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ACTIVITIES
İŞBANK
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
49
The events organized by İş Sanat, which
works with the mission of advancing the
artistic life in the country, are among the
most prestigious in Istanbul. Having hosted
more than 500 thousand art lovers at more
than 1,100 events, İş Sanat is the only art
platform in Turkey and worldwide that is
operated by a bank and that belongs to a
corporation.
Having celebrated its 14
th
anniversary
last season, İş Sanat held 32 concerts, 7
children’s events and 5 poetry readings. The
events of the 14
th
season welcomed a total
of 28,437 attendees.
İş Sanat Art Galleries
İşbank has operated art galleries since 1976
to exhibit works and samples from the
Bank’s collections.
İş Sanat Kibele (İstanbul) and İzmir Art
Galleries put on display the paintings,
sculptures and ceramics created not just by
established masters but also by promising
newcomers on the art scene. The Art
Collection of İşbank expands every day with
the artworks of artists exhibited at the
Bank’s galleries.
Kibele Art Gallery hosted retrospective
exhibitions of works by Eşref Üren, Cihat
Aral, Mehmet Mahir and Meriç Hızal in the
2013-2014 season for a total of 21,187
visitors. In the same season, İzmir Art
Gallery hosted 7 exhibitions displaying
large collections of paintings, prints and
ceramics, attracting tremendous interest
from visitors.
The excavation work sponsored by İşbank at the “House
of the Muses,” located in the ancient city of Zeugma,
continued throughout the year.
Türkiye İş Bankası Müzesi (İşbank
Museum)
Having opened its doors in November
2007, the İşbank Museum offers a narrative
of the Bank’s deep-rooted institutional
history and Turkey’s economic development
with documents, banking equipment,
communication devices, photographs,
pictures, advertisements, promotional
materials and films.
The İşbank Museum collection mainly
consists of three-dimensional objects
that depict the transformation phases of
banking in Turkey during the Republican
Period, and objects that have become an
indispensable part of people’s daily lives.
The pieces in the collection have been
obtained from İşbank’s branches. In order to
secure longevity of the pieces, international
museum protection standards are applied
to preserve the collection for posterity.
Workshops are held at the museum to
provide children with a venue to learn
about topics such as Budget Thrift and
Saving, MuseumMemory and Reading.
Furthermore, financial literacy training is
also provided for adults at the museum.
In 2014, more than 12,000 individuals
participated in workshops held at İşbank
Museum.
İşbank Museumwelcomed some 80,000
visitors in 2014. The total number of
museum visitors since the initial opening of
the museum has exceeded 400,000.
Zeugma Ancient City “House of the
Muses” excavation sponsorship
Excavations that began in 1987 in the
ancient city of Zeugma, situated on
the banks of Birecik Reservoir in the
southeastern province of Gaziantep’s
Nizip district, which is one of Turkey’s
important historic and cultural centers, are
in progress. The objects discovered in the
excavations are displayed in the Zeugma
Open Air Museum.
Discovered in 2007, “House of the Muses”
is one of the excavation sites in the ancient
city of Zeugma, with each excavation
site being an individual project. As it was
considered that the excavations to be
undertaken in the ancient city would
contribute significantly to the preservation
of our country’s cultural heritage, İşbank
decided to undertake the sponsorship of
the “House of the Muses” excavation for a
period of 5 years starting from 2012.
Thanks to the excavation work in the
ancient city of Zeugma at the “House of
the Muses,” sponsored by İşbank, 3 new
mosaics were discovered.
International İstanbul Music Festival
held by the İstanbul Foundation for
Culture and Arts
As a trustee member, İşbank supports
the projects of İstanbul Foundation for
Culture and Arts, which has been setting
the cultural and artistic agenda in Turkey
with international film, theater, jazz, and
classical music festivals, and the İstanbul
Biennial.