The Cultural Heritage Preservation and Natural Dyes Laboratory (DATU) received accreditation by the Turkish Accreditation Agency (TÜRKAK)  under the TS EN ISO/IEC 17025 standards. With this accreditation DATU has become an internationally certified laboratory under the standards of the European Cooperation for Accreditation (EA) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC).

DATU was established in 2010 in Istanbul by the Turkish Cultural Foundation (TCF) under the sponsorship of ARMAGGAN.

As part of this partnership, DATU developed a dual mission. One part of this mission is to help preserve and promote Turkey’s textile heritage through research and development. Based on the technological capacity and scientific know-how it has created over the years, DATU provides free analytical services to museums assisting preservation and conservation efforts of artifacts worldwide. Another mission area of DATU, led by ARMAGGAN, is the redevelopment of the natural dye production process and the re-introduction of natural dyes and historical weaving traditions in contemporary textile production. Today, DATU holds the richest collection of natural dye materials and has become one of the world’s most advanced laboratories on natural dyes, making significant contributions to cultural preservation and documentation.

TCF and ARMAGGAN signed a protocol under which DATU will fully operate under the ARMAGGAN brand with a view to expand the analytical services of DATU to the commercial market. The TCF research work on natural dyes will continue to be conducted at the laboratory as the TCF Cultural Heritage Preservation and Natural Dyes Project. The TCF research team will continue to provide pro-bono analytical services to museums and other cultural institutions at the laboratory and to develop special projects with ARMAGGAN and other institutions to preserve and develop Turkey’s cultural heritage.

We are pleased to share with you the Annual Report of the Turkish Cultural Foundation (TCF) and the progress we have made in our mission and programs in 2015.

In 2015, TCF allocated a total of $1,129,319 to grants and operational and program disbursements to pursue its mission.

The Spotlight on Turkey program continued to be one of TCF’s flagship programs. Organized in partnership with the World Affairs Councils of America (WACA), in 2015, TCF and local WACA chapters organized 12 Teacher Workshops on Turkey that reached 258 teachers with a student impact of over 19,000. As part of the  program, TCF hosted 48 American teachers on two Teacher Study Tours to Turkey, bringing the number of the TCF Study Tours alumni to 575 educators from across the United States. In total, since this program’s inception in 2007, 3,538 American teachers and over 367,000 students benefited from the Spotlight on Turkey program.

The TCF Culinary Arts Center (YESAM) and the TCF Cultural Heritage Preservation and Natural Dyes Laboratory (DATU) in İstanbul have matured into leading resources on Turkey’s culinary and textile heritage. DATU and YESAM scholars work year-round to advance the cultural preservation and public education missions of TCF through research, publications, seminars and collaborations with other institutions. A significant part of DATU’s work is dedicated to helping cultural institutions conserve and restore historical artifacts.

Under the TCF Lecture Series, 19 lectures on Turkish culture, art and cuisine took place at the TCF İstanbul office and the TCF Culinary Arts Center with a total participation of 538. The lectures were also viewed over 6,000 times on the TCF Video Gallery by visitors from all over the world.

TCF continued to be a leading private grantmaker in the area of Turkish cultural preservation and promotion. In 2015, TCF provided a total of $184,308 in grants and fellowships to organizations and individuals. A major portion of the TCF grants underwrote cultural events, such as Turkish cultural and film festivals, workshops, exhibitions, concerts and other performances in the United States, which brought Turkish culture to tens of thousands of Americans.

Two TCF Fellowship programs help build artistic, cultural and scholarly exchanges across the globe. Combined, the TCF Fellowship in Turkish Culture and Art and the TCF Cultural Exchange Fellowship have provided funding to 176 culture professionals, including musicians, visual and performing artists, writers, curators, scholars and many others. In 2015, 35 individuals benefited from these fellowships to participate in a variety of cultural and artistic showcases, as well as academic events.

The TCF Portals, gateways to learn more about Turkish culture, music and cuisine, were visited by over 3.8 million people from 218 countries and regions in 2015, spreading knowledge about Turkey’s cultural heritage. A new website, the TCF Education Portal, was launched in 2015. It now lists over 100 free lesson plans, created by TCF Teacher Study Tour participants, for educators who wish to teach about Turkey.

We thank everyone who participated in our work and renew our commitment to explore and preserve our shared human heritage and to build cultural bridges across the world.

Yalçın Ayaslı, Sc.D. Founder and Chairman Board of Trustees
Serpil Ayaslı, Ph.D.Founder Board of Trustees

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The Turkish Cultural Foundation has awarded 9 fellowships under its 2016 Cultural Exchange Fellowship Second Term Program. In 2016, total 15 fellowships have been awarded under the TCF Cultural Exchange Fellowship Program. The TCF Cultural Exchange Fellowship was launched in 2012 to encourage cultural and artistic exchanges between Turkey and the world by supporting artists and other culture professionals. The Fellowship has been awarded to 104 individuals from Turkey and all over the world to date.

Ekin Akalın (Turkey), an associate researcher at the Istanbul French Institute of Anatolian Studies, will conduct an inventorial study of the Ottoman collection at the Pierre Loti House in Rochefort from September 5 - 9, 2016.   Pelin Başar (Turkey), a ney player, will perform with the Mehmet Polat Trio on their U.S. concert tour in New York City, Boston, Washington D.C., Chicago, Toronto, San Francisco, and Phoenix between August 11th and September 11th, 2016. She will also give several educational workshops and master classes.   Naz Cuguoğlu (Turkey), a freelance curator, art writer and cultural researcher, will curate the artistic exchange project "Asymmetric Kin," collaborating with the Coop Curatorial Collective in Nashville from October 1 to November 1, 2016.   Grant Garmezy (USA), a glass artist, gave an advance sculpting class at the Glass Furnace in Istanbul from July 12 - 23, 2016.   İpek Kotan (Turkey), a ceramist, will participate in the residency program at the European Ceramic Workcentre in Oisterwijk to make large scale works from September 5 to November 5, 2016.   Zeyno Pekünlü (Turkey), a painter and contemporary artist, will show her work in the exhibition "The world precedes the eye," an affiliate project of the Singapore Biennial from October 24 - 30, 2016. She will also give a workshop at Lasalle College of the Art.   Mehmet Polat (Turkey), an oud player and composer, will perform with the Mehmet Polat Trio on their U.S. concert tour in New York City, Boston, Washington D.C., Chicago, Toronto, San Francisco, and Phoenix between August 11th and September 11th, 2016. He will also give several educational workshops and master classes.   Victor Sams (Dutch Antilles), a ngoni & percussion player, will perform with the Mehmet Polat Trio on their U.S. concert tour in New York City, Boston, Washington D.C., Chicago, Toronto, San Francisco, and Phoenix between August 11th and September 11th, 2016. He will also give several educational workshops and master classes.   Ayşe Gül Süter (Turkey), will exhibit her work at the Coop gallery in conjunction with other collaborative works as part of the Asymmetric Kin Project from October 1 to November 1, 2016. She will also give a formal public presentation about her work and visit local universities and artist studios.

“Traditional Turkish Shadow Theatre: Karagöz” brings to life a 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.

Created as part of the TCF Cultural Heritage Projects, “Turkish Traditional Shadow Theater: Karagöz” presents 20 traditional Karagöz plays in a 5-DVD box format. The plays were performed exlusively for this cultural preservation project by renowned Karagöz master puppeteer and puppet maker Metin Özlen.

The collection includes a booklet with information about Turkish Shadow Theater with a foreword by theatrical historian, the late Prof. Dr. Metin And with summaries of the plays, photos of the puppets and the backstage and production team.

Identifying Karagöz shadow puppet theater as one of the vanishing traditional Turkish performing arts, TCF produced the collection to pay tribute to all the Karagöz puppeteers, present, past, and future who have kept this art alive. Shortly after “Turkish Traditional Shadow Theater: Karagöz,” was released in 2007, Karagöz shadow puppet theater was inscribed as an intangible cultural heritage of Turkey on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

For orders from the U.S. and Canada, please visit http://turkishcultureshop.org. For orders from Turkey, please send an email to webmaster@turkishculture.org.

The Turkish Cultural Foundation has awarded 4 fellowships under its 2016 Cultural Exchange Fellowship Program's first term. The TCF Cultural Exchange Fellowship Program was launched in 2012 to encourage cultural and artistic exchanges between Turkey and the world by supporting artists and art/culture professionals. The Fellowship has been awarded to 93 individuals from Turkey and all over the world to date.

Nurduran Duman (Turkey), a poet and writer, will present her work and represent Turkey at the UNESCO European Literature Night which will be held in Edinburgh on May 13, 2016 and the European Poetry Night which will be held in London on May 14, 2016.

Lerna Babikyan (Turkey), dancer, performer, choreographer and dance pedagogue, was accepted into the Escola Estudio Raizvanguarda dance residency program in Portugal from August 29 to September 30, 2016.

Mansur Bildik (Austria), a musician and bağlama/saz artist, will lead a workshop on Turkish folk music at the University of Texas, Austin from March 28 to April 4, 2016. He will also give a concert “Mozart Allaturca” at the University's Butler School of Music on April 2, 2016.

Ümit Şimşek (Turkey), a musician, bağlama artist and educator, will lead a workshop on Turkish folk music at the University of Texas. He will also perform with University's Middle Eastern Ensemble at Bates Recital Hall on April 23, 2016.

TCF is now accepting applications for its Fellowship in Turkish Culture and Art. The Fellowship is awarded to support the publication of outstanding papers/articles in the area of Turkish cultural and social studies, as well as to support the participation of scholars in leading conferences in this subject area. Since its launch, 87 scholars have been awarded the TCF Fellowship in Turkish Culture and Art.

Applications for the TCF Fellowship in Turkish Culture and Art will be accepted on a year-round basis.

For detailed eligibility and application information, please visit the TCF website.