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.
