Çanakkale (0286)

Çanakkale is a town and seaport in the Çanakkale Province, on the southern (Asian) coast of the Dardanelles. The population of the town is 96.588 (2009 estimates). The Çanakkale Province, like the Istanbul Province, has its territory both in Europe and Asia separated by a sea strait. The Çanakkale strait is both of cultural and strategic importance. It is rich with history and legend: in ancient times the strait was called the Hellespont, and was mentioned in the stories of the Golden Fleece. Every year in April, Australian and New Zealand tourists visit the region to commemorate the battle of Gallipoli of 1915-16.

Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University

Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University was founded in 1992 and has several campuses in the city center and some academic units in other towns of the province. There is a Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Faculty of Sciences and Arts (Archaeology, Art History, English and Turkish Language and Literature) and a Faculty of Fine Arts (Ceramics, Cinema and Television, Performing and Visual Arts, Graphics, Painting, Photography, Sculpture, Textiles and Traditional Handicrafts). The University’s Theatre Department organizes workshops with contemporary dancers and choreographers from Istanbul and thereby illustrates a different approach, which is rare in educational institutions. In the STGM database a total of 68 NGO’s was listed. Of these 8 were dedicated to education and youth, 3 to culture and 0 to arts.

-          The ‘Invisible Cities: Building Capacities for Local Cultural Policy Transformation in Turkey’ project was conducted with the partnership of Istanbul Bilgi University, Anadolu Kültür, European Cultural Foundation and Boekman Foundation and started in February 2008. It was financed by the Social Transformation Programme (Matra Programme) of the Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

-          Çanakkale Biennal organized by Denizhan Özer and Seyhan Boztepe in 2008 and 2010. He also organized contemporary art exhibitions in 2006 and 2007.

-          The art and culture program Çanakkale 2010 is a local cultural policy development project that is supported by the Matra program.

-          ‘Village Festival’ by CUMA (Ece Pazarbasi / Esra Aysu Aysun). The central question in this festival was: How can contemporary art unite people in a village? Artists spend one week in a village. There are workshops on local cuisine, dance and kids workshops.

-          Near Çanakkale, in Assos, the Assos International Art Festival is held in September

-          There is a potential for rock music.

-          The city of Troy lies in the province of Çanakkale. In 2010 the 47th edition of the Troy Culture and Art Festival was held. The festival mainly focuses on the performing arts, with several international acts (for mainly folk dance).

-          The island of Bozcaada has 2500 inhabitants but is popular amongst the intellectuals of Istanbul for their summer holiday. There are 5 small (painting) galleries in town: Rengigül Sanat Galerisi, Armagrandi Otel Sergi Salonu, Bozcaada Sergi Salonu, Yiğit Başak Sanatevi and Çekirdek Sanat Evi. Each year in the first week of July (3-4 July) a poetry festival is organized on the nearby island (the island was mentioned in the Iliad) by journalist Haluk Sahin. During the first few editions, people from Turkey and abroad came together to read the entire Iliad together.