The American Turkish Society

The Society organized its monthly Young Society Leaders (YSL) Showcase event with YSL Class of 2011 Melek Pulatkonak! Melek is the founder of TurkishWIN (Turkish Women's International Network) , a global sisterhood network for change to inspire and empower women in Turkey. She inspired everyone on the call with her personal journey from working in finance to becoming an entrepreneur and founding TurkishWIN. She stressed upon the importance of network activation and creating a gender-equal workforce. Stay tuned for next month's YSL showcase event with another one of our inspiring YSLs! --

The American Turkish Society Announces its Ninth Class of Young Society Leaders!

We zoomed in with Zeynep Lal Kara, our first virtual awardee of the Arif Mardin Fellowship at Berklee College of Music. Due to the pandemic, the program went online for the first time, and we wanted to hear how her online experience was. Zeynep said Berklee created an engaging virtual platform that enabled students from different classes to interact with each other. She enjoyed meeting with students from other classes who shared her passions and interests. Thanks to the platform, she was also able to receive feedback from her instructors seamlessly while practicing piano. Zeynep was very appreciative of Berklee's professionalism in providing such an enriching experience which ended up helping her artistic career. -Help us support more Turkish artists by placing a donation now: https://ats.z2systems.com/np/clients/ats/donation.jsp

We are proud to announce that Ms. Suzan Sabanc Dinçer and Mr. Michael Roberts have been appointed as the new Co-Chairs of The American Turkish Society! https://t24.com.tr//akbank-yonetim-kurulu-baskani-suzan-sa

The Society is also excited to announce that the MASP program is now accepting applications related to film projects at the post-production phase. Click here to apply:https://docs.google.com//1FAIpQLSd-B6CRuQ8zZQXhj/viewform

Missed our webinar "Art in Times of Covid-19" on 10/22? Now is your chance to watch it on youtube! Don't forget to subscribe to our channel for upcoming videos! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0hN07oathg

Did you know that you can support us through AmazonSmile? At no cost to you, a portion of each eligible purchase you make will automatically go to support our work! Follow these simple steps to get started: 1. Visit smile.amazon.com 2. Sign in with your Amazon.com credentials... 3. Search " American Turkish Society" from the search menu 4. Bookmark smile.amazon.com so that The Society benefits every time you shop

Come join us to dive deep into how the results of the election in the USA will shape a new world order with a particular focus on its effects on US-Turkey on November 19!

During these unprecedented times, we would like to take the opportunity to thank you for supporting The Society. With your support, we continued to fulfill our mission of enhancing business, economic and cultural ties between Turkey and the United States. The Society’s programs are critical in providing cultural and educational exchange between Turkey and the US. Turkish artists, musicians, filmmakers, and students need your support to continue on their paths freely and effectively now more than ever. If you care to support the Turkish arts, culture, and current affairs, please include us in your end-of-year giving! Your contribution is fully tax-deductible for 2020. Click here to donate: https://ats.z2systems.com/np/clients/ats/donation.jsp

We are proud to announce that this year's MASP grant awardee, "The Rise Up: Stories of Strife, Struggle and Inspiration" by Mehmet Ali Sanlkol and Dave Liebman is now available on Spotify! Click here to listen: https://open.spotify.com/album/5VHMQcHScmxWzXV5Qqj4ah

We extend our deepest condolences to all families who lost their loved ones. 100% of your contributions will go to TPF partner organizations working on the gro...und. To donate please visit: https://donate.tpfund.org//izmir-turkey-earthquake/c309729 #gecmisolsunizmir #tpfizmirearthquakefund #izmirearthquake

Today The Society celebrates the 97th anniversary of the Republic of Turkey! 29 Ekim Cumhuriyet Bayrammz kutlu olsun!

We received a heartfelt thank you note from this year's recipient of the Ahmet Ertegun Memorial Scholarship, Can Saglam. Thank you Can! -The scholarship, launched by The Society in memory of the late Ahmet Ertegun, founder of Atlantic Records and long-time chairman of The Society, supports talented musicians of Turkish descent in their studies at The Juilliard School in New York City. Help us support talented Turkish students and carry on Ahmet Ertegun's legacy by placing a donation now: https://ats.z2systems.com/np/clients/ats/donation.jsp

We are very happy to announce that this year’s recipient of the Moon and Stars Project Mimarolu grant got a special mention at this year’s documentary competition at stanbul Film Festival!

Our next webinar, "New World Order Post US Elections with Soli Ozel" will take place on November 19! Moderated by our Board member Banu Basar, we will dive deep into how the results of upcoming elections in the USA will shape a new world order with a particular focus on its effects on US-Turkey. Click here to register! : https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_UcZTRxj7TdWQRtF_VLJ6_Q

Yesterday, The Society launched its art webinar series by organizing "Art in Times of Covid-19". Moderated by The Society’s Board member Tansa Mermerci Eksioglu, we were pleased to have a variety of voices from the art world to attend as panelist: @Susan Hapgood (Executive Director at iscp - International Studio & Curatorial Program), Binnaz Saktanber (Advisor for Moon and Star Project Grants), Celenk Bafra (Director at SAHA Dernegi , and Sarp Kerem Yavuz(Artist). Each panel...ist shared their insights on the challenges and opportunities they endured and experienced during the pandemic. Susan Hapgood walked us through how the pandemic has affected funding and how ISCP has adapted and introduced new initiatives in this challenging time. Celenk Bafra talked about how the expectations, habits, and behaviors of art patrons & collectors evolved within the SAHA organization, and how the organization supports artists and curators now that mobility has become an issue. Binnaz Saktanber explained how the pandemic affected art grants in general and in particular the Moon and Stars Project Grants and how to identify needs of grant providers and grantees during the pandemic. Finally, Sarp Kerem Yavuz shared how his creativity has been challenged during these tough times and how he used social media to his benefit to sustain sales. See more

Meet panelist Sarp Kerem Yavuz,artist for the upcoming webinar "Art in Times of Covid-19" on 10/22! Click here to register! : https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_QVhGq02uSE2mcfcLrGrQXw Sarp will talk about how his creativity has been challenged during these tough times and how he used social media to his benefit to sustain sales.

Meet panelist Binnaz Saktanber, advisor to the Moon and Stars Project Grants for the upcoming webinar "Art in Times of Covid-19" on 10/22! Click here to register!: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_QVhGq02uSE2mcfcLrGrQXw Binnaz will talk about how the pandemic has affected art grants, and how to identify current needs during the pandemic. As the Moon and Stars Project Grants aims to promote greater cultural interaction between the United States and Turkey through supporting emerging as well as established artists, Binnaz will speak on the challenges and opportunities faced during the pandemic and ways to move forward.

Meet panelist Celenk Bafra, director at SAHA Dernegi for the upcoming webinar "Art in Times of Covid-19" on 10/22! Click here to register: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_QVhGq02uSE2mcfcLrGrQXw Celenk will talk about how the expectations, habits, and behaviors of art patrons & collectors as members of SAHA, and supported artists and curators have changed now that mobility has become an issue. As SAHA supports artists and curators through grants and programs, including SAHA Studio, it stands in between the collector/patron and artist/curator. Celenk will articulate on how these fundamental players of the art ecosystem have reacted during the pandemic and what challenges SAHA might face.

Meet panelist Susan Hapgood, executive director at the International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP) for the upcoming webinar "Art in Times of Covid-19" on 10/22! Susan will walk us through how the pandemic has affected funding, how ISCP has adapted, and introduced new initiatives in this challenging time. As a New York-based organization that supports artists and curators from around the world, how has the institution handled closed borders and curtailed travel, and how... has the pandemic reshaped personal interaction? Don't miss this webinar and register now: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_QVhGq02uSE2mcfcLrGrQXw Susan Hapgood is executive director of the International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP), and founder of the Mumbai Art Room in India. ISCP is housed in a former printing factory in Brooklyn with 35 light-filled work studios and two galleries and is New York’s most comprehensive international visual arts residency program, founded in 1994.