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British Museum International Training Programme - Final Report

by Dr. Dilek Karaaziz Şener (ITP 2018, Turkey)

Marie-Louise von Motesiczky Charitable Trust Fellow

I was just fifteen years old when I decided to be an art historian. I had very little knowledge about what to do

and how, and what direction I would follow but I remember my determination and that I was ready to do

whatever it takes to set my direction. For this reason I never worried that my dreams would be shattered or

would not come true. In 2018, I had the chance to make my dreams come true and I feel even more certain

about my projects for the future, my museum and my students.

Since 2005, I am the vice director of Hacettepe University Art Museum having also had taken part in the

foundation of this museum and the conservation and enrichment of the collection. At the same time, I give

theoretical courses at Hacettepe University Faculty of Fine Arts which offers academic education in the

interdisciplinary fields (sculpture, painting, ceramics, graphic design, interior, architecture) and is where the

foundations of the future collections are laid. I am aware that after the ITP 2018 training process, my

responsibility in the museum has increased. And this increase in responsibilities and contributions are

because, thanks to the ITP, I will be the future Director of Hacettepe Art Museum. The Presidency of

Hacettepe University has already started the work for me being the next museum director.

At Hacettepe Art Museum the protection of the collection; museum security; exhibitions and lending to other

museums; conservation; administration; visitor engagement; training; libraries and archives, inventories;

managing projects; communication with sponsors and supporters are among my responsibilities. Frankly,

before ITP I did not have much knowledge and experience in these important subjects and now, I can say that

thanks to the Programme, I immediately started to work towards re-structuring my museum and took

responsibility. I can see that there is a long journey and hardships in front of me but I believe that the ITP,

which not only has contributed to my training, will also be with me in overcoming each difficulty and help

fulfil my responsibilities.

Fellow Presentations (03 July 2018). I made a

presentation in English for the first time and in front

of an international audience. I will never forget it in

my life. I was happy to share information about my

museum, my field of work, the exhibitions which I

curated, my students and my family.

I made my first visit to London in 2004. I never forgot my British Museum experience which I had in the 5

day visit even after many years. Later on, the British Museum website has been my single reference point on

which I spend hours each day both when conducting examinations and research for the formation of the data

of my museum and for my courses in addition to developing my knowledge about the temporary exhibitions

of my museum.

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I became aware of the ITP in 2006 and I dreamt of being one of the participants. I was always on a quest

about what kind of projects I could produce to become a good curator and for my museum to become the

museum of the future. With the e-mail I received from Claire Messenger (International Training Programme,

Manager, British Museum) that I was accepted to the ITP, I reached the happiness and joy of seeing that my

dreams have come true.

In 2018, I had two important experiences in my professional life.

The first one is that I curated the exhibition “Shaken Image” at

Istanbul Pera Museum where the artworks of the graduate students

of Hacettepe University Faculty of Fine Arts were displayed. The

second, and the most important one, is being among the

participants of the British Museum International Training

Programme

At this point, when I relook at the 43 days that I spent on the ITP,

I see how it is precious for me to participate in such a training

programme and that it gives me happiness in the name of my

profession, and museum and my students with whom I will share

all the experience I gained.

At the main entrance of The British Museum, I’m happy with my ID

card

When I was entering the British Museum from its main entrance on 2 July 2018, I repeated this to myself:

“You are here again Dilek! But this time you are here to learn all the data, applications, experiences and

techniques in museology!” I suppose the words are insufficient to explain how beautiful this feeling is and

what it means to develop self-confidence. All I can say is that after returning to my home country I am

looking again and again at the first day photo which Rebecca Horton (International Training Programme,

Coordinator, British Museum) took in front of the British Museum together with 23 participants and thinking

how lucky I am. In the same frame with the museum specialists, archaeologists, museum curators, museum

educators, conservators who are invited from all around the world (Azerbaijan, China, Croatia, Egypt, Greece,

India, Malaysia, Lebanon, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Philippines, Rwanda, Sudan, Turkey, Uganda

and Guatemala, Senior Fellow 2018) we are smiling sincerely in front of our museum (The British Museum).

BM ITP 2018 all participants are together. The excitement and the

happiness of our first day can be read on our faces. This dynamism

that we saw on the first day increasingly continued until the last day,

without ever decreasing (02 July 2018, British Museum, all ITP

Fellows 2018)

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ITP 2018 fellows and ITP team together with

Mrs Carey and her husband.

We visited Kenwood House and Hampstead

Heath (4 August 2018), where Ms. Frances

Carey hosted all the ITP 2018 participants at

her home where we had a great afternoon

with the cakes and tea which she prepared.

Moreover, a gift from my supporter, a book

titled The Undiscovered Expressionist, a

Life of Marie Louise von Motesiczky written

by Jill Lloyd has taken its place in my

bookcase. Now, I have started to translate

this book. Everyday I save time to read my

book for sure and take notes to use in my courses and engage in research.

Frances Carey shared her valuable knowledge and experiences about Kenwood House. Thanks to her I

encountered a special bliss once again – the Old Masters paintings display in the Dining Room at Kenwood

House. The dining room contains internationally significant paintings by Dutch and Flemish Old Master

painters and I saw Rembrandt’s Portrait of the Artist (c.1665). I will never forget that day. When I narrate the

story of Western art, I always say this to my students: “Definitely read the world classics and try to see and

internalize the masterpieces of art history in their place. Only if you can do this, you will appreciate the value

of the world’s heritage and gain experience and knowledge.”

Together with Frances

Carey, in front of

Rembrandt’s Portrait of the

Artist (c.1665) at Kenwood

House (04 August 2018,

Saturday)

Sharing my experiences

with the next ITP

participants is among the

first projects that I want to

realize. We have already

started with my students to

make a journey in the

history of humanity

through examining British Museum’s website, analysing, discussing and reviewing each period and

geography with its own cultural heritage. While engaging in all these works, I think about writing an “Object

in Focus” book about my memories. I have been working in order to let my students and the young artists

gain experience in this subject since I returned from London. Yes, the world is at the British Museum but

most important of all, the British Museum is a world museum.

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Tour of the British Museum with Kusuma

Barnett (03 July 2018)

By examining the British Museum’s web

site I prepared resources and materials for

my students in the Graphic Design

Department to study. I will try to share all

the experiences which the ITP 2018

offered me with my students; to

restructure Hacettepe Art Museum and to

find new ways to overcome all the

difficulties whatever hardship I encounter

and not to give up trying. Raising future

museum curators and graphic designers will be possible only through this way and I will be creating a change

by transferring the experiences I gained to my country.

Another subject that I want to put into practice and work on is maintaining communication and professional

sharing with the participants from other countries. Guatemala, Croatia, Greece, India, Mexico, Oman, Egypt,

Lebanon are among the primary countries which I want to visit and work with. I whole-heartedly believe that

the training we received within the ITP, the experiences we had together and the sincerity of both friendship

and professional contact among us will help in the realization of these and future projects. Seeing how strong

and connected the ITP is as a result of being together with, and getting to know, the right professionals in the

field of museology, making the experiences in our countries and our fields of work come together in common

projects and being able to engage in sharing at a global level in an eye-opening and significant for both me

and Hacettepe Art Museum. I believe that we can manage to work together and conduct projects and leave a

gift to the world for the future.

Through our training process in the ITP 2018, all of us achieved new knowledge, qualifications and

experiences. With our professional sharing and strong friendships among us, we will initiate a change for our

countries and museums.

Left; ITP 2018 all fellows with Maria Bojanowska (Dorset Foundation Head of National Programmes), National

Partnerships with her presentation (20 July 2018). “We learnt in this presentation that nine million people in the UK

had come to see the museum’s collection from outside of London”)

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Right;All ITP fellows with Abigail Thomas (Head of Enterprise & Business Systems in the Royal Pavilion at

Brighton), (10 July 2018)

Kew Gardens (07 July 2018), Brighton Museum and Art Gallery and The Royal Pavilion (10 July 2018),

Sutton Hoo (14 July 2018), Horniman Museum and Gardens (17 July 2018), Hever Castle and Gardens (21

July 2018), Kenwood House and Hampstead Heath visits were important both for knowing new places,

museums, art galleries, gardens and archaeological sites and experiencing different exhibition projects with

the presentations of curators and museum directors.

Left; Kenwood

House and

Hampstead trip with

Suruchika Chawla

(ITP 2018 from

India) and Amalia

Kakissis (ITP 2018

from Greece)

Right; Session on Collections Care; Collections Assistant training with Suruchika

Chawla (ITP 2018 from India) (09 July 2018)

In the period from 2 July to 4 August 2018, we had trips to many cities,

parks and gardens, museums, archaeological sites which are outside of London. All these trips enabled me to

gain experience, knowledge and approaches to various techniques of exhibitions and display, exhibition

spaces, plans, museum audiences and education as well as information about museum programmes. It was

very valuable for me to document all the areas that we visited, and I gained knowledge and experiences,

obtaining reference books and writings about museums and exhibitions and took detailed notes about the

presentations that were made. Through the trips we made our theoretical knowledge was further enriched with

seeing it in practice.

The trip we made to the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery on 10 July 2018 was interesting in terms of

examining two important exhibitions and the approaches and texts of their curators. The Museum of

Transology (a brave and bold display from Brighton’s trans-community) with Susan Eskdale (Community

Engagement Officer) and Queer Looks (expressing LGBTQ identity through fashion) with Martin Pel

(Curator of Fashion & Textiles) are among the exhibitions which I want to highlight and re-analyse and

research after returning home with respect to reading, understanding and stressing their significance in the

UK.

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We look at Queer Looks display with Martin Pel (Curator of Fashion & Textiles). We were separated into two groups

that day. The other group joined with Susan Eskdale (Community Engagement Officer) and she talked about

Museum of Transology display.

In addition to these I saw the Gilbert & George exhibition at Brighton Museum Artist Rooms. Seeing this

exhibition is important for a curator of modern art. Artist Rooms Gilbert & George divides the exhibition

space into three galleries. The entrance gallery presents the artists’ early works from 1969 - 1981 as they react

to modernist ideas of the art object being independent from time and place. Gallery two, “The Head, The

Soul, the Sex”, follows the pair as they begin to create larger works and align themselves with homeless

people, disenfranchised young men and the graffiti artists, whose statuses as ‘outsiders’ resonates with the

artist experiences as gay men. The third gallery features works from the “New Democratic Pictures” and the

“Fundamental Pictures” series that Gilbert & George created in response to the AIDS crisis, positioning their

own bodies centre stage again to emphasize freedom of creation.

The impact that the three exhibitions we saw in Brighton Museum & Art Gallery visit preceded a surprise on

our return to London - an LGTBQ flag at the main entrance of the British Museum. I immediately made a

search on the subject and became proud once more because of being at the British Museum because the BM

proudly hosted the rainbow flag, for all visitors to see, indeed for the whole world to see.

A symbol of pride: raising the rainbow flag at The British Museum (10 July 2018).

The day trip on 14 July 2018 to Sutton Hoo, Woodbridge, Suffolk is another experience that I cannot forget. I

should say that before ITP 2018 I could not even imagine coming to Sutton Hoo and seeing this important

Anglo-Saxon burial and archaeological site settlement.

I have been lecturing at different faculties and departments of the three big universities in Ankara (Ankara

University, Gazi University and Hacettepe University) since 1996 about the history of world art. I have

trained the art historians, conservators, curators and artists of the future. When I start to teach Sutton

Hoo/Anglo-Saxon times, the first aspect I explain and highlight is that it is the most important find and

archaeological site in the UK. The Sutton Hoo we visited not only presented the treasures of the region but

also provided a very valuable and incredible experience in regard to seeing and knowing the first findings of

the UK archaeology, which are exhibited at the British Museum Room 41 gallery.

The gallery tour on 11 July 2018 in the Sutton Hoo Gallery of the British Museum with Sue Brunning

(Curator: Early Medieval European Collections, Britain Europe and Prehistory) and her account of the

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exhibition techniques together with the chronology of the Anglo-Saxon heritage in England since the first

findings in 1895 was ideal preparation for the trip. We used a microphone system in this exhibition

presentation in order to hear Sue’s voice and to experience what she explained with the objects in the gallery.

Through technology in a modern museum we followed Sue’s voice and conversation together with the

objects.

Rema (Rema Zeynalova, ITP 2018 from Azerbaijan) is wondering who is the

warrior underneath the mask. The truth is that when you wear that helmet,

wear the felt vest and take the sword in your hand you come to have the spirit

of an Anglo-Saxon warrior. I am the person in the photo who experiences the

Anglo-Saxon spirit. Exploring the museum, experiencing the exhibition and

the training spaces and afterwards strolling in the house where the

archaeological excavation had started (Edwardian Tranmer House)

transformed Sutton Hoo into an unforgettable memory in my life (14 July

2018).

On the department days, the valuable knowledge of Ian Jenkins

(Curator, Greece and Roman), particularly his specialization in the

Antique Period, widened our horizons. His presentation about the

formation of the collection during the development of the British

Museum and, what is the most important to me, about Johann Joachim

Winckelmann (his excavations, book, contributions to the history of art

and his role in the formation of the collection at the museum) and the

museum tour among the Enlightenment Gallery founded by the King

George II, the manuscripts and Greek vases were important. I should state that most museums are memories

of a city but Ian Jenkins taught us that the British Museum was not only the city’s but the world’s various

memories.

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Tour of blockbuster exhibition “Rodin and the art of ancient Greece” with Ian Jenkins (Curator, Greece and Rome)

in Sainsbury Exhibition Wing (16 July 2018).

Additionally, during the trip we made with Ross Thomas (Curator, Greece and Roman) on 12 July 2018 to the

William Morris Gallery. The knowledge we gained about both temporary exhibitions and the works and life

of William Morris was very important.

With Ross Thomas (Curator, Greece and Rome) and programme fellows: Mustafa Okan Cinemre (ITP 2018 from

Turkey), Amalia Kakissis (ITP 2018, from Greece), Ivan Radman – Livaja (ITP 2018 from Croatia) and me.

Department time, Greece and Rome - Day trip to Portsmouth historic dockyard with Ross Thomas, comparison and

contrasting of the presentation and display of three warships: Mary Rose (1545), HMS Victory (1759) and HMS

Warrior (1860). (07 August 2018).

The most important surprise was the attention paid by each museum to the facilities it offers to children and

young people, the works carried out with families, special days, projects, not only in the spaces of the

museums but also in the surrounding public spaces and education institutes. This is a novelty for me because

by the 2000s, when private museology started to spread, special education spaces started to be organized and

built for children and young people but for the state museums it was after 2010 that these kind of audiences

started to be considered and units and spaces were opened. Yet, when I compare all these initiatives

throughout my training in the UK, I can say that we are only at the bottom of the ladder.

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At this stage, I would like to share my thoughts that the ITP has played an effective role which made me see

that museums are important public spaces composed of children, young people and families. I understood the

significance of developing an approach which provides services to children, young people and their families.

Of dealing with people from every nation, belief and tradition within the framework of democratic and equal

rights and freedoms, inviting them to the museum and opening its doors and this applies to my museum too.

So I am working to submit a project and ask for cooperation from Hacettepe University and the Department

of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design to create spaces at the Hacettepe Art Museum and its

garden which children and young people can benefit from with their families.

From the 23 July - 01 August my time in Manchester (partner museums and galleries) showed me that when I

return home I could transfer all these experiences to my museum and carry out new practices. During the

training we had at the Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester Museum and The Whitworth Gallery we were a

small group: Andrea Terrón (Guatemala, ITP 2017 and Senior Fellow 2018), Huyam Khalid Mohammed

Madani (ITP 2018 from Sudan), me (Dilek Karaaziz Şener, ITP 2018 from Turkey) and Pankaj Protim

Bordoloi (ITP 2018 from India). Throughout the training that we had in three different museums when we

stayed in Manchester, we acquired valuable information about the subjects of temporary and permanent

exhibitions, museum education, outsider art collections, museum conservation units, storage, museum

administration, collection development and lending systems, museum visitor management and programmes

and artist residencies from curators and museum specialists Ronan Brindley (Head of education, Manchester

Art Gallery), Campbell Price (Curator of Egypt and Sudan, Manchester Museum) and Uthra Rajgopal

(Assistant Curator, Textiles and Wallpaper, Whitworth Gallery).

With Holly Grange for “Outsider Art Collection” presentation in The Whitworth Gallery. Me (Dilek Karaaziz Şener,

ITP 2018 from Turkey), Andrea Terrón (Guatemala, ITP 2017 -Senior Fellow 2018), Huyam Khalid Mohammed

Madani (ITP 2018 from Sudan), and Pankaj Protim Bordoloi (ITP 2018 from India) with Holly Grange. (25 July

2018).

The families, students and youngsters coming to the museum, were part of learning programmes for the

visitors at the Manchester Museum and were particularly interesting for me in the sense that Hacettepe Art

Museum is also a university museum.

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First day at Manchester Gallery “Goodbye Manchester! I love this city and I will be back again!

Shall you wait for me, please?”

In the period that we had in Manchester, we spent all the time apart from the working and education hours, in

getting to know the city, exploring other museums and libraries and making discussions and evaluations among us

about the exhibitions. We visited several museums and I came back to Turkey with valuable books, exhibition

booklets and thousands of reference photographs.

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Museum Project Day, Foundling Museum in London. Special exhibition, “First Amongst Equals”. We studied

everywhere, because we were in the future of museums. Pankaj, Huyam and I worked on the presentation about the

special exhibition “First Amongst Equals”.

“Object in Focus” Project

I was very happy to be working on the “Object in Focus” project and having Mariana Sainz Pacheco (ITP

2018 from Mexico) as my partner. Mariana works on modern Mexican art thus, in our first “Object in Focus”

meeting, we preferred to get to know each other by talking and exchanging information about modern art in

our countries. We soon agreed on the intention to give the object that we chose for the project a contemporary

art viewpoint.

Our object was a “Head of a Goddess”, EA63585. We started by discussing how we can work on an object

which unknown to us. The presentation on creating exhibitions from Miriam Lloyd-Evan (Independent

Curator) was very helpful in determining the method which we followed for preparing for the exhibition and

accessing the research resources in a quick way (because our time was limited and every passing hour or day

was precious).

We choose the title “Ceremonial Journey: How a tradition came from Egypt to Sudan” and with the support

of Manuela Lehmann and Louise Ellis – Barrett, Mariana and I were ready on time.

With Mariana Sainz Pacheco (ITP 2018 from Mexico). Our working hours for the “Object in Focus” project were on

Fridays. In these times, we conducted library studies about the object which we chose to exhibit, worked on the

display of the object, the auxiliary materials (label, panel, poster) which we would use during the exhibition.

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Gökhan Okur, with whom I had worked for my Dr. Fazıl Küçük Museum in 2016 in Cyprus, Nicosia, also

helped us with display design material. We crossed continents and seas by e-mail and every type of

communication network. For the trip of the object from Egypt to Sudan, Emre Okçuer, an artist from Ankara

with whom I had worked when I curated the exhibitions “How a War Should be Remembered?” and “Void”

produced a short video art. Mariana prepared a short movie about the reflections of the ritual of procession

from history to the present day. Everything was ready and we welcomed the Object in Focus day with

excitement.

With Mariana, while we were preparing our desk and exhibition space. (09 August 2018)

Poster for “Ceremonial Journey: How a

tradition came from Egypt to Sudan”,

Object in Focus Project.

Graphic design: Gökhan Okur.

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With Hartwig Fischer (Director, British Museum) who honoured us with his valuable opinions, appreciation and

knowledge.

The “Object in Focus” project has not ended for me as I have been researching the presence of the ritual of

processions/street festivals in Turkey. Finally, my research reached a point I desired. Thanks to Emre

Okuçuer who supported the “Object in Focus” project with his video work, I discovered the presence of the

ritual in Turkey which is called “Helesa” which happens in Sinop city every year in Ramadan. I want to

develop my research and prepare a project with Mariana for the Sinopale Biennial which is held in every two

years. I am in contact with the V.P. of the European Cultural Association and the Art Director of Sinopale

Prof. T. Melih Görgün through the agency of Emre Okçuer.

I remember the times when I visited the website of the British Museum, the Museum of world which I dreamt

of and always wanted to work with, and the day I decided to be an ITPer and it fills me with tears. My dream

was difficult but not impossible and I understood this by becoming an ITP 2018 participant. I am once again

grateful to life and to all the things it offers, for realizing my dream and for benefitting the young artists,

curators and museum specialists with whom I will share and contribute.

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An author says, “when a big tree appears before you, hug it and be grateful for all the surprises in your life...” From

our Hampstead Heath visit (04 August 2018).

Future, memory and museology is being shaped by the British Museum’s International

Training Programme.

ITP is a great gift from you to us, the curators of the future, and I am grateful to you for all the experience,

knowledge and work that this gift has given.

With Claire Messenger (International Training Programme, Manager, British Museum), Rebecca Horton

(International Training Programme, Coordinator, British Museum), Jessica Juckes (International Training

Programme, Assistant, British Museum), Andrea Terrón (Guatemala, ITP 2017 -Senior Fellow 2018), Mariana Sainz

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Pacheco (ITP 2018 from Mexico), Cherry Thin (ITP 2018 from Myanmar), Pankaj Protim Bordoloi (ITP 2018 from

India).

With Manuela Lehmann (Project Curator, Amara West Project, Ancient Egypt and Sudan), Mariana Sainz Pacheco

(ITP 2018 from Mexico) and Louise Ellis-Barrett (Ann el-Mokadem Librarian, Ancient Egypt and Sudan)

With ITP 2018, I have became closer to the projects which I plan for the future. Claire Messenger

(International Training Programme, Manager, British Museum), Rebecca Horton (International Training

Programme, Coordinator, British Museum), Jessica Juckes (International Training Programme, Assistant,

British Museum), Andrea Terrón (Guatemala, ITP 2017 and Senior Fellow 2018) gave me this chance and

trusted in me and supported me. At this juncture, I would like to write and convey my deepest gratitude to

these four women. Our life always needs experiences and special people who will make you have these

experiences.

My BM ITP 2018 experience, which has made a great contribution to my profession, as my first overseas

experience. In this process the ITP team (Claire, Becca, Jess, Andrea) were always with me. Moreover, I

would like to express and write my deepest gratitude to Frances Carey (chair of the Marie Louise von

Motesiczky Charitable Trust) who supported me in re-planning my future, gaining the necessary knowledge

and experience to realise my projects and having self-confidence as a curator.

Thank you British Museum! I am grateful to you for making my dream come true and for enabling me to take

a step in the name of transferring world heritage with the knowledge and experience I gained from ITP.

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Thank you to the Marie Louise von Motesiczky Charitable Trust. Thanks to you I have made a new beginning

for my future.

And thank you ITPers 2018. You are gorgeous friends.

Thanks to you, I can speak and write English much better .

Thank you UK!