The Artists’ House officially opened in 2005. Initially, fewer than ten artists from the Be’er Avraham area volunteered there. Local Negev artists were invited to join with the aim of promoting southern art. That same year, after many difficulties, then-Mayor Yaakov Turner granted the artists their current location.

Before they moved in, the building was renovated with the support of Makhteshim Company. Since then, a variety of activities have been held to promote and nurture local artists.

The sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic stopped all activities but created an opportunity to carry out comprehensive renovations inside and outside the building, transforming it into a fully equipped art center suitable for exhibitions, multimedia installations, and musical and cultural performances.

Over time, the association has built connections with similar organizations across Israel, as well as with academic institutions and all municipal cultural bodies. Joint exhibitions were held at the Artists’ House with various artist groups, and exhibitions originating here have been displayed in other cultural institutions, hospitals, and restaurants.

In recent years, the Artists’ House has hosted international exhibitions and developed collaborations with cultural institutions abroad.

The building was constructed during the British Mandate. In 1935, Yehoshua Hankin handed it over to Dr. Reuven Meir and his wife Yehudit, so they could establish a clinic that would provide free medical services to the Bedouin community, as a gesture of goodwill from the Jewish community in the Land of Israel. Dr. Meir, who did not speak Arabic, relied on his wife, a native speaker, to communicate with the patients, and the place became a social center for both Bedouins and Jews.

In 1936, following incitement against Jews in the city, Dr. Reuven and Yehudit Meir left the house. The number of patients declined, and they chose to leave Be’er Sheva. In 1939, Reuven Meir enlisted in the British Army.

After they left, other Jewish families briefly lived in the house but soon abandoned it due to the security situation. In the 1950s, the houses in the area were allocated to new immigrants, and this building was among them.

Today, the courtyard features a sculpture garden created and decorated by the house’s artists. The garden includes works donated by Adama-Makhteshim Company, as well as sculptures by Yehudit Meir. Inside the building, works by artists and association members are displayed, including photography, painting, sculpture, embroidery, textile art, ceramics, and more.