Orna Sourasky, an amateur artist, really wanted to exhibit her work in a gallery, and decided she would invest some of her own money to realize the dream. After making inquiries at several places and concluding there was no way she could pay $1,500-2,000 for two weeks (the fees charged by prestigious commercial galleries such as Tova Osman, Amalia Arbel and Horace Richter), she contacted independent curator Doron Polak. The exhibition he curated for her at the Yahalom Theater in Ramat Gan also cost quite a bit, NIS 7,000 ($1600). With the exhibit came an appetite for more. "The exposure there was very good, I wanted to exhibit more, but very quickly, I realized that all the exhibition spaces of this kind talked to me in dollars only," said Sourasky.

Sourasky is one of hundreds and perhaps even thousands of artists who are not numbered among the "in crowd" of artists, but who nonetheless have a great need to exhibit. Independent curator Udi Rosenwein defines them as "professional amateurs - people over the age of 50 who don't see themselves primarily as artists, but rather also as artists, and who have the ability to pay," he says.

The great demand has led to the emergence of an array of independent curators and a range of exhibition spaces. On the one hand are the private commercial galleries that charge $2,000 per exhibition. On the other are municipal spaces, such as the Artist Houses in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Ra'anana's Gallery by the Lake, the Yahalom Theater in Ramat Gan, the Givatayim Theater, the Jerusalem Theater and the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center, all of which charge a few thousand shekels. Next in line are exhibition spaces in commercial spaces such as the Aviv Mall and the Azrieli Mall, followed by small exhibition spaces that have popped up in the lobbies of residential buildings, and in restaurants and cafes, some of which don't charge for exhibiting. Other public spaces, such as Yad Labanim buildings, community centers and galleries run by Mifal Hapayis (the national lottery), also offer the possibility of exhibiting free of charge.

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The only alternative

The existence of this network, which has expanded over the years, makes it possible for just about anyone to exhibit. "It's almost the only alternative for artists whom no one wants to exhibit," concludes one of the curators. However, it also generates a growing sense of frustration. There is no possibility of making the transition from there to the limited "in" circle of the art world. This option does allow an artist to expose his works to a large audience, but in the end they serve as decoration for those en route to the next store or waiting for the concert to start. And this process still involves considerable expense: paying for the space, the curator, framing, photographic processing and the opening.

Sourasky has until now exhibited for free at Cafe Joe, the Neeman Towers and in the Rishon Letzion Cultural Center. "Today, if I want to exhibit, unfortunately, everything costs," she says. "Basically it's my hobby, I don't sell. I frame, schlep and hang up things, and in the end I have to pay also. Those who exhibit in this circle are people with a lot of money. I don't understand why there is no way to exhibit in public spaces without paying. The ones that don't charge, such as the Holon Theater, have a waiting list of at least three years."

Yet, not all public spaces are willing to waive the new source of income that has appeared. Doron Polak, one of the veteran curators and producers in the field, and the owner of the firm Projective, notes that these spaces charge fees in order to survive. "The municipalities reduced the budgets for culture, and now the artists have to cover the costs," he says. "All in all, these places address the problem of the shortage of exhibition space. Thirty to 50 artists a month approach me. We find an answer for each one. There wasn't a single artist who came to me and didn't exhibit. But you need a lot of patience. Two to three years at least.

"In addition to exhibitions at the Yahalom Theater and the Givatayim Theater, which cost, we have the option of exhibiting artists for free in all kinds of alternative spaces," notes Polak, and elaborates: "We curate 60 exhibits a year in the offices of the high-tech company Alvarion, in Kiryat Atidim. At the editorial offices of [the financial newspaper] Globes, we curate two exhibits every two months; Dor Alon's offices have two rotating exhibits on display during the year. In all of these places, the companies pay the cost of the exhibit and also our fee.

"In general, I think that the issue of exhibits in commercial building lobbies needs to be developed," says Polak. "In New York, I visited 30 buildings that have exhibitions in their lobbies."

Not part of the museum world

Udi Rosenwein, who organizes shows at the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center, says that in the past, artists did not have to pay to exhibit in municipal spaces, and explains that this "enabled me to exhibit the best artists there. The moment it started to cost money, it changed the direction. Of course, the highly regarded artists don't pay."

What is the profile of those who are required to pay?

Rosenwein: "They are usually slightly older artists who never became part of the world of museums and galleries. They have been active for many years, but they don't presume they will eventually make it to the Tel Aviv Museum. Many of them studied at the Midrasha [at Beit Berl] or at the Avni Institute, left the art world, and then returned to it after they retired."

The fees for showing at the Performing Arts Center range from NIS 1,700 to NIS 2,200 for "five nights when there is an event scheduled," says Rosenwein. "When there is no event, there are no people. When there is an opera or a play, there are around 1,500 people roaming around at night. This price also includes the cost of the curator. Beyond that, the artist also pays for the invitations, opening costs, framing and [photo] enlargements."

Are there criteria for quality?

"I receive around 40 inquiries every six months, and I review them with an acceptance committee that meets twice a year. I have at least 30 exhibitions a year, and the wait is currently two years." The fee charged by the Tel Aviv Artists House ranges from NIS 2,000 to NIS 3,000. They call it a "contribution," and indeed it helps the center to survive. Aryeh Berkowitz, the manager, relates that once there was a charge for all seven of their exhibition spaces, but today, thanks to an improvement in the level of public funding they receive, they charge for only two of those, and there too, an artistic committee chooses the exhibitors. "The price is very low compared to other galleries," says Berkowitz.

Whom do they ask for contributions?

"Artists who we know have the ability to pay. For example, Zahava Lupo, who is now exhibiting. She is a veteran artist, who sells her works, so there is no reason why she shouldn't pay the House a little something in return."

For other exhibition spaces, the charges serve as an additional source of income, one that doesn't require any outlay. Curator Guy Olami, who is relatively new to the field, regularly works at the Azrieli Towers' Windows Gallery. "At first, artists were not required to pay there," he says, "but after I started charging the artists a fee for curating, the management of the towers told me that they also wanted to take a fee for the use of the space. Now they ask for NIS 1,000 per month for the right to exhibit there. This sum does not include the opening event and the invitations, but it certainly allows artists to gain exposure to tens of thousands of people who pass through daily."

NIS 5,000 per project

Olami, like the space owners, discovered that you can make a decent living in this business. He, like other curators in this market, works with several exhibition spaces and curates dozens of shows a year. In some ways, he functions like an agent: His charge is NIS 5,000 per project.

What do they get for that fee?

"The artists don't pay me for a single exhibition, but for ongoing service," he explains. "The price includes the curatorial work, public relations for the exhibition and afterward, also arrangements for group exhibitions."

And what do they get in return?

Olami: "Artists who were previously unknown are very satisfied getting this type of exposure. Before, they got feedback from friends, and suddenly they are gaining exposure on a national level. They get validation that they are artists, they start presenting in more exhibitions. Sometimes they also sell."

And what is the chance for an exhibition you curate serving as an artist's springboard into the inner circle?

"No chance. There they don't take artists over the age of 30 who are not graduates of Bezalel with a rich father and pushy teachers. I tell everyone, if you are not a graduate with distinction and of course also talented, you have no chance of making it into the inner circle."

Rosenwein also feels this way and is careful to say as much to artists he works with. "Whoever comes with such hopes, I immediately dash them for him," he says. "But I have to say that today, if an above-average artist comes to the Tel Aviv Museum with a budget of $10,000, he will get an exhibit there."