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Hacettepe University bridge between human thoughts and complex human
Faculty of Fine Arts emotions.Therefore it may be claimed that art forms a ba-
lance between the rational and the emotional. It is for this
I am deeply honoured to have been asked to talk at this reason that art is very important for the devdelopment of
distinguished gathering , the motto of which is “art for successful individuals.
peace”. Considering the times we are living in, times of Today I am going to talk neither about art in general, nor
global atrocites and wars which lead to a state of gene- about ceramic art in particular. But I am going to talk brief-
ral pessimism and hopelessness among people this is an ly about how this faculty and the Department of Ceramics
extremely appropriate motto. Meetings of this kind bring were founded to refresh the memories of those who re-
artists from different parts of the world, beyond bounda- member those days and also to have the opportunity to
ries of religious belief, nationality and private value sys- compare those early days with the present and thus app-
tems together to promote coexistence, interaction and reciate the development.
creativity which ,in turn, will, hopefully, promote a culture It was exactly 36 years ago, in 1982 that the new uni-
of tolerance,respect, partnership, fellowship,dialogue, and versity law, following Atatürk’s national goal of promoting
thus pave the way to a presence of peace in the world. I arts because he believed, if a nation had no art or artists
am of the opinion that such gatherings also help ease the of its own that nation could not become fully alive, gave
fears of young people who do not desire to be at the mercy Hacettepe University the mission of founding the very first
of negative circumstances in the future and by the help of faculty of fine arts in Ankara. I was appointed the founding
these contacts their years ahead will be illuminated with dean of this faculty. I worked for twelve years as dean. It
new possibilities and hopes. was a very trying responsibility but at the same time equ-
This morning I am especially proud of witnessing the suc- ally honourable.
cessful organisation of the younger academics of the Ce- In order to start the faculty we had to have space for stu-
ramics Department of this annual International Macsabal dents and faculty staff to teach them. In Ankara, except
Symposium. I am convinced that the Department of Ce- for Gazi Teachers’ Training College that had been foun-
ramics is in really good hands and they are continuing a ded in 1932 we had no other available resources to invite
tradition established by late Professsor Hamiye Çolakoğlu artist/teachers for our Painting, Sculpture and Graphics
who taught her students and her young colleagues to look Departments. In that respect we were lucky. Artists who
around their environment and at themselves with a diffe- had studied various art disciplines in Europe on state scho-
rent eye, so as to increase their sensibilities and become larships were teaching at this college and they responded
creative in their efforts of producing art works because as positively to our invitation. Unfortunately the College had
Alfred Tonnelle, a 19th century French writer said “the ar- no ceramics program. At the time all the ceramics artists
tist does not see things as they are but sees them as he is. were active in Istanbul and they would not even dream of
In other words, in very broad terms art is self recognition. coming to Ankara. In that sense Ankara was quite unpro-
Art which is a totality in itself serves as a ductive.
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