Alumni reunion at Pera Museum

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts is celebrating its 30th anniversary with an exhibition titled 'Owl’s Frames,' consists of a selection of the finest photographs from graduates of the photography department. The exhibition at Pera Museum will run until Aug. 31

Istanbul – Turkish Daily News

The photography department at the Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts is celebrating its 30th anniversary with an exhibition of work by alumni launched last Friday at Pera Museum. The exhibition, titled �Owl's Frames,� consists of a selection of the finest photographs from graduates of the department and will run until Aug. 31. A total of 67 photographers are represented in the exhibition, successful photographers both in Turkey and abroad.

The university was founded Jan. 1, 1882 by Osman Hamdi Bey, a renowned Turkish painter, art historian and archeologist. The educational institute, the first of its kind in Turkey, was converted into the country's first arts academy in 1928. Its status changed again when it became Mimar Sinan University on July 20, 1982, named after the great Ottoman architect Sinan. Finally, in December 2003, the administration of the university changed the name to the Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts.

The department of photography was founded July 13, 1978 under the auspices of the Istanbul Fine Arts Academy's department of decorative arts, though it was then called the Institute of Photography. The institute epitomized the institutionalization of teaching photography in Turkey, which had begun in photography clubs established prior to its inauguration.

The first four-year undergraduate program in photography was created only 30 years ago. In its first year, 200 candidates applied for one of 15 available positions. The first classes were held in an old commercial building in Salıpazarı, behind the current location of the department of traditional Turkish handicrafts. The lowest floor of the building was allocated to archives of the Institute of Cinema.

In its 30-year history, over 300 students have graduated from the department. While the exhibition, which is one of several reunion events being held to celebrate the department's 30th anniversary, commemorates the establishment of the institution and honors the work of its former students, some of who have worked professionally in the field of photography for many years.

Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation Pera Museum is open Tuesday to Saturday 10:00 a.m. � 7:00 p.m. and Sunday 12:00 p.m. � 6:00 p.m., closed Mondays.

Meşrutiyet Caddesi No.65 34443 Tepebaşı - Beyoğlu - Istanbul

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