Istanbul Technical University Art Collection Inventory: Analysis and Recommendations for Its Development
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ITU A|Z • Vol 17 No 1 • March 2020 • 55-69 Istanbul Technical University Art Collection Inventory: Analysis and recommendations for its development Canan ATLIğ1, Aslıhan ERKMEN2 1 [email protected] • Istanbul Painting and Sculpture Museum, Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Istanbul, Turkey 2 [email protected] • Department of Fine Arts and Institute of Social Sciences, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey Received: March 2019 • Final Acceptance: October 2019 Abstract Over the years, several artworks have been compiled at various campuses of Istanbul Technical University (ITU) forming a modest collection. These artworks, however, have never been identified, documented, catalogued, and/or studied in an art historical manner. The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyze the artworks in the ITU Art Collection Inventory for the first time and provide suggestions for its development. Initially, all campuses and faculties/facilities of ITU were visited and the artworks found in each location were recorded based on the guidelines set by the International Council of Museums (ICOM). The findings have been categorized and presented according to different campuses of ITU as well as the types of artworks, which include forty-five paintings, nineteen sculptures, four engravings, one mural, and one panel, a total of seventy works. Recommendations have been developed based on the content of the inventory in accordance with ITU’s mission, vision, and history. The relationship between science, technology, and art has been the main focus of the general suggestions, which have been made for ITU to build a strong relationship with artists and academics in the campus as well as with ITU’s Rectorate Art Gallery to innovate new forms of artworks in the contemporary art field. It should be noted that most of the artwork were tributes to prominent Turkish scientists and scholars. The relationship between art and science observed in most of the artworks is suggested to become the binding factor for the cohesiveness of the ITU Art Collection. Keywords doi: 10.5505/itujfa.2019.52207 doi: University, Art, Collection management, Inventory. 56 1. Introduction are as important as cataloging, The term “collection”, in general, protection, and maintenance of the refers to a set of material or intangible collection. In this context, following the objects, which have been assembled, realization of the inventory and catalog, classified, selected, preserved, and the institution has the opportunity displayed by an individual or an to evaluate the relationship between establishment. In order to compose CMP and its collection. In this way, a real collection, the set of objects a process that will pave the way for collected must form a consistent and the development of the collection is meaningful whole. Therefore, a group initiated (Edson, 2004, 135). of objects gathered according to “Art” initially comes to mind when personal taste with no selection criteria discussing museums or collections and intention to build a coherent whole even though there are myriad types is not considered to be a collection but and functions of museums (Rosset, may be referred to as “fond” (Desvallées 1991). Regarding university museums, and Mairesse, 2010, 26). art is the major activity in collecting Collections may vary in their form where the focus of “education” is an or content; however, they share similar important function (O’Hagen, 1998, principals when it comes to their care 198). Also, the “question of definition” and management. Thus, the term rises whether the collection defines the “Collection Management” is applied nature of the university museum or to the various technical, ethical, legal, vice versa (Brattli and Steffensen, 2014, and practical methods by which the 96). Therefore, the university museum collections are gathered, organized, studies require both connoisseurship and preserved (Ladkin, 2004, 17). research as well as analytical approach “Collection Management” concentrates to the museums and/or collections. on taking care of the collection while The root of the university focusing on its long-term physical museum concept can be traced to well-being, safety, preservation, and the seventeenth century with the record keeping. In order for collection foundation of Ashmolean Museum management to function successfully at Oxford established in 1683 and effectively, a well-designed (Boylan, 1999, 46). Between the policy in align with the mission of seventeenth and twenty-first centuries, the institution and its collection must developments in teaching, scientific be created and presented as a written practice, and knowledge of the natural document (Edson and Dean, 1994, 69). and cultural world have resulted in There are ten main issues that every the accumulation, utilization and Collection Management Policy (CMP) even disposal of innumerable artifacts should cover: The purpose of the and specimens within the university collection according to the corporate museums (Kozak, 2016). Collections mission; acquisition methods; disposal formed and/or maintained in these methods; loan policies; record-keeping universities were used for learning in of objects; care and preservation; the laboratory or tutorial room as well cataloging systems; insurance as provided the material evidence of processes; inventory of the collection; research achieved in the name of an and access to the collection (Malaro, institution. The university museum is 1995, 11-12). created when a university dedicates An “inventory” consists of the basic institutional space and facilities to the collection management information exhibition of collections, (Simpson, about each object in a collection, 2014, 18). According to Lourenço including the details that are essential (2019), “…There is no definition of for accountability and security ‘university museum’ outside ICOM’s. (CIDOC, 1995). The whole collection Museums are museums. The only can only be created, examined, definition that we can give is that a recorded, and studied after a detailed university museum is a museum in inventory is established and CMP the ICOM sense that belongs to a can be determined (Atlığ, 2017, 14). university or, more broadly, a higher Inventory management and planning education institution.” ITU A|Z • Vol 17 No 1 • January 2020 • C. Atlığ, A. Erkmen 57 University Museums and Collections bulletins proving the existence of the (UMAC) of the ICOM is a significant unseen artworks as well as identifying/ subsidiary committee that is the global dating them; second-hand information advocate for university museums and acquired from the employees via face- collections of all disciplines. UMAC to-face interviews. acts as a source with its database It was apparent during the inventory covering museums of higher education gathering process that artworks at internationally for all those working ITU were not accumulated with the in, or associated with, academic vision or the intent of establishing a museums, galleries and collections collection. However, the term “ITU (Url-1). The database of UMAC Art Collection” has been preferred as presents five university museums in a reference to these highly valuable Turkey: three of which are housed at collective works of art. Regarding the the Anadolu University (Museum of information gathered about all the Modern Arts, Cumhuriyet Museum, artworks within the ITU premises, Museum of Cartoon Art), one in Ege “ITU Art Collection Management University (Natural History Research Policy Draft” has been prepared and and Application Center, Natural proposed by Atlığ (2017) in align with History Museum) and the other as part ICOM’s recommended standards. of Sabancı University (Sakıp Sabancı ICOM Code of Ethics for Museums Museum) (Url-2). has published a series of ethical For decades, several artworks have rules that organizations must follow been acquired and/or commissioned when managing their collections by Istanbul Technical University (ICOM, 2013). This list of ethical (ITU) and they were exhibited/ rules includes the physical, legal, erected in various venues. However, a financial, administrative provisions major problem was that these works that are expected to be complied by of art had never been documented the museums/institutions as well as nor examined to form a proper the main topics that are related to the inventory. Thence, there was no data formation, preservation, and exhibition on these pieces in order to conduct a of the collections (ICOM, 2013, 1-15). research through the use of existing The starting point of this study information. Consequently, the initial has been to compile the inventory of research problem occurs: whether the artworks that are in possession these objects constitute an actual of ITU, to examine them in detail, collection; and if indeed they do, issue and to present a complete catalog of arises in determining the scope of the the collection. Accordingly, faculties collection and the current condition of and facilities1 in Maslak/ Ayazağa, 1 The research its pieces. Hence, the purpose of this Taşkışla, Gümüşsuyu, Maçka, and has been carried paper has been to identify and analyze Tuzla campuses were visited in order out only at the official facilities the artworks present at ITU Campuses to investigate and record each artwork of ITU excluding to compose an ITU Art Collection at its present location, based on the the private entities Inventory by using methods of art standards set by the ICOM (ICOM, such as the Alumni history and provide suggestions