NEWS

Two hundred thirty five thousand (235,000) people have visited Istanbul Modern free of charge since May 1, 2014 thanks to Ülker’s new Your Thursday campaign.

Ülker will be hosting a children’s art workshop at ARTINTERNATIONAL on September 5 and 6, 2015, in order to bring kids and art together.

Ülker believes that art is the best way one can find happiness and sharpen their imagination. In light of that, they are passionate about funding projects that enable all strata of society –especially children – to discover art.

Ülker sponsors a wide range of arts activities in partnership with the Baksı Museum, Istanbul Modern (Your Thursday), and ARTINTERNATIONAL.

Bahar Erbengi (General Manager of Corporate Communications at Ülker), stated that art – like sports – is an important means of self-expression. “We have products that appeal to all age groups. Some are meant for a healthy lifestyle, such as milk and cheese. Others are simply snacks, such as chocolate.

We essentially feed Türkiye. That said, we’ve also taken it upon ourselves to nurture children’s imaginations as well through art. That in turn will make our grandchildren (and their grandchildren) much more imaginative and innovative.”

Over 235,000 people have visited Istanbul Modern

Erbengi added that they’ve [i.e. Ülker] been supporting Istanbul Modern’s Your Thursday project since May 1, 2014. “We’ve enabled over 235,000 people to visit the museum free of charge. The number of visitors spikes from 2,000 on regular days to 3,500 people on Your Thursdays. This indicates to us that we’ve done the right thing.

On Your Thursdays, we’ve also organized free artists workshop with 11 artists. So far, Coşkun Aral, Bahar Korçan, Orhan Cem Çetin, Yusuf Taktak, and Handan Börüteçene have hosted 196 people in their studios.”

Erbengi pointed out that Ülker sponsors the Baksı Museum as well. Professor Hüsamettin Koçan founded the museum in Bayraktar, Bayburt. “Every Tuesday, we transport visitors from downtown Bayburt and allow them to roam the museum free of charge. Thanks to our efforts, 313 people have visited it within the past one and a half months.”

Ülker’s Children’s Art Workshop at ARTINTERNATIONAL on September 5 and 6

Erbengi noted that Ülker’s Children’s Art Workshop has been running since 2011, and has introduced art to over 13,000 children to date. This year, it will set up camp at workshop at ARTINTERNATIONAL in Istanbul on September 5 and 6.

She stressed that that the workshop aims to teach kids about the arts from an early age, and raise them to be versed in different artistic disciplines and aesthetic points of view:

“Art is the key to happiness, in our view. We’re still supporting projects that introduce [Turkish] children to art from the time they’re little. Ülker Children’s Art Workshop is very special in that through it, we try make art a part of their daily lives.

So far, we’ve introduced more than 13,000 children to art and have had them create all sorts of artwork via various activities. We’ve also recently begun collaborating with Professor Hüsamettin Koçan and the Baksı Museum. Fine arts and interior design majors alike from Marmara University and Mimar Sinan University also played a big role in helping us put the project together.”

This year, Ülker’s Children’s Art Workshop run at ARTINTERNATIONAL. AVCI Architecture Office developed its architectural component. Beyond that, the kids will also get to learn about art history by visiting and experiencing its 11-station Interactive Art History Tunnel.

The workshop will offer kids a whole host of fun and educational content spanning cave paintings to modern art (a young illustrator by the name of Erhan Cihangiroğlu did much of the field designs and illustrations). It will also feature “spin painting,” regular painting, wall painting, collages, and a thought map room. All of the materials are recyclable.