In December, the TCF Istanbul office hosted two lectures in the TCF Lecture Series in Turkish Culture and Art. Melih Duygulu of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University spoke on December 1st on Turkish Folk Music and the recent studies he conducted in the field as part of a multi-year TCF funded project. Dr. Yolande Crowe, Art Historian, spoke on December 2nd on the origins and the role of trade in designs of Kutahya ceramics.
The January lectures will feature Dr.Alper Maral, composer and faculty member at the Yildiz Technical University, Art and Design Faculty who will present a lecture titled “"Classical Music" in the 21st Century? Problematics in Perception, Description and Politization” on January 11 (in Turkish) and Dr. Evren Kutlay, musicologist and pianist, faculty member at Koc University, College of Social Sciences and Humanities, who will present a lecture on "European Music in Ottoman Istanbul” on January 12.
A TCF grant to Moon and Stars Project supported Turkish film festivals in Madison and Milwaukee. The 7th Madison Turkish Film Festival screened three films to its audiences: Shadows and Faces; Honey and The Crossing. The Turkish Film Series in Milwaukee screened Honey; Majority; Merry-Go-Around and Shadows and Faces. TCF’s grant to Moon and Stars Project also supported several cultural programs by the Moon and Stars Project, including a music workshop and concert by Kardes Turkuler and a performace by Asli Cavusoglu, titled Words Against Facade.
TCF Grant for Teacher Study Tour to Turkey
A TCF grant was awarded to the Oregon Geographic Alliance at Portland State University to sponsor a 3-week study tour to Turkey for K-12 Oregon teachers to explore Turkey's geography. The program is also funded by the National Geographic Education Foundation and the National Geographic Society.
TCF Supports Turkish Contemporary Artists
A TCF grant to the Rochester Institute of Technology will help underwrite a photography exhibition titled “Strangers to Ourselves: Art as a Cosmopolitan Commitment.” The exhibition will open in Spring 2012 and showcase five women artists who live and/or work in Turkey: Gul Ilgaz, Iz Oztat, Ozgul Arslan, Nancy Atkan and Roberley Bell.
TCF awarded a grant to the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art to support the participation of Turkish artist Inci Eviner in the musuem’s exhibition titld “Making Room: The Space Between Two and Three Dimensions.” The exhibition will open on February 12, 2012 and will remain open untill March 2013. Ms. Eviner’s video Harem was also previously exhibited at the Philadelphia Museum of Art with support from TCF.
TCF Supported Artist Exhibits Works
A TCF grant had been provided to Gulin Algul, a Turkish glass artist, to apply Ebru techniques on blown glass. Her new works created with support from the TCF grant resulted in a solo exhibition titled “Ebru at 1200 Degrees” at the Istanbul Maritime Museum.
TCF Grant Supports Turkish Classical Music Education
For the 5th year, TCF has become the major sponsor of the annual concert series by the Eyup Music Foundation, one of the oldest Turkish classical music societies in Turkey. The goal of the Eyup Music Foundation is to sustain interest in Turkish classical music in young generations and the general public. The first concert in 2012 is scheduled to take place in January and feature the works of Erol Sayan.
TCF Supports Turkish American Community Schools
TCF has provided a grant to the Turkish American Association of Central Ohio (TAACO) to support the TAACO Turkish Kids Club and a Turkish Language and Culture Course in Columbus. TCF has also provided teaching material support to the TAACO school, as well as the Orhan Gunduz Memorial School in Boston.
Turkish American community schools may request one set of these educational resources for free for their schools by sending a request to washington@turkishculture.org and also order additional copies at www.turkishcultureshop.org for their students:
