and technical facilities.
