A protocol, aiming to introduce the students trained at special education schools based on the Ministry of National Education (MEB) to art in the museum atmosphere, was signed by the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of National Education and Istanbul Modern.

A thousand children and youth will participate in the project, which aims to get visually, hearing and mentally impaired students aged between 7 and 16 to attend art education programs at Istanbul Modern.

The protocol, signed by Istanbul Provincial Director of National Education Ömer Faruk Yelkenci and Istanbul Modern Museum General Director Levent Çalıkoğlu, includes the educational programs titled, "Color that I touch" for visually impaired students, "Meeting" for mentally impaired students and "Words of Art" for those who have a hearing impairment.The "Words of Art" project consists of exhibition tours accompanied by experts, tale design and wall painting workshops.

In 2018, some 1,000 students will be informed about the lives of the artists who created the works at the museum, seeing, touching and feeling their works. They will use basic art elements such as color, texture and line in their verbal and visual communications to become familiar with them. The students, who will also improve their psychomotor skills through artwork, will reinforce the concepts that they have learned at their schools with art practices.

Special needs children to meet art at museum

Talking about the importance of the protocol, Ömer Faruk Yelkenci said, "The participation of students, especially those who have impairments, in art education programs at a modern art museum in Istanbul, the center of art, will contribute to their individual development and environment. I think this protocol that we signed to ensure our students at special education schools attend the art programs prepared specifically for them is really important. I want to stress that this project, which offers students an art experience in a museum atmosphere, is an exemplary effort."

'We will reach more students with impairments'

Levent Çalıkoğlu highlighted that Istanbul Modern has reached thousands of children and youth as an art education institution beyond just organizing modern and contemporary art exhibitions. "We want to contribute to the mental and perceptual talents of students continuing to study at special education schools. We have reached children and youth with impairments through our own efforts to date. Our aim is to reach more students with the protocol that we signed with the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of National Education," said the museum director.

Color that I Touch

The "Color that I Touch" project for visually impaired children aged between 7 and 18 include exhibition tours accompanied by experts, the examination of artworks with special educational design tools, painting, statue, music, drama workshops and film screenings. The project, first implemented in 2010, is sponsored by Şekerbank.

Meeting

"Meeting" is a project for mentally impaired children aged between 12 and 18 and includes exhibition tours accompanied by experts, painting workshops that visually focus on the portrait concept, motif workshops carried out with visual and audial matchups and Cardboard City Workshop focusing on the collage technique. The project that has been ongoing since 2005 is sponsored by BASF.

Words of Art

The "Words of Art" project for hearing impaired children aged between 4 and 15 consists of exhibition tours accompanied by experts, tale design and wall painting workshops. It also gives includes the works of an orchestra of 15 hearing impaired children aged 16 and older. The project is sponsored by Proje Gala Modern.