As part of the Rywkind Ben Zour Grant for Art, Education and Community

The Center for Contemporary Art invites undergraduate and graduate students at art institutions, as well as recent graduates of art schools, to participate in a Master Class with artist Shay-Lee Uziel, taking place as part of the development and installation of his exhibition at the CCA, opening at the end of November 2026.

The Master Class is part of the Rywkind Ben Zour Grant for Art, Education and Community, and is intended for undergraduate and graduate students at art institutions, as well as graduates who completed their studies within the past two years (2024–2025).

The Master Class is intended for applicants who have no prior acquaintance or professional connection with Shay-Lee Uziel.

Grant recipients will take part in a unique internship program and work alongside the artist throughout a process of research, experimentation, and production leading up to the exhibition. As part of the Master Class, participants will be introduced to Uziel’s working methods, in which mushroom cultivation, sculpture, material, photography, space, and uncertainty coexist, and will gain hands-on experience with techniques and approaches that form part of his practice.

The work will begin in a greenhouse at a school in Jaffa (see further explanation below), continue through collaborative work in the artist’s studio in Tel Aviv, and conclude with the transition into the exhibition space at the CCA. In addition, the internship program will include individual mentoring sessions with CCA curators, as well as a professional workshop on preparing applications to art foundations, led by Iris Rywkind.

The work will be collaborative and will involve direct experience in the process of installing an exhibition, alongside the development of a group and a shared working process among the participants, curator, and artist. Participants will gain an understanding of how an artistic process develops in practice through dialogue, the division of roles, and shared responsibility. The Master Class is intended for participants who are willing and able to work collaboratively and to create a temporary community around the exhibition.

About the Project and the Master Class

At the heart of Shay-Lee Uziel’s unique project is a greenhouse for growing mushrooms, which serves as a space for work, research, and artistic production. The greenhouse is a living system in which cultivation processes, material experimentation, studio photography, video documentation, and a changing environment all take place side by side. The exhibition at the CCA will bring this practice into the exhibition space. The Master Class will introduce participants to Uziel’s working methods and allow them to experiment with them firsthand.

The work will move between several modes of practice:

Cultivation as sculptural material – An introduction to mycelium, substrates, cultivation vessels, molds, and containers, alongside experimentation with ways of intervening in and directing processes of growth through material and structural constraints.

Working with materials and systems – Exploring the relationships between living matter and industrial, constructed, and found materials; experimenting with wrapping, compressing, joining, casting, cutting, dismantling, and altering growing conditions.

Material and experimental research – Working with a range of materials from the artist’s studio and creating a shared “material library.” Participants will investigate material properties and experiment with unexpected combinations, hybrid materials, and shifts in function, context, and scale.

Photography and observation – Using photography, and particularly macro photography, as a tool for observing mushrooms, mycelium, materials, and minute details. The work will include experiments with lighting, depth of field, viewpoint, and cropping.

The process will begin in the greenhouse, continue through collaborative work in the artist’s studio, and conclude with the transition into the exhibition space. Participants will be involved in the process of moving between these different working environments and will take part in transforming the products of the greenhouse, as well as the objects and works created during the workshop, into elements of a larger installation.

The Master Class is intended for participants who are willing and able to work collaboratively, experiment, research, and respond to processes that are not always predictable, and to create a temporary community around the exhibition process.

Description of the Activity

The working process developed through the Master Class will combine mushroom cultivation, sculpture, photography, material, and space.

The open call is particularly intended for students and recent graduates interested in unconventional materials and creative processes, as well as in intersections between art, science, architecture, and space. We are looking for makers with curiosity, strong observational skills, and a willingness to engage in an ongoing process of experimentation, change, and uncertainty.

The ability to work independently and as part of a team is required, along with a willingness to experiment with new materials and techniques and to fully engage in the collaborative working process.

Additional Information and Terms

The Master Class will include one introductory meeting and six sessions: four four-hour sessions, taking place in the greenhouse at the school in Jaffa and in Shay-Lee Uziel’s studio, followed by two six-hour sessions during the week of the exhibition installation:

Introductory Meeting – Center for Contemporary Art
Friday, October 16, 11:00–13:00

2A Tsadok Ha-Cohen Street, Tel Aviv

Session 1 – Greenhouse, Ironi Z School, Friday, 

October 23, 10:00–14:00

10 Hidushei Yirim Street, Jaffa

Session 2 – Greenhouse, Ironi Z School,
Friday, October 30, 10:00–14:00

10 Hidushei Yirim Street, Jaffa

Session 3 – Shay-Lee Uziel’s Studio
Friday, November 6, 10:00–14:00

5 HaNegev Street, Tel Aviv

Session 4 – Shay-Lee Uziel’s Studio
Sunday, November 8, 16:00–20:00

5 HaNegev Street, Tel Aviv

Sessions 5 & 6 – Center for Contemporary Art
During the week of November 15, between 10:00–16:00

Interns will receive full credit from the CCA on the website and social media for their participation in the Master Class. They will also be asked to indicate on their CVs that they participated in the exhibition as active interns as part of the grant.

The Master Class will be documented for the production of a short video, including interviews with participants, which will be shared on the CCA’s social media channels. Participation in the documentation is mandatory.

Each participant will receive a stipend of NIS 2,500.

The individual mentoring sessions and the professional workshop on preparing applications to art foundations will take place after the exhibition opens.

How to Apply

Applicants are invited to submit the registration form (form links: Hebrew / English) no later than September 30.

In addition to personal information, the form includes:

• A paragraph describing your artistic interests and practice (up to 250 words).

• A paragraph describing your interest in the Master Class with Shay-Lee Uziel (up to 250 words).

• An up-to-date portfolio (up to 15 images, submitted as a PDF).

Please send your portfolio to: opencall@cca.org.il

Participation is conditional upon signing an agreement and requires full attendance at all sessions and throughout the exhibition installation process.