International Museum Day Theme: “Museums, Sustainability, and Prosperity”
Source: International Council of Museums (ICOM)
The International Council of Museums (ICOM) has been organizing “International Museum Day” celebrations on May 18th annually since 1977. This year’s International Museum Day, with the theme of “Museums, Sustainability, and Prosperity” for 2023, aims to raise awareness about the “role of museums in promoting cultural exchange, enriching cultures, and fostering mutual understanding, cooperation, and peace among peoples”.
Source: International Council of Museums (ICOM)
Since 2020, museums have significantly contributed to the well-being and sustainable development of communities, playing a crucial role in achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. This contribution spans from supporting climate action and promoting inclusion to combating social isolation and improving mental health. Last year, over 37,000 museums from 158 countries participated in the event. In 2023, the event will focus on Health and Well-being, Climate Action, and Life on Land.
“Museum Week” is also celebrated in Turkey from May 18th to 24th, and we have compiled a list of museums known for their architectural structure and rich history in their cities, along with the details about their current programs.
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Erimtan Archeology and Art Museum
The Erimtan Archaeology and Art Museum, encompassing events from various contemporary art fields in addition to archaeology, was established by converting three old houses in Kale Square, one of the oldest settlements in Ankara, into a museum. The museum’s concept originated with the transformation of archaeological artifacts accumulated over the years from the Roman, Urartian, Hittite, and Byzantine periods by the engineer and collector Yüksel Erimtan into a collection.
The Erimtan Archaeology and Art Museum, which hosts periodic exhibitions alongside its archaeology collection, is presenting a special event program for the May 18th Museum Day. The program includes a children’s workshop titled “Animal Fossils from Waste Materials”, a “Guided Tour of the Museum’s Archaeology Collection” for adults, and the exhibition “Where Are We”, in collaboration with the Maçka Art Gallery, running from April 29 to September 3, 2023.
For detailed information about the event programs organized at the Erimtan Archaeology and Art Museum, click here.
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Odunpazarı Modern Museum |
Odunpazarı Modern Museum (OMM)
The Odunpazarı Modern Museum (OMM), situated among the historic Odunpazarı houses in Eskişehir, serves as a focal point for exhibiting contemporary artworks from Turkey and around the world. It also hosts educational programs, seminars, artist meetings, and workshops. Since its establishment, the museum has been actively involved in sustainability efforts through educational programs and policies promoting waste reduction and conscientious resource use.
Designed by Kengo Kuma and Associates (KKAA) and realized by the architect and collector Erol Tabanca, OMM was also awarded the “International Project of the Year >£1m” at the “18th Museums + Heritage Awards” in the UK, recognizing and honoring significant contributions in the fields of museums and cultural heritage globally.
OMM’s current exhibition program features “Grief and Pleasure”, showcasing works from 38 national and international artists across various disciplines. Running until July 30, 2023, the exhibition also includes the installation “The Raft” by the American artist Bill Viola.
For details on OMM’s current exhibitions, events, and educational programs, click here.
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Istanbul Modern (Photo: Cemal Emden) |
Istanbul Modern
Istanbul Modern, inaugurated in Karaköy in 2004 as Turkey’s first modern and contemporary art museum, has unveiled its new museum building at the same location. The museum was designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW), known for its signature in the architecture of iconic cultural and art institutions and museums worldwide.
The five-storey museum accommodates spaces for exhibitions and programs from various disciplines. On the ground floor, you’ll find areas designed for a cafe, a shop, a library, information points, and educational workshops. The first floor houses a photography gallery, a short-term exhibition hall, education and activity rooms, and a restaurant with a terrace offering panoramic views of the Bosporus and the Historic Peninsula. The museum’s collection and periodic exhibition halls are situated on the second floor.
Providing art enthusiasts with a multifaceted experience, the museum extends its opening hours every Thursday until 20:00 and is accessible for free of charge. For detailed information about the exhibition and event programs organized at Istanbul Modern, click here.
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Pera Museum |
Pera Museum
Established by the Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation in 2005, the Pera Museum is a private institution dedicated to providing a diverse range of high-quality cultural and artistic services. A prominent landmark in Beyoğlu since its inception, the Pera Museum was originally constructed in 1983 by the architect Achille Manoussos in Istanbul’s Tepebaşı neighborhood. In the subsequent periods, it underwent a comprehensive renovation by the architect M. Sinan Genim, transforming it into a modern and well-equipped museum.
Within the Pera Museum, diverse collection exhibitions from the Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation are featured. These include the “Orientalist Painting” collection, which boasts Osman Hamdi Bey’s renowned work “The Tortoise Trainer”; the “Anatolian Weights and Measures” collection, offering insights into the economic, cultural, and social dynamics of various civilizations through weights and measures; and the “Kütahya Tiles and Ceramics” collection, providing viewers with a comprehensive overview of the development of Kütahya tile making.
Bringing the works of the world-renowned artists to art enthusiasts, the Pera Museum hosts numerous national and international periodic events throughout the year. The current program includes the exhibition “Istanbuls Today”, which presents the perspectives of 11 photographers capturing various themes from the streets of Istanbul. Featuring works by Silva Bingaz, Osman Bozkurt, Ci Demi, Kıvılcım S. Güngörün, Ekin Özbiçer, Emin Özmen, Ahmet Sel, Ali Taptık, Kerem Uzel, Erdem Varol, and Cansu Yıldıran, the photography exhibition will be on display at Pera Museum until September 17.
Pera Museum is open for visits from Tuesday to Saturday, between 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM, and on Sundays from 12:00 at noon - 6:00 PM. Every Friday, the museum offers free admission to all visitors between 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM as part of “Long Friday”, and on Wednesdays, all students can visit the museum for free of charge as part of “Young Wednesday”. For information about events and exhibitions organized at Pera Museum, click here.
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Baksı Museum
Located on a hill overlooking the Çoruh Valley in Bayburt, the Baksı Museum was founded by Prof. Dr. Hüsamettin Koçan in 2010. Baksı Museum’s (formerly known as Baksı) mission is to foster cultural interaction by uniting traditional and contemporary art, contributing to the sustainability of cultural memory.
The Baksı Museum comprises four main sections: the main exhibition hall, warehouse museum, library-conference hall, and workshops. The main exhibition hall hosts periodic exhibitions showcasing the works of contemporary art and design. The museum’s own collections, featuring folk paintings, under-glass and engraving collections, writing paintings, healing stones, flags, lithographs, pottery and ceramics, and clothes (ihram), are displayed in the section known as the Warehouse Museum. Additionally, the Baksı Museum organizes workshops dedicated to local arts, such as handicrafts and weaving, preserving the traditions that are on the verge of being forgotten and maintaining a continuous interaction with the local community.
The Baksı Museum is open to visitors every day except Mondays, from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM. For detailed information about the museum’s event and exhibition programs, click here.
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Istanbul Cinema Museum
The Atlas Passage, which once brought the nostalgia-filled scenes of Yeşilçam (Turkish cinema) movies to the audience, underwent restoration work in 2019 and now reopens its doors as the Istanbul Cinema Museum. The museum comprises three floors, with the first two floors serving as a permanent exhibition space, showcasing numerous movie posters, wax figures of actors, and personal belongings of directors. The third floor is dedicated to periodic exhibitions, and it is currently hosting Steve McCurry’s “Photographer” exhibition, which recently met with art lovers.
The Istanbul Cinema Museum welcomes visitors every day, except Mondays, from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM. For detailed information about the museum’s programs, click here.
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Elgiz Museum
The Elgiz Museum, formerly known as Proje4L, was established in 2001 by the collectors Sevda and Can Elgiz in Maslak, Istanbul. The museum’s collection “A Selection from the Elgiz Collection”, exhibited permanently, received the International Collectors’ Award from IFEMA Amigos de ARCO Madrid in 2013. Since 2015, the Elgiz Museum has been a founding member of the Global Private Museum Network and a member of the International Council of Museums (ICOM).
In addition to its permanent collection, the Elgiz Museum hosts numerous exhibitions and events. It is open for visits from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Tuesdays to Fridays and from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM on Saturdays. For detailed information about the museum’s exhibition and event programs, click here.
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Evliyagil Museum
Established by Sarp Evliyagil, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ajanstürk, the Evliyagil Museum was inaugurated in 2008 in Ankara. Spanning three floors, the museum is integrated into a cultural complex featuring exhibition spaces, a sculpture garden, a movie theater, and a library. The museum also has a branch in Beyoğlu, Istanbul, known as “Evliyagil Dolapdere”.
Annually, the museum hosts periodic exhibitions and projects. Among the current exhibitions of the museum is “Art is the Highest Form of Hope”, curated by Beral Madra. The exhibition, bringing together the selected works from the collections of Museum Evliyagil and PAPKO, will be on display until July 16, 2023.
Museum Evliyagil is open for visits from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Thursday to Sunday. For information about the museum’s exhibition and event programs, click here.
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Yapı Kredi Museum |
Yapı Kredi Museum
Founded in 1992 within the body of Yapı Kredi as a private museum affiliated with the Ministry of Culture, the Yapı Kredi Museum reopened its doors to visitors with a renewed face on the “International Museum Day” in 2021. The museum is actively engaged in studies related to collection management and visitor management, aiming to maintain, protect, and safely deliver the cultural heritage to the public. Yapı Kredi Museum’s collections are organized into two distinct sections: numismatic and ethnographic artifacts.
The museum is open to visitors seven days a week, and admission is free of charge. For detailed information about the museum’s collections, click here.
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Turkey İş Bank Museum |
Turkey İş Bank Museum
Opened in 2007 in the historical building of the bank’s Yenicami Branch in Eminönü, Istanbul, the İş Bank Museum narrates the history of the institution, the economic history of the Republic, and the developmental stages of banking through an array of photographs, documents, and objects in the İş Bank collection. The museum comprises a corporate history exhibition, two vaults, and a periodic exhibition area.
The permanent exhibition of the İş Bank Museum, showcasing its collection spread over the first floor of the building, is open to visitors throughout the year. Additionally, the museum hosts periodic exhibitions, such as “The First Steps of Economic Independence in the Atatürk Era”, organized on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Republic.
The İş Bank Museum is open to visitors for free of charge from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM every day except Mondays. For detailed information about the museum program, click here.
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Agnes Denes, Manifesto and the Living Pyramid, 2015 - 2022, Sakıp Sabancı Museum |
Sakıp Sabancı Museum
The Sakıp Sabancı Museum, housing the works of numerous world-renowned artists, was donated by Sakıp Sabancı to Sabancı University in 1988 with the aim of transforming the historic Equestrian Villa (Atlı Köşk) building into a museum. Opened in 2002, the museum’s exhibition areas were expanded in 2005 and brought up to international technical standards. The museum boasts a rich collection of calligraphy and paintings, offering a versatile museum environment with comprehensive international periodic exhibitions, conservation units, exemplary education programs, as well as various concerts, conferences, and seminars.
Current exhibitions at the museum include Agnes Denes’ site-specific installation “The Living Pyramid” in the SSM garden and “Turkish Painting: In the Pursuit of Modernism”, a continuation of the Sakıp Sabancı Museum Book Arts and Calligraphy Collection.
The Sakıp Sabancı Museum is open every day of the week except Mondays. Visits to the museum on Tuesdays between 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM are free of charge. For information about the museum’s current programs, click here.
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Istanbul Museum of Painting and Sculpture
The Istanbul Museum of Painting and Sculpture, Turkey’s first plastic arts museum, was established in 1937 in the Crown Prince Apartment of Dolmabahçe Palace. Today, the institution, now located at Antrepo No:5 in the Tophane neighborhood, operates as a museum following the architectural transformation led by Emre Arolat.
Affiliated with Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, the museum houses a collection of works spanning from the late Ottoman period to the end of the 20th century.
To celebrate the “International Museum Day”, the Istanbul Museum of Painting and Sculpture presents the “MSGSU Opera Department Turkish Composers Concert”. Additionally, as part of the Council of Europe, UNESCO, and ICOM’s “European Night of Museums” event, the museum will remain open until 11:00 PM, with free admission for all visitors after 5:00 PM. For more information, click here.
