Project Description

Under this project PJC and Anadolu Kültür will organise two exchange visits for a group of art students and young artists from Armenia and Turkey under the guidance of their mentor-painters.

In Armenia and Turkey respectively, each exchange will include exhibitions, interactive workshops, and flash-mob style painting sessions in public open spaces as well as master classes.

Exchange participants will visit art colleges and popular art exhibitions in Armenia and Turkey. During those visits discussions will be held on the trends and issues of contemporary art and the environment both in Armenia and Turkey.

Events

Public painting events will be organised both in Armenia and in Turkey. Open-air studios will be set up in busy public spaces where the participating painters will work observed by guests and passers-by.

Such studios will be organised in capitals Yerevan and Istanbul. A similar event will be conducted in another city of Turkey, presumably in Istanbul Islands. One more event will be held in Gyumri, which is the second largest city of Armenia, borders Turkey and is famous for its cultural traditions. The events will be conducted in the most active places of the cities and on the liveliest hours for maximum public attention and participation.

Prominent host country painters will hold a series of workshops/master classes for the visiting group, while the mentor painter from the neighboring country would offer a master class to the artists and young painter in the host country.

The young painters can compose in different artistic styles using various techniques. Artists, art experts and students will be invited to these events. Wide dissemination of the information about these events will be ensured through intensive media campaigns and by inviting the media to all events. 

The paintings produced during the outdoor studio-events will be placed in a 2015 calendar.

Participants

A group of four young artists led by a mentor from Armenia and a similar one from Turkey will be selected via an open call and based on their applications.

The exchange is designed for applicants who are:

• Aged 18 and above;
• residents of Armenia or Turkey;
• committed to attend for the full duration of the exchange;
• able to communicate in English.

Dates and duration

Each exchange visit will last eight days. The first visit to Armenia will happen in September 1-8, 2014 and the visit to Turkey is tentatively planned for the first week of October.

Financial Conditions of Participation

All the costs related to the project (travel, visa, accommodation, food) will be covered by the organisers.

Application Procedure and Selection of Participants

All interested candidates must apply by submitting the completed application form to [email protected] indicating “Exchange of Painters” in the subject line.

Applications must be submitted by July 25, 2014.

The selection team will try to ensure a maximum balance between gender, geographical regions, and different types of experiences, cultural backgrounds, organisations, institutions and projects.

Applicants will be informed about the selection results by August 15, 2014.

Exchange of Painters project takes place within the framework of the programme Support to the Armenia-Turkey Normalisation Process funded by the European Union

Support to the Armenia-Turkey Normalisation Process

Support to the Armenia-Turkey Normalisation Process is a programme implemented by a Consortium of eight civil society organisations from both countries with the financial assistance of the European Union under the Instrument for Stability.

The overall objective of the programme is to promote civil society efforts towards the normalisation of relations between Turkey and Armenia and towards an open border by enhancing people-to-people contacts, expanding economic and business links, promoting cultural and educational activities, facilitating access to balanced information in both societies.

The Consortium members include Civilitas Foundation (CF), Eurasia Partnership Foundation (EPF), Public Journalism Club (PJC), Regional Studies Center (RSC) from Armenia; and Anadolu Kültür, the Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV), Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly (hCa), and Hrant Dink Foundation from Turkey.

Public Journalism Club

Public Journalism Club (PJC) was established in March 2011, in Yerevan, Armenia, unifying journalists, social media experts, and advocates around collaboration between new technologies and media. The organisation's mission is to promote freedom of expression, diversity and pluralism in Armenia developing participatory and public journalism by bridging public reporters and professional journalists, mass media and social media, IT and social sector specialists.

During 3 years of performance PJC has managed to form a positive reputation in the field by successfully implementing a few targeted innovative, and breakthrough projects such as www.mynews.am public reporting platform and Hackathon{YAN}contest of innovative ideas, where PJC is a co-founder and co-initiator. Media Center is another accomplished project that has served for already one year to the mission of developing competent debate culture in Armenia and establishing collaborative expanding communication between civil, social, state and international sectors.

Anadolu Kültür

Anadolu Kültür was founded as a not-for-profit cultural institution in 2002 when individuals from various fields of the art world, the business world and civil society came together to support the production and sharing of culture and art in cities across Turkey and abroad.

Anadolu Kültür continues its activities with the belief that cultural and artistic exchange will help develop mutual understanding and dialogue and overcome regional differences and prejudices, and that a broader cultural life will elicit a discussion of concepts such as citizenship, identity and belonging. Anadolu Kültür’s vision is the dream of a society that has managed to shed its prejudices, that finds nourishment and enrichment through differences and where cultural diversity is not perceived as a source of conflict but wealth. Anadolu Kültür aims to build bridges between different ethnic, religious and regional groups by sharing culture and art, supporting regional initiatives, emphasizing cultural diversity and cultural rights and consolidating interregional collaboration.