For more than 20 years, Richmond Ballet’s Minds In Motion program has brought students from all walks of life and from across Virginia, to the stage to share the joys of dance and performance.
Nearly a decade ago, they traveled the program to Israel, and for the past eight years, Jewish-Israeli and Arab-Israeli students have come together to perform a Minds In Motion experience for their families and schools.
From March 9 through March 16, more than 70 artists and guests from Israel traveled to Virginia for Art For Understanding, a collaboration and cultural exchange connecting students from Minds In Motion in Virginia and Matter of Color, a group of artists from Israel.
As part of the exchange, Matter of Color artists created an exhibition of more than 100 paintings based on the theme of empathy and understanding. The paintings were available for sale by bid. Four pieces of art were displayed at the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus prior to the auction, which took place at Binn’s of Williamsburg. Proceeds benefitted the Minds in Motion programs in Israel and in Virginia.
A collaboration between the Community Relations Council and the Women’s Cabinet of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater enabled the 70 visiting Israeli artists and community members to engage in a lunchtime event at MacArthur Center’s Live 360 space on Thursday, March 15. A discussion on art was led by Brett Bonda, Richmond Ballet’s managing director, along with the visiting Israeli artists.
Matter of Color artists, headed up by their instructor and curator, Bruria Hassner of Tel Aviv, have been gathering to paint for more than two decades. The group comprises approximately 120 women and a few men who paint together several times a week. The painters have traveled on “A Matter of Colors” missions throughout the world, benefitting children in places such as China and Bulgaria.
Minds In Motion is the cornerstone of Richmond Ballet’s Outreach programming with nearly 2,000 students participating annually. This program taking place in Israel is supported through the UJFT’s Israel and Overseas allocation, through the annual campaign.
For more information, contact Melissa Eichelbaum, program associate, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, at MEichelbaum@ujft.org.