80 American teachers from across the United States visited Turkey on study tours organized and sponsored by TCF. The teachers' itinerary took them to Istanbul, Bursa, Iznik, Efes, Kusadasi, Cappadocia, Konya and Ankara. The groups visited the BJK Schools, Darussafaka High School, Karacasu Atakoy Primary School to learn more about the Turkish school system. Highlights of their program also included an "Ebru" workshop, a briefing by Turkish educational ngo's, visits to the Iznik Foundation and the Catalhoyuk excavation.

TCF Teacher Study Tours have hosted 296 teachers since 2007, selected by local World Affairs Councils from applicants who participate in teachers workshops on Turkey, which are organized by the Councils with support from TCF. Over 2000 teachers have participated in these workshops to date. Please visit here for impressions of the study tour participants.

For more information on the program, visit here.

Supported by a grant by the Turkish Cultural Foundation, the “Uluumay Ottoman Attire and Jewelry Museum” in Bursa has created the first collection of religious garb used by Greek Orthodox, Armenian Catholic, Assyrian, Jewish and Muslim denominational clergy in the Ottoman Empire. The collection will be presented to the public with an opening ceremony on May 8.
 
The collection brings to life the tradition of religious tolerance that existed in Anatolia for centuries under Turkish and Ottoman imperial rule, featuring religious garments from the vast lands of the former Ottoman empire which extended from the Caucuses to Hungary, from Iraq to Yemen.   
 
This project has been supported as part of the Turkish Cultural Foundation’s Turkish Cultural Heritage Preservation and Documentation program.

The Turkish Cultural Foundation (TCF) will participate in the 13th Annual International Sculpture Objects and Functional Art Fair (SOFA).  The Turkish Cultural Foundation will be among 60 presenters from the US and across the world, who will push boundaries of medium and genre. As one of the world’s leading fairs of contemporary arts and designs, SOFA attracts tens of thousands of discerning collectors, prospective buyers, and gallery and museum representatives each year.

TCF will be sponsoring the participation of Turkish artists for the fourth year at this prestigious event and is the only non-profit organization represented at SOFA.  
The Turkish Cultural Foundation's showcase of Turkish art at SOFA reflects the Foundation's mission to expand international opportunities for Turkish artists, as well as promote Turkish modern art.  Selected from among a large number of applicants, Malik Bulut, Emel Vardar, Ilker Yardimci and Yilmaz Zenger will represent Turkish modern art at SOFA New York.

The Turkish Cultural Foundation has become the institutional lead sponsor of a 3-city concert series by renowned Turkish star Sezen Aksu.

Washington DC area
April 4, 2010 – Strathmore Music Hall

New York
April 6, 2010 – Carnegie Concert Hall

New Jersey
April 7, 2010 – New Jersey Performing Arts Center

For more information, contact info@turkofamerica.com

The Washington Post selected Style and Status: Imperial Costumes from Ottoman Turkey as one of the 10 best art exhibitions of the decade.

Ottoman Robe (Kaftan) from the "Style and Status" exhibition at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery.

The Turkish Cultural Foundation  was the lead Foundation sponsor of Style and Status, which was exhibited at the Smithsonian Institution's Arthur E. Sackler Gallery from October 2005 through January 2006 and included more than two dozen imperial costumes and other textiles from the Topkapi Museum. The show's guest curator was Dr. Nurhan Atasoy, Senior Scholar in Residence at the Turkish Cultural Foundation   and was highly acclaimed in reviews by the New York Times and the Washington Post.

One of the important aspects of the exhibition was that it also enabled the restoration and preservation process of the costumes at an atelier established for this purpose at the Topkapi Palace, under the guidance of Dr. Atasoy.

An online exhibition of Style and Status can be viewed here.

This Archive is a digitalized slide repository, created from the professional collection of Prof. Dr. Nurhan Atasoy, Art Historian and Senior Scholar at the Turkish Cultural Foundation.
A unique section of this Archive contains images taken during Dr. Atasoy’s extensive domestic and international travels, including research trips taken at museums, exhibitions and other locations of note dating back to 1955.
Beyond a collection of images, the Archive is, therefore, also a historical record of numerous works of art.

The Image Archive of Turkish Art is accessible to students, scholars and researchers worldwide. In instances where a direct reference cannot be found, the Archive can offer researchers relevant information on the subject of their interest. In addition to Turkish art, the Archive also contains a selection of images relevant to the study of Turkish culture.

TCF Proud to Announce Release of "Anatolia Before You" – "Senden Once Anadolu" An illustrated children's book series on Anatolian history

A new children’s book series on Anatolian History was introduced to the public at a ceremony held on November 23 (see media coverage) at the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara with the participation of Mr. Ertugrul Gunay, Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey and children from the Ilk Meclis Primary School.

A grant by the Turkish Cultural Foundation’s enabled the Museum to complete and republish the Turkish edition of the publication to include the Ottoman Empire and Republic of Turkey periods, as well as to publish the series English version.

Suitable best for children ages 7 – 12, this colorful set of 16 slim books is the result of a seamless collaborative effort by educators, artists, art historians and experts at the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations and various Turkish universities. The publication teaches children about life, flora and fauna during various civilizations in Anatolia from the Stone Age to the present day, told from the perspective of a contemporaneous child.  Children who cannot yet read will enjoy looking at the illustrations alone, or attempting the interactive activities, while parents, teachers or older siblings read aloud.  Independent readers will be invited by the hero or heroine of each book to explore their time, city, and culture while the pictures, narratives, and the activities will capture their attention. With teachers or parents they can discuss questions inviting them to reflect on the particularities and achievements of past cultures, become active learners by applying what they have learned to new situations, and to compare their own times to the past. 

The books are richly illustrated with maps and photographs of period objects from excavations and museums.

“Anatolia Before You” and “Senden once Anadolu” will be available at Turkish Culture Shop, the Anatolian Civilizations Museum and other Turkish museum shops.

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 in New York and Chicago. TCF will be sponsoring the participation of Turkish artists at the SOFA fairs for the fourth year and is the only non-profit organization represented at SOFA. SOFA is widely recognized as one of the world's leading fairs of contemporary arts and designs and visited by tens of thousands of prospective buyers, gallery and museum representatives.

The Turkish Cultural Foundation's showcase of Turkish art at SOFA reflects the Foundation's mission to expand international opportunities for Turkish artists, as well as promote Turkish modern art.

Traditional Turkish Shadow Theatre: Karagöz” brings to life this beloved family entertainment tradition, which was once part of social life during the month of Ramadan and on special occasions that bring together families, friends and neighbors.

The Turkish Cultural Foundation is releasing a collectors’ edition of the “Turkish Traditional Shadow Theater: Karagöz,” in DVD format, as part of its Turkish Cultural Heritage Projects.

From September 1st, this unique collection “Traditional Turkish Shadow Theater: Karagöz” is on sale. To order copies, please visit Turkish Culture Shop at: www.turkishcultureshop.org

20 traditional Karagöz plays from improvisation to satire to the most traditional, this five-DVD set of Karagöz plays are performed by renowned Karagoz master puppeteer and puppet maker Metin Özlen. This beautifully designed DVDs and booklet set with information about Turkish Shadow Theater includes a foreword by theatrical historian and “cultural archaeologist” Dr. Metin And; summaries of the 20 plays, featuring photos of the puppets, as well as the backstage and production team.

Identifying the Turkish performing art of the shadow theater as one of the vanishing traditional Turkish art forms, the Foundation hopes to make a contribution to its preservation through the production of this archive series of traditional Karagöz plays. Through this project, the Turkish Cultural Foundation wishes to pay tribute to all the Karagöz puppeteers, present, past, and future who have kept this art alive, while contributing to the preservation of Turkey’s cultural heritage.

To watch a sample of the Karagoz DVDs, click here.