CONTENT:
The central focus is on organizing bicommunal workshops and offering multifaceted contemporary education opportunities to the wider masses.
Within this framework:
Workshops and groups:
Workshops for the Turkish Cypriot children and young people:
A total of 12 workshops, 8 for the children and 4 for the young people, will be organized within a two-year period. Due to different levels of psychological development and perceptions, groups will be divided according to age: There will be 4 age groups: 6-9, 9-11, 12-14, 15-18. Each workshop will contain 13-17 children or young people. Courses might involve two- or three-dimensional works or other branches (for instance, video, drama, literature, etc.). Courses will last for 2-2.5 months. Each course will take place once a week and last for a maximum of 2 hours, depending on the eagerness of the children and the method to be applied.
Bicommunal workshops for the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot children and young people:
A total of 4 bicommunal workshops will be organized within a two-year period. Each workshop will comprise 20-25 children or young people and instructors to be chosen from each community. Courses will take place in summer and last for one day. Workshops will deal with recognition (strangers, others, enemy, man-woman, etc.) or common problems (peace, environmental pollution, religion, war, borders, hope, future).
Works on contemporary art education with expert and experienced persons:
Two courses has been designed for the purpose of supporting the workshops for the children and young people and providing opportunities for art educators to exchange opinions about contemporary art education.
- While the courses for the Turkish Cypriot children and young people continue, experienced experts from Turkey who participate in museum education programmes and conduct creative workshops will be invited to support the process. These experts will be invited twice a year and participate in 1-3 day long programmes. Children or young people who want to attend these programmes will be able to do so as an additional exercise. On the other hand, the workshop instructors of the centre will be asked to participate in these programmes in order to gain experience.
- Special courses for art educators will also be organized in the centre. These courses will take place once a year and will be applied by experts from Turkey to teachers giving art courses below the university level. In order to create a more successful programme, this programme will be organized in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and/or the Teachers’ Union. These courses will last for 1-3 days. They will be applied courses about the new methods and conceptions in art education.
Young artists meetings and improvement programmes:
Young artists are capable of bringing new energies and perceptions into the field of art and comfortably engaging in experimental works. In addition, it is important to encourage and support these young artists and improve their conditions for artistic creativity. Accordingly, two different programmes has been planned for young artists:
- Young artists improvement programme:
Within the scope of this programme, young artists from both communities will participate in a 7-10 day long programme together with a recognized expert with international experience (artist, curator, art educator, etc.). 3 national young artists meetings will be organized in 2 years. Each workshop will comprise 10-15 young artists. A valuable work of art will be the product of each workshop. After each programme, the works will be exhibited and opened to discussion. In this programme, theoretical and technical transfer of knowledge together with practical applications will be reflected in the works of art. Young artists will provide the required materials for their own works. The technical equipments and workshop requirements will be provided by the centre.
- International artists’ meeting
This programme will take place after the 3 national young artists education programmes are completed. It will last for 7-10 days and comprise 4 Cypriot young artists and 4 international young artists. This programme will involve a different method compared to the national programme. It will not involve theoretical or technical works. In accordance with the concept determined by the curator, artists from the EU member states or EU candidate states will come together and engage in debates about the subject matter and enter into a production process. Artists will not apply to the programme. They will be chosen by the curator. A fund will be allocated for the production of each artist. Local artists will be accompanied by guest artists.
Practical workshops for adults:
These are courses designed as 3 bicommunal workshops every year. Each course will comprise 2 artists, one Turkish Cypriot, one Greek Cypriot. Courses will last for 2 or 3 hours, once a week. 20-25 adults will be able to participate in each course. Everyone living on the island can participate.
Theoretical courses for adults:
These involve theoretical courses about the history, philosophies and theories of contemporary art. These courses aim at making contemporary art more understandable, teaching the basics of contemporary art and encouraging people to engage in contemporary art. Participants will include not only artists, but also art lovers and enthusiasts in general and university students studying art in particular. There will be 3 courses. Language will be Turkish.
Additional information:
At the end of each course, exhibitions together with informative texts and visuals will take place. Instructors will work with the directors of the center throughout the process and complete the preparations for exhibitions. An opening ceremony and a special press conference will be organized for each exhibition. Media will be used effectively and a person will be available during the exhibitions to give information to viewers and students.
In the long-term programmes designed for children and young people, inviting a guest artist in accordance with the content of the workshop and teaching a course together with the guest artist will be the instructors’ responsibility.
