The Dar Yusuf Nasri Jacir for Art and Research is a multi-faceted artist-run space for artistic, educational, cultural and agricultural exchanges and research located in

Bethlehem Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...

. It was founded in 2014 by

Emily Jacir Emily Jacir ( ar, املي جاسر) is a Palestinian artist and filmmaker. Biography Jacir was born in Bethlehem in 1973, Jacir spent her childhood in Saudi Arabia, attending high school in Italy. She attended the University of Dallas, Memph ...

; Annemarie Jacir and Yusuf Nasri Jacir are co-founders. The space is located in their 19th century family home in Bethlehem. Originally built in the late 1880's by al Mukhtar Yusuf Jacir. Emily Jacir is the Director and Aline Khoury is Program Manager

https://events.cornell.edu/event/emily_jacir_not_so_long_as_the_night]

Location

The Centre lies in Palestinian enclaves, Area A of the Israeli occupied West Bank, on the outskirts of Bethlehem, at the entrance of El Khalil Road, a major transit point between

Hebron Hebron ( ar, الخليل or ; he, חֶבְרוֹן ) is a Palestinian. city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judaean Mountains, it lies above sea level. The second-largest city in the West Bank (after East J ...

and

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. The

Separation Wall A separation barrier or separation wall is a barrier, wall or fence, constructed to limit the movement of people across a certain line or border, or to separate peoples or cultures. A separation barrier that runs along an internationally recogni ...

and the site of

Rachel's Tomb Rachel's Tomb ( ''Qǝbūrat Rāḥēl''; Modern he, קבר רחל ''Qever Raḥel;'' ar, قبر راحيل ''Qabr Rāḥīl'') is a site revered as the burial place of the Bible, Biblical matriarch Rachel. The site is also referred to as the ...

it encircles lies nearby, at a distance of some 600 feet.

Activities

The centre is an important hub for artists writers, musicians and researchers visiting the

West Bank The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

. Since its foundation it has hosted a number of international artists, including the Cuban-American artist, Coco Fusco, the British-Palestinian novelist

Isabella Hammad Isabella Mariam S. Hammad is a British-Palestinian author. In 2023, she was included on the ''Granta'' Best of Young British Novelists list. Biography Hammad grew up in Acton, West London. Her Palestinian father, whose family were from Nablus, ...

Michael Rakowitz Michael Rakowitz ( ar, مايكل راكويتز; born Long Island, New York, 22 October 1973) is an Iraqi-American artist living and working in Chicago. He is best known for his conceptual art shown in non-gallery contexts. Rakowitz is Professor ...

, the American-Chilean composer,

Nicolas Jaar Nicolas Jaar (; ; es, Nicolás; born January 10, 1990) is a Chilean-American composer and recording artist based in New York. Among his notable works are the albums ''Space Is Only Noise'' (2011), ''Sirens'' (2016), and '' Cenizas'' (2020). H ...

, and also Trevor Paglen and

Sam Durant Sam Durant (born 1961, in Seattle) is a multimedia artist whose works engage social, political, and cultural issues. Often referencing American history, his work explores culture and politics, engaging subjects such as the civil rights movement, ...

, in its residency program, which started in 2018.

Raid

During the

2021 Israel–Palestine crisis A major outbreak of violence in the ongoing Israeli–Palestinian conflict commenced on 10 May 2021, though disturbances took place earlier, and continued until a ceasefire came into effect on 21 May. It was marked by protests and police riot ...

, the treed field adjacent to the centre was burnt to the ground and some days later, according to its owners, the centre itself was raided by Israeli forces. notable damage had been caused by an intrusion and, according to the owners, phones, computers, hard drives, cameras and books were confiscated. The report has not been yet independently confirmed.

Fundraising

After the raid, an online fundraising campaign to finance reconstruction and replace damaged or lost infrastructure managed to raise $25,000 within two days. By June that figure reached $30,000. The goal is to raise $50,000, to restore the Urban Farm on the property and secure the future of the Centre's activities.

Notes

Citations

Sources

* * * * * * * * {{refend Buildings and structures in Bethlehem Music organizations based in the State of Palestine