Meet Lee Mason - From Burning Man to The care -Curator at the passage of sustainable art.

Our regenerative industrial zone in Maayan Zvi - serves as a fertile ground for a creation that combines uses from different fields and mixed media. This is the 7th chapter in a series of personal interviews with the artists and creators who choose to upcycle by rescaling.

Lee is passionate about sustainability and Art and today she’s the Care-Curator of the Passage of Sustainable Arts doing it all voluntarily.

Also she co - manage the passage cafe food truck with her sister. 

Meet Lee Mason

Good morning, Lee. How are you doing today?

I'm doing pretty good, thanks.

Lee, where are you originally from?

I always joke that I'm born in England, raised in Canada, tortured in Australia, and then backed into the desert of Israel! I've lived in many different places over the years, been in the events industry, facilitating and coordinating, from community ventures in Canada into the BurningMan realm. My background is in nutrition, sustainability and community, which brought me to different organizations around the world.

Burning Man?

She laughs. Yes, Burning Man taught me a lot of really practical skills. How to put out a fire, how to build a fire, how to not burn anything else that doesn't need to be burnt - that sort of thing. I did a lot of my training down in Black Rock, and then went to different burns around the world - Australia, Canada, and here in Israel at Midburn.

What eventually brought you back to Israel?

My family is here.

So Lee, How did you discover Hamaayan?

I was in Barcelona during COVID, and that was terrifying. Because when somebody tells you you can't get on a plane and go see your family, it changes your perspective of everything so i came back.

One day I saw a post by an American woman doing glassblowing workshops  - it was Ayula from Ayula Glass House, so we went to a workshop and I walked around and there was a place with a lot of dirt, a lot of mess.

Building the Passage of sustainable art - CREDIT:@YAARDANIEK

It was industrial - they were just building the passage, everything was pretty much bare bones, metal, dirt. And I thought, "This is where I need to be." So I rented a space pretty much on the spot, just before the opening . My sister said I was insane!

That was 3 years ago. 

"Our community here is diverse and exceptional. We're a big giant family - we are artists, we've got people making kitchens, metal stairs, water fountains. We've got La Mila with more secondhand items and clothing. The diversity is vast, but we're interconnected and kind of dependent, which is interesting".

Community meal in progress CREDIT:NETALY NAVIU

What drives your passion for sustainability and community?

It's about connection and utilizing what we have instead of wasting it. Whether it's through my nutrition background or my festival experience, I've always been drawn to bringing people together and making sure nothing goes to waste. That's really what guides everything we do here - creating community and promoting sustainability in whatever way we can.

Our community here is diverse and exceptional. We're a big giant family - we are artists, we've got people making kitchens, metal stairs, water fountains. We've got La Mila with more secondhand items and clothing. The diversity is vast, but we're interconnected and kind of dependent, which is interesting.

We have a community meal on Wednesday's, which I cook, and that's nice because it draws people together.  

You mentioned working with your sister on the family business. Can you tell me about that?

Yes, we co-manage the Passage Cafe alongside everything else we're doing here - it's a classic food truck serving fruit shakes, pastries and tortillas right here at the Maayan, next to the passage of sustainable art, We work together on that .

The Passage Cafe CREDIT:NETALY NAVI

Before we finish, anything else you would like to share with our readers?

Made with care, pastry by Jude Mason CREDIT:NETALY NAVI

Come to the ‘Passage cafe’ sit and read or play sheshbesh, It's a sanctuary.

We are an industrial area, but it's actually also a nature reserve. We've got peaceful spaces, and the beach is five minutes down the road and we have the most delicious coffee and pastries, all handmade, not mass-produced, with vegan and gluten-free options.

We really try to promote a space that's calm, but also fun.

Thank you very much Lee and good to have you with us!

you can contact Lee at - 0559564570

on Facebook

on CoffeeTrail