Turkey 2019

“Ben Buradayim” Sanat Atölyesi / “I Am Here” Art Workshop Tour

with Visiting Artist Timothy Lomas

Ankara * Kütahya * Usak * Milas * Fethiye

“Ben Buradayim” “I Am Here” Art Workshop Tour. 2019

“Ben Buradayim”/”I Am Here” is the story of a journey of creativity, representation, and cultural exchange. 5 exhibitions in 5 cities, 5 murals, over 200 portraits, and an abundance of supplementary creative artworks in 23 days.

Traversing Turkey’s vast beauty, along the shores of the great salt lake Tuz, across the expansive wheat fields of the Anatolian plains, down the winding roads through the Taurus mountains leading to the coast of the Mediterranean Sea with a team of five incredibly passionate and talented women. In our wake we left a myriad of magical mandalas and mystical flowers, chameleons, sea shells, seahorses, sea urchins and anemones, butterflies, hummingbirds, and exotic fishes, plus a chorus of colorfully unique portraits of the inspired hearts we met along the way vibrant with the divine spark of their creative spirit proclaiming “I Am Here”.

I never worked so hard, laughed so much, nor felt so blessed collaborating with these women and working with these students across the vast spectrum of cognitive abilities and challenges whom I had never previously met, nor spoken their language, yet united in the task of seeing out all of the beauty and potential within the present moment giving voice to our diversity and our common humanity.

“I don’t do great things, I do small things with great love” Mother Teresa once said. This was my meditation with every pencil and paper I placed within a student’s hand and every palette of paint and brush laid beside a blank canvas of opportunity. In the name of social justice, equity, and diplomacy through the creative arts this journey has just begun.

– Timothy Lomas

The “Ben Buradayim” Sanat Atölyesi / “I Am Here” Art Workshops with Timothy Lomas was a series of art events for the purpose of providing creativity, cultural exchange, and representation to marginalized students due to disability throughout Turkey which ran from July 1 – 23, 2019. The project was sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, MK San Art, The Global Children’s Art Programme, and The Ministry of Family, Labor, and Social Services of Turkey.

Personnel

Timothy Lomas: Visiting Artist, Creative Art Director / GCAP

Makbule Kalyon: Project Coordinator / MK San Art

Meltem Keskin Bayur: Project Co-Coordinator

Gözde Dogan Yalçiner: Cultural Affairs Specialist, U.S. Embassy Ankara

Sebnem Cirit: Translator, Personal Assistant

Merve Demirci: Art Assistant

Burçu Kanac: Art Assistant

Ahmet Yazibel: Chauffer

(L-R) Ahmet Yazibel, Makbule Kalyon, Timothy Lomas, Sebnem Cirit, Merve Demirci, Burcu Kalyon.

• Teşekkür ederim •

Courage and Wisdom boys in front of their mural in Kutahya, Turkey 2019