Proposal for Turkey As the Site for the ICFAD 2014 Triennial International Symposium Late June to Mid-July
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Proposal for Turkey as the site for the ICFAD 2014 Triennial International Symposium Late June to Mid-July Submitted by: Sue Ott Rowlands, Dean, College of Liberal Arts & Human Sciences, Virginia Tech Proposed location: Istanbul, Turkey What is unique about the setting including special events during mid-July? "There, God and human, nature and art are together, they have created such a perfect place that it is valuable to see." The French poet, Alphonse de Lamartine, revealed his love for Istanbul in this line, which also provides a compelling reason for ICFAD to hold its 2014 Triennial International Symposium in the city that embraces two continents, one arm reaching out to Asia and the other to Europe. Istanbul, once known as the capital of capital cities, has many unique features. Not only is it the only city in the world to straddle two continents, it is the only one to have been a capital during two consecutive empires - Christian and Islamic. Once capital of the Ottoman Empire, Istanbul still remains the commercial, historical and cultural pulse of Turkey, and its beauty lies in its ability to embrace its contradictions. Ancient and modern, religious and secular, Asia and Europe, mystical and earthly all co-exist in Istanbul. Its variety is one of Istanbul’s greatest attractions: the ancient mosques, palaces, museums and bazaars reflect its diverse history. A number of festivals are held each year in July, including: International Istanbul Jazz Festival, which presents a remarkable variety of music, ranging from traditional and contemporary jazz to rock, electronica and world music (held in venues throughout the city) International Istanbul Opera Festival, held annually in July presents opera at various venues, including the Topkapi Palace in Sultahnamet, the ‘Old City.’ Eurasia Culture Festival, which celebrates cultures from around the world and brings people together through the arts. Held in annually in July, the festival encompasses dance, music, ballet and other artistic disciplines by groups from as far afield as Mexico and South Korea. Tünel International Art Festival, tentative dates are July 3-19, 2013. This art festival opens the larger Istanbul Jazz Festival and is celebrated in one of the city’s main pedestrian areas. Already renowned for its bohemian spirit, Tünel Square, situated next to Galata Tower, fills with international and local artists exhibiting their works in the street and in the coffee shops around the square. What institutional or additional institutional connections are available? Our College, the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences (which includes the School of Performing Arts and Cinema), Virginia Tech has close partnerships with two major universities in Istanbul: Kadir Has University and Koç University. Both have agreed to assist with arrangements and co-sponsor events for the symposium. If this proposal is accepted, I will secure partnerships with other Istanbul arts organizations, such as the Istanbul Museum of Modern Art and the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV). Opportunities for co-sponsorship with another organization or institution? The Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Kadir Has University, Dr. Zuhal Ulusoy, has offered her assistance in planning the symposium. Dr. Ulusoy is an architect and designer with particular knowledge about the architecture of Istanbul, both ancient and modern. As well, the Director of the International Office will provide organizing support for the symposium. These matters were confirmed in meetings during my visit in February. The arts faculty at Koç University have agreed to collaborate with us in presenting the symposium, and we have enthusiastic supporters in the International Office at the university. Aysa Inan, director of international partnerships, and Burcu Sarsilmaz, assistant director, are my contacts and have already been extremely helpful in sketching out a possible program for the symposium. During our meetings in February, Burcu and many faculty members pledged support in organizing the symposium. My Turkish colleagues have encouraged me to contact IKSV (the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts) for programming advice, ticket coordination, and possible conference support. The Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) was founded in 1973 with the goal of offering the Turkish public opportunities to experience the finest examples of cultural and artistic production from around the world and learn about new initiatives and movements. Further objectives included introducing the world to Turkey's cultural and artistic assets and transforming Istanbul into a major international center for culture and the arts. The general objectives of the Foundation are: to make Istanbul one of the world's foremost capitals of culture and the arts; to create continuous interaction between national and universal values and traditional and contemporary values via culture and the arts; and to contribute actively to the development of cultural policies. In addition to organizing festivals, biennials and events in Turkey and abroad, the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts is involved in conserving traditional arts and cultural heritage, encouraging and facilitating artistic production in diverse disciplines, and contributing to the development of cultural policies. Should this proposal be accepted, I will pursue a partnership with Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts in Istanbul. The Rector of Mimar Sinan, Yalçin Karayağiz, is also Director of the Fine Arts Institute in Higher Education in Ankara. He oversees the work of fine arts faculties at universities throughout turkey. Any additional information Istanbul is a city divided by the Bosphorus Strait and is made up of many districts. Our program would take us to many parts of the city, but would be concentrated in the ancient district of Sultahnamet and in the newer areas of Galata and Taksim. Sultahnamet houses the most famous historical sights of Istanbul and was named Constantinople for the Roman, Byzantine, and much of the Ottoman periods. Sights include the Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar, Haja Sophia, the Spice Market, and Topkapi Palace. Galata and the New City districts house modern museums, the main business district, restaurants and nightclubs, and Dolmabahçe Palace, the final palace of the Ottoman Empire. Program ideas: Possible theme(s) for the symposium: “The Creative Process: Inspirations from Istanbul” Suggested presenters/speakers/performers and their areas of expertise Note: During a recent trip to Istanbul on Virginia Tech business in February, I met with most of these individuals to discuss preliminary plans should the symposium be sited in Istanbul in summer 2014. An asterisk (*) indicates those who participated in the planning sessions. *Ilgim Veryeri Alaca, Associate Professor in the Department of Media and Visual Arts, Koç University: Veryeri Alaca received her BFA in Painting from Mimar Sinan University in İstanbul. She then worked on her Master's degree at California State University in Studio Arts. In 1999, she received a scholarship from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for a Master of Fine Arts degree in Art and Design. She then worked on a PhD degree at Hacettepe University, Department of Fine Arts, focusing on the synthesis of intaglio print process with the marbleizing technique. She has participated in exhibitions in the United States, Italy, Georgia, Turkey, Germany, Poland and Bulgaria. Veryeri has received the 64th State Competition and 30th DYO Competition Printmaking awards. She is also represented at various museums in Italy, Poland, Georgia and Turkey, including at the Museum of Painting and Sculpture (İstanbul). She has taught at UIUC (USA), Bilkent University (Ankara) and the University of Richmond (USA). Note: Ilgim has agreed to present a workshop on book design for the symposium. *Oğuzhan Özcan, Professor in the Department of Media and Visual Arts, Koç University: Oğuzhan Özcan is the professor in interactive media design. He has founded one of the first interactive media design school around the world. Ozcan is known in the field with his design methods named as "breaking the rule" and " re-reading the culture". His articles are published in leading journals such as Design Issues, Leonardo, Digital Creativity, Computers and Education. Note: Oğuzhan has agreed to present a session on his research at the Design Lab at Koç University during the symposium. *Lucienne Şenocak, Associate Professor of Archaeology and the History of Art in the Department of Media and Visual Arts, Koç University: Lucienne Şenocak teaches cultural heritage management, museum studies, visual culture, Ottoman architectural history, and gender and the history of art and architecture. Her recent research focuses on the areas of Ottoman architectural history and archaeology, architectural patronage of imperial Ottoman women, cultural heritage management and museum studies, landscape history and the history of Ottoman fortifications. Note: Lucienne has agreed to serve as point person for symposium programming related to Arts History and Architecture. *Dilek Barlas, Professor of History, Koç University: Professor Barlas teaches diplomatic history, modern European history, history of the Turkish Republic, and Balkan history. She has been at Koç University since 1993; prior to that she taught at the University of Chicago. She has been a visiting scholar in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago and in the Center for International