This museum will unite a world-class collection of modern and contemporary art with a robust artist-in-residence program and innovative educational and scholarly programs. In addition to the gallery spaces and curatorial and administrative offices, this state-of-the-art facility will house a multi functional auditorium and lecture hall, a library and master classrooms for students to study art and architecture. The property will also include a museum store and dining facilities, as well as an outdoor amphitheatre and a building dedicated as an “Artists’ Embassy”–an artists’ residence where local, regional and internationally renowned artists will live, work and engage the broader community in a supportive and collegial environment.

Indeed, the basic mission of the museum will be to provide a cultural and educational space for the Israeli people, with a particular emphasis on community outreach to encourage involvement by underprivileged families through an extensive educational and special event program. The heart of the museum’s collection will be devoted to art made since 1945, with several galleries devoted to artists whose works variously express social or political views. Additional gallery space will also be dedicated to the work of young local and regional artists.

The 105,000 s.f. museum will sit on the hillside of Erez Ben Gurion amongst other cultural sites such as the Holocaust Museum. The sloped nature of the site will take advantage of views overlooking the Jerusalem Mountains and forest and the distant hills that surround the city. Materials such as local stone and wood will further reinforce the museum into its immediate environment. Aside from being a place to showcase art and education, the building itself will highlight advances in Green Technology and Sustainable Design. The large structural tubes will be used to collect and hold rain water to be filtered later at the base of the building, and used to supplement the required domestic water use. The tube height itself will provide adequate water pressure for the entire building including the uppermost floors. Another aspect of green design will be a shaded roof garden that will help keep the building cool, and provide a place where the residents can grow their own produce, which in turn may be used for the meals that are prepared by the museum’s cafeteria.