Welcome to Estee’s pottery studio

In a small village in the Sodom valley just south of the Dead Sea,
 in the south of Israel, ceramics artist Estee Barak has been living and creating
 for over 30 years. Estee invites visitors to visit her gallery, where she exhibits her
desert-inspired artwork and hosts both professional and leisure workshops.

For over 30 years Estee is living, creating and being inspired
by the landscapes of the Sodom valley and the Dead Sea region.
In Estee's private work one can find sculpture elements and functional pieces influenced directly by her surrounding environment: motifs from the desert, land, vegetation and local agriculture.
Estee is a native Hebrew speaker and fluent in English.

Chronology
1974-1977: graduated from Haifa University with a degree in creative arts, majoring in ceramics
1990: Dead-Sea Artists, Aked Gallery, Tel-Aviv, Israel
2002: Text-tera, Yad Lebanim house, Ra’anana, Israel
2002: Group, Bad Kissingen, Germany
2003:  “Salt of the earth”, group, Yahalon Gallery, Ramat-Gan, Israel
2005: “Kad Va-Homer” (Vase and clay), Ra’anana’s annual potters fair, Israel
2006: “Southern clay” group, Beer-Sheva, Israel
2008: “Kad Va-Homer” (Vase and clay), Ra’anana’s annual potters fair, Israel
2008: “Out of the box”, group, Holon, Israel
2009: “Kad Va-Homer” (Vase and clay), Ra’anana’s annual potters fair, Israel
2010: “Vase now”, group, Artists House, Tel-Aviv, Israel
2010: “Feminine Space”, Rishon LeZion, Israel
2010: “The implicit”, group, Holon, Israel
2011: “Kad Va-Homer” (Vase and clay), Ra’anana’s annual potters fair, Israel
2011: “Creating the context”, group, Akko, Israel
2011: “Altogether 8”, presenting artist, Jerusalem, Israel

Estee’s pottery studio is open to the public
Visitors are invited to enjoy the exhibition of Estee’s works, talk, create and purchase.
A range of workshops are offered to groups and individual travellers, welcoming both experienced and non-experienced participants.

TThe exhibition
Estee is working by hand and with wheel.
Her work is fired using different techniques, such as gas, pit, and Raku,
which produce unique results. In the gallery visitors will find a range of functional
and decorative ceramic works inspired by the desert. 
The exhibition also presents works (not for sale) of visiting artists such as Mitsuo Shji (Japan, Australia) Jackson Li
and Ying (China), Les Maning (Canada), Terry Davies (Italy) and more.

Opening hours:/font> see contact details and map below.

Leisure workshops

Visitors are Visitors are invited to participate in a wide variety
of leisure workshops guided by the artist.
By the end of the workshop each participant will have created his/her own
ceramic artwork to take home as a souvenir.
In the course of the workshop the artist will share her personal story,
and discuss some of the characteristics of the surrounding area.
The workshop intertwines wonderfully with a trip to the Dead Sea resort.
The available workshops are:

• Decorating ceramics with Raku firing: discover the secrets of this
Japanese firing tradition and decorate your own pot. Duration: 2 hrs approx.

• Decorating ceramics with fire and smoke: decorate a ceramic pot of your choice,
following the guidance of the artist, to obtain beautiful black-and-white tones.
Duration: 2 hrs approx.

• Wheel-throwing workshop: learn the basics of wheel throwing and make your own
pot, cup or vase on the wheel. Duration: 2hrs approx.


Target audience: suitable for all ages and designed especially for groups
(birthday parties, school trips, family gathering, etc).
Previous experience is not required.

Each workshop will be designed to best fit the nature of the group.

Group size: 5-50 participants (depending on type of workshop selected)

Duration: The duration of the workshop depends on the group's size
and normally varies between 90 min and 3 hours.

Extras: refreshments of fruit from the area alongside tea and coffee will be served at no
extra charge. Groups can also enjoy light as well as gourmet meals
(please reserve in advance).

Booking: workshop registration should be booked at least 1 week ahead of time.

Professional workshops
Visitors interested in more profound pottery training and the acquisition of specific pottery
skills, are invited to take part in a range of professional workshops.

Clay firing marathon: experiment different firing techniques such as pit firing, smoke firing
and Raku. Participants are required to bring their own pots, after first firing.
Duration: 2 days.

Building techniques: specialise in technique such as wheel-throwing,
hand building, pallets and extruding.  Become acquainted with different textures and mixture
methods, as well as decorating methods.
Duration: 2 days

Target audience: Professional pottery and clay workshops are designed for groups
with previous experience in pottery - professionals and amateurs, beginners and advanced.

Group size: 5-30 participants
Duration: normally a two-day programme.
Workshops include: full board, accommodation and materials.

Details on workshops will be updated on the event calendar.
Organized groups interested in a private artist workshop are invited to contact the artist directly.

Studio location and facilities


Estee’s gallery and studio is located in Moshav Neot Hakikar,
south of the Dead Sea, in between the unique landscapes ofsert, the date plantations and the Edom Mountains.

The studio is well-equipped with material and machinery to
accommodate the workshops offered above.
The studio offers a wide inner space as well as a large
outdoor area with shaded huts, work and picnic tables.
The place is equipped to accommodate 50 people.
Facilities and services such as barbecue pits, bicycle
for rent, bathrooms, showers and parking are also available.

The services of the studio are available for the use of groups
for organizing birthday parties, private events and workshops,
including overnight accommodation and food.

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The area

Moshav Neot Hakikar is located at the heart of the Sodom valley, in the lowest place on earth, 20 minutes drive south of the Dead Sea Hotels district on road #90. Moshav Neot Hakikar faces the Edom Mountain, and is found in the delta of Zin, Avia, Amazia and Arava rivers.

An abundance of hiking trails are found in the nearby area, the most famous of which include: Pratzim wadi, the Flour Cave, Sodom Mountain, Ashalim wadi, Peres wadi, and Tamar Wadi.
The desert scenes are magnificent and unique: marlstone hills and salt marshes on the one hand, and advanced agriculture on the other. In the autumn – date picking and bird migration, in wintertime – floods and green fields and in spring time – the desert flowers with the scent of melons and watermelons in the fields.
Summer is simply too hot.

Services available in the area: bicycle rental, desert attractions, restaurants and accommodation.

Contact details & map

Address :
Estee’s pottery, Neot-Hakikar, Dead-Sea
86905 ISRAEL

View location and driving instructions on Google maps.
Tel.        +972- (0)8-6572176, +972-(0)52-8991147
E-mail:  estee.bk@gmail.com

Opening hours: every day of the week (including Saturday) from 10:00am to 17:00pm. It is advised to call ahead of time.
Can’t make it all the way to the Dead-Sea?

Some of Estee’s works are also exhibited for sale in the Altogether-8 cooperative gallery in Jerusalem.
Visit the photo gallery for some examples of works for sale.

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