2017 -

Spaces of Culture

Spaces of Culture is initiated by Goethe-Institut, the Consulate General of Sweden in Istanbul, the Embassy of the Netherlands and the Institut francais de Turquie; in cooperation with Anadolu Kültür and Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV).

Creative endeavors between Europe and Turkey tend to center on the attractive art hubs of Istanbul and Ankara. Spaces of Culture sets out to promote and support activities beyond these metropoles. Working with Turkish artists and affiliated community actors, as well as wider civil society, the project puts a refreshing and vital spotlight on the cities of İzmir, Diyarbakır and Gaziantep, aiming to support cultural infrastructure with the priority of social benefit and sustainability. Spaces of Culture provides spaces and resources for the realization of cultural projects in all areas of arts, as well as for discussion, training and development opportunities for local institutions, cultural professionals and community members interested in these fields. Together with partners from the Turkish and European cultural scene, this project contributes to a wide and diverse program of arts-based community exchange in the regions it covers. Spaces of Culture provides crucial support to those working in the field of arts and culture in these three cities through project funding as well as capacity building and mobility programs. In times of social tension, it is essential to foster opportunities to come together in the context of the richness of culture and the shared experience of art. This outlook facilitates the meetings of and interaction between people of widely varying backgrounds. Through these means it provides the space necessary for the development of impactful future collaborations.

Diyarbakır Arts Center, an initiative of Anadolu Kültür, is the local coordinator of Spaces of Culture project in Diyarbakır. As a part of the project, Anadolu Kültür has been designing and conducting various workshops that bring together individuals from the field of arts and culture in Gaziantep since 2018. The workshops focus on areas such as project management, cultural management as well as various arts disciplines, and aim to facilitate exchange of knowledge and experience between the participants and to support their professional development. In doing so, the project aims to contribute to the cultural cooperation and artistic production in Gaziantep in the long term.