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Izmir Foundation for Culture, Arts and Education |
The Izmir Foundation for Culture, Arts and Education is an independent and autonomous foundation which was officially established on 16th December 1985 in accordance with the Turkish Code of Civil Law (No: 903, 13.07.1967, articles 73-81/B).
In the Twenty-First Century a “Modern City” is defined by the quality and quantity of its artistic and cultural values as well as its other characteristics. The Izmir Foundation for Culture, Arts and Education continues to work tirelessly for its objective – to bring Izmir back to her true identity as “An International City of Arts and Culture”. The long hard graft of the past 20 years has paid off, and today when one mentions arts or culture in Izmir, IKSEV is the first name which springs to mind. IKSEV has been recognised without question by Universities and private organisations in Izmir as the only authority on culture and the arts, and such organisations seek to use IKSEV’s internatonal experience. Moreover, IKSEV itself continues to progress towards its main objective throughout the new century.
To date, IKSEV has successfully organised many events ( such as The Izmir International Festival, The Izmir European Jazz festival, The Dr. Nejat F. Eczacibasi National Composition Contest, The Cultural Congress, and so on…). This was all undertaken with limited resources and low manpower, demanding skilful budgeting and shrewd judgement based on knowledge and experience to achieve high standards of excellence in all these events, from the smallest to the largest.
Unlike many other similar organisations, IKSEV works for its own founding city of Izmir, and not for other people or institutions. This is another reason why the phrase “Arts and Culture in Izmir” means that “IKSEV” springs to mind.
Besides organising cultural events to gain recognition for Izmir internationally, IKSEV has its own Academy of Music and Dance. Academy IKSEV aims to train future fully-qualified artists as well as raising artistic awareness in audiences.
IKSEV is striving to establish the first Music Museum in Turkey, aiming to both protect and share the works of Turkish composers under the authority of a museum library structure.
The IKSEV Music Museum and Library will adopt a modern approach to museum management by providing opportunities for education and research, aiming especially at younger people.
With a history going back approximately eight thousand years, Izmir has been the birthplace of many different civilisations. Today, IKSEV is contributing to the city’s international identity - first through festivals, and secondly with national competitions such as the Dr. Nejat Eczacibasi Composition Contest, the Viola Contest, and thirdly with its programme of Master Classes devoted to Conservatoire students. Thus IKSEV plays an important role in the development and training of modern music and young musicians.
Turkey’s first Cultural Congress “Democracy, Culture and Globalisation” was organised by IKSEV in 1998, succeeding in attracting the attention of international public opinion.. This was followed in 2000 by “The Peace Culture”.
Finally, an exhibition, “The Balkan Colonies in Ceramics, from Five Continents to Three Countries” was organised through the collaboration of IKSEV and Balkan countries connected by their history to Izmir, including Troyan ( Bulgaria )and Reysen ( Macedonia ). The exhibition also demonstrated the excellent cooperation of Dokuz Eylul University’s Faculty of Fine Arts and its Ceramics Department.