TCF Selects Artists for SOFA 2011 Art Fairs

The Turkish Cultural Foundation is pleased to announce that the following artists have been selected to represent Turkish modern art at the Sculpture Objects and Functional Art (SOFA) expositions at New York and Chicago in 2011. Yildanur Ketenci, Semra Ecer, Ayhan Tomak and Ebru Dosekci will be featured at the SOFA New York fair on April 14-17, 2011 at the Park Avenue Armory. Malik Bulut, Nejat Kavvas, Meral Deger and Serdar Seremet will present their work at SOFA Chicago on November 4-6, 2011 at the Navy Pier Festival Hall. This is the fifth year of TCF's showcase of Turkish modern art at SOFA.


TCF's Nationwide Educational Program Launches

18 local World Affairs Councils have been accepted to be partners of the TCF Education Program, funded by TCF and organized in cooperation with the World Affairs Councils of America (WACA). The 3-part program includes Teachers' Workshops on Turkey, TCF-sponsored and organized Teachers' Study Tours to Turkey and public programming on Turkish culture. 2011 will mark the fifth year of the program. TCF Teacher Study Tours have hosted 296 teachers since 2007, while over 2000 teachers have participated in Teachers' Workshops on Turkey organized under this program to date.


Homage to Nurhan Atasoy, TCF Senior Scholar in Residence

The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality held a ceremony on Dec. 18, 2010 to honor the contribution of Prof. Dr. Nurhan Atasoy , one of the most prominent, internationally recognized art historians of Turkey.

The evening featured notable speakers who talked about Professor Atasoy's contributions to Turkish art history, while her colleagues, former students, friends and family celebrated her life-long achievements.


Newsweek Turkey Edition Features DATU

The Turkish Cultural Foundation's Natural Dye Research and Development Laboratory - DATU was featured in Newsweek's Turkey edition. The article highlighted DATU's efforts to preserve Turkey's historic textiles and rugs. DATU uses state-of-art technology and science to help leading museums in Turkey to establish best practices for conservation and restoration work, and works on spreading the use of natural dyes in modern textile production.


Recep Karadag, DATU Chair Speaks at International Conferences

Prof. Dr. Recep Karadag, who heads the TCF DATU attended the 29th Dyes in History and Archaeology Conference, which was held on Nov 11-13, 2010 in Lisbon, speaking on the effect of fermentation of various plant varieties, which occur over time, on silk dyeing and the determination of the optimum value of fermentation. At the 23rd Biennial IIC Congress on Sep. 20-24, 2010 in Istanbul, Prof. Karadag gave a presentation on "Dyestuff and Color Analyses of the Seljuk Carpets in the Konya Ethnography Museum" .

Last summer, Prof. Karadag also participated in the 1st International Congress Chemistry for Cultural Heritage in Ravenna (Italy) and presented on identifying dyestuff sources used in 16th-century Ottoman fabrics and determining their color values. He was also invited to attend the 4th Intensive School on Conservation Science Teruel which took place in Aragon, Spain and presented on "Dyes in Historic Textiles, Analysis and Recreation."


TCF's Art Historian Speaks at Two Symposiums

Dr. Sumiyo Okumura, TCF Resident Art Historian spoke on "The Significance of Yellow Dyed Warps in Cairene Rugs and a Group of Ottoman Court Prayer Rugs” at the International Symposium of Turkish Carpets and Flat Weavings, which was held at Akdeniz University in Alanya, Turkey on Nov.1-4, 2010.

Dr. Okumura also talked on “The Blazon- Western Influence on Mamluk Art after the Crusades ” at the International Conference on Islamic Civilization in the Mediterranean at the Near East University in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus on Dec. 1-4, 2010.


TCF Sponsors Ataturk Conference

TCF sponsored the second Ataturk Conference organized by the Istanbul University Alumni Organization at the United Nations. The conference featured Heath Lowry, Princeton University, Amb. (ret.) Robert Finn, Former US Ambassador to Afghanistan and Arnold Reisman, American Association for the Advancement of Science and was moderated by Umut Uzer of Utah University.


TCF Awards Grant to Woodbury University

TCF has awarded a major grant to Woodbury University to support the University's study tour to Turkey. The study tour will follow a course titled "Crossroads of Cultures: Explorations in Turkish Art" and offer lectures on Turkish culture and art, followed by a 24-day study tour to Turkey. The study tour will be Woodbury University's second to Turkey, taking place with support from TCF.

New York, USA

Date: Apr. 14-17, 2011
Fairl: 13th Annual Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Fair with the participation of Turkish artists Ayhan Tomak, Ebru Dosekci, Semra Ecer and Yildanur Ketenci
Place: Turkish Cultural Foundation Booth, Park Armory Avenue
Information: www.sofaexpo.com
Turkish participation at this event is sponsored by the Turkish Cultural Foundation.


Istanbul, Turkey

Date: Jan.11, 2011 2:30 pm
Lecture: "From Prousa to Bursa: the Making of the First Ottoman Capital" by Asst. Prof. Dr. Suna Cagaptay, Bahcesehir University, Faculty of Architecture and Design, TCF Fellow
Information: www.turkishculturalfoundation.org/pages.php?ID=60


Istanbul, Turkey

Date: Jan.12, 2011 4:30 pm
Lecture: "Ottoman Gravestones" by Burak Cetintas, Bosphorus University
Information: www.turkishculturalfoundation.org/pages.php?ID=60


Istanbul, Turkey

Date: Feb.08, 2011 2:30 pm
Lecture: "Peace with Nature" by Dr. Nihat Gokyigit
Information: www.turkishculturalfoundation.org/pages.php?ID=60


Istanbul, Turkey

Date: Feb.09, 2011 4:30 pm
Lecture: "Turkey's Peerless Flowers" by Arch. Fatih Orbay
Information: www.turkishculturalfoundation.org/pages.php?ID=60

For a listing of Turkish cultural events around the world,
visit the TCF Calendar.