A unique art exhibit showcased the magnificent creations of burgeoning chareidi artists, and helped them launch their careers

Photos: Elchanan Kotler

What makes an artist? Where is that fine line separating a person who paints as a hobby from one who’s a professional artist — and how does an aspiring artist manage to cross it?

On a sunny Sunday in late January, I head to Yerushalayim to tour a unique art exhibit showcasing the world of chareidi women, and explore the answer to this question.

The name of the exhibit, Yotzrot La’Or is a play on the Hebrew term yotz’ot la’or, describing the female artists (yotzrot, or creators) who are now “coming to light” and gaining their first exposure to the wider public.

This theme is subtly conveyed in the exhibition room itself. It’s an unfinished open space with bare concrete walls, a rough concrete floor, and an unfinished ceiling with light bulbs strung across the exposed metal pipes. Yet the room is large and airy, with floor to ceiling glass panels on the exterior wall, letting in an abundance of natural sunlight and a view of the bustling Rechov Yaffo.

Suddenly, I get it. The curators have brilliantly used this transformed raw space as the perfect backdrop to highlight the entire purpose of this exhibit. Yotzrot La’Or… The goal of this exhibit, and of the organization behind it — Yotzrim Sviva, created by Michal Rozner to advance and promote chareidi female artists — is to help still-raw artists polish their professional skill to make themselves into a marketable, sellable entity.

More than Just Skill

The 30 featured artists, who were chosen after a rigorous selection process, range from those first getting their feet wet to those who’ve been engaged in art for years. (There are a couple of male chareidi artists featured as well.) They all have the talent and skill to hold their own among professional artists. Yet they also have another thing in common: They need guidance and a medium to help them reach a wider audience.

To become a professional artist, Michal explains, you need two important skills. First and foremost, you must reach a certain level of proficiency. And you do that the same way a musician gets to Carnegie Hall — with lots of practice. This means taking the natural talent Hashem gifted you with and polishing it with hundreds and thousands of hours working under expert teachers.

But while that investment of time and sweat might make you a professional-level artist, it still won’t make you a professional artist. To earn that vaunted title, you need one more ingredient: an audience interested in buying your work. And to connect with those magical people who love art and are willing to spend on it — not just any art, but your art — you need to know branding. Marketing. Publicity. How to find your audience, how to present yourself, how to connect with potential clients. In other words, all the business and marketing skills that don’t tend to go hand-in-hand with the creative, artistic personality.

To this end, Yotzrim Sviva offers courses, workshops, and professional guidance, showcasing its members’ work both on its own website — which features a constantly updated gallery — and in a unique journal of chareidi art. They also plan on setting up more group exhibitions with sale galleries like this one, allowing the artists to reduce prices by cutting out the middleman. The organization also benefits the general chareidi public with its activities — for example, during the coronavirus crisis, their artists have been preparing art projects and coloring sheets for children, and sending them out to families.