TCF and the World Affairs Councils of America (WACA) announced their 8th partnership year in organizing Spotlight on Turkey, a national educational program for American educators. Organized through TCF and WACA with a network of WACA affiliates nationwide, the program is funded by a major grant from TCF and features Teacher Workshops on Turkey, Teacher Study Tours to Turkey, and a series of cultural programs for the general public titled Portrait of Turkey. The 2013 Portrait of Turkey programs are currently underway, please visit the TCF Calendar for upcoming events. Interested WACA chapters have until October 25 to apply to participate in the 2014 program. For more information, please visit the WACA website.

The 2013-2014 season of the TCF Lecture Series in Turkish Culture and Art held at the TCF Istanbul offices begins this month. On October 23rd, Dr. Tim Stanley, Senior Curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum, will speak on the topic of “The Gun of Sultan Mahmud I in Baltimore.” On October 24, Sennur Senturk, curator at the Yapi Kredi Vedat Nedim Tor Museum will give a talk on “The Archaeological History of Anatolia through Exhibitions” (in Turkish). For more information on the TCF Lectures, please visit here. All TCF lectures are recorded and periodically uploaded on the TCF Video Gallery for online viewing.

10 Turkish artists will be showcasing their work at the 20th Sculpture Objects and Functional Art - SOFA Chicago Fair on October 31 - November 3, 2013.  Asli Kutluay, Aysegul Kirmizi, Camekan, Derya Ozparlak, Dilek Aydincioglu, Dincer Gungorur, Meral Deger, Nadia Arditti, Pembe Hilal Tuzuner and Semra Ozumerzifon will be part of the TCF-ARMAGGAN Art & Design Gallery's exhibition at SOFA Chicago.

TCF awarded a grant to the American Turkish Association of Southern California-San Diego to underwrite a performance by the award-winning HOY-TUR Turkish Folk Dance Troupe, which took place on October 20.

TCF supported a series of performances in Washington, DC last month by five emerging Turkish jazz musicians as part of the US-Turkish Jazz Exchange hosted by the Meridian International Center. The performances by Serkan Alagok, Berk Kurdoglu, Yunus Emre Muti, Emre Toprak and Cemre Yilmaz under the direction of Emre Kartari took place at the Meridian International Center, the Turkish Embassy Residence, DC public schools, Busboys and Poets, and the 11th Annual Washington Turkish Festival, where the group performed with the Blues Alley Youth Orchestra, as well as jam sessions at the Sitar Arts Center and Howard University.

Dr.Recep Karadag, head of the TCF Cultural Heritage Preservation and Natural Dyes Laboratory-DATU will present a paper on “Non-destructive and Microanalysis Methods for Restoration of Carpets at the Azerbaijan National History Museum,” at an international conference on cultural preservation in Baku, Azerbaijan on October 29-30. Dr.Karadag and DATU Specialist Emine Torgan will present findings of the analytical work conducted on carpets and kilims in the collection of the Azerbaijan National History Museum as part of the pro-bono services provided by TCF-DATU to museums.

Meanwhile, the President and members of the Board of the Textile Museum of Washington visited DATU on September 27 and a group of textile afficionados from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology visited on October 9.

The TCF Culinary Arts Center - YESAM hosted a lecture by culinary expert Aylin Oney Tan on “The Importance of Wheat in Anatolian Traditions” on October 10. In November, TCF YESAM will host two lectures. On November 14, Archaeologist and Food Engineer Dr.Ahmet Uhri will speak on the topic of “Roots of Anatolian Cuisine” (in Turkish) and on November 27,  Mary Isin, culinary expert and author, will present the first of her two-part lecture on “Traditional Turkish Confectionary” (in English). Past YESAM lectures are periodically uploaded and are available for viewing on the TCF Video Portal. Meanwhile, Turkish cooking traditions are highlighted every month with the YESAM Recipe of the Month, which features a recipe for Braised Bonito (Palamut) Fish for October.

The 2012 TCF Annual Report is now available online. To receive a printed version, please contact washington@turkishculture.org.