Balıkesir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ahmet Akın contributed to the sustainability of cultural and artistic activities on Marmara Island with his comprehensive support for the realization of the Çınarlı Culture and Arts Campus. The Metropolitan Municipality brought a new living space to Marmara Island with landscaping, park construction, lighting and labor support on an area of 2 square meters.
Within the scope of the Marmara Islands Culture and Arts Center (Marmara Center) project, financed with a grant from the Joint: Culture, Dialogue and Support Program implemented by Balıkesir Metropolitan Municipality, Marmara Municipality and Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) with the support of the European Union, Çınarlı Culture and Arts Campus was established. Marmara District Governor Safiye Orhan, Marmara Mayor Aydın Dinçer, Balıkesir Metropolitan Municipality Council Members Şahin Alagaş and Cemal Aksoy, Marmara Municipalities Union Representative Samet Keskin, İKSV Deputy General Manager Mustafa Yeğen and Marmara Islands Culture and Arts Center project coordinator Adil Çamur attended the opening ceremony of Çınarlı Culture and Arts Center.
THE PUBLIC SHOWED GREAT INTEREST IN THE OPENING
The opening ceremony, which attracted great interest from the citizens, began with the ribbon cutting ceremony accompanied by the applause of the crowd. Speaking after the ribbon cutting, İKSV Deputy General Manager Mustafa Yeğen expressed that the first step towards the goals with the joint project was taken in this venue and thanked all stakeholders. Mustafa Yeğen said, “With the partnership of the Metropolitan Municipality and Marmara Municipality, the Marmara Islands Culture and Art Axis project started last October. Such a settlement was created in order to eliminate the disadvantages on the island scale, both to increase the effectiveness of the culture and art life on the island and to create a sustainable ecosystem.”
THANKS TO MARMARA AND METROPOLITAN MUNICIPALITY
Later, Project Field Coordinator Adil Çamur gave information about the project and the work done on the campus. Adil Çamur said, “I would like to thank Marmara Mayor Aydın Dinçer for supporting us. Afterwards, the Metropolitan Municipality teams took the necessary action and conducted the inspection. Lighting was a problem here. They helped with that issue as well. We also thank you. Our work is ready for the operation of this place. We want to make this a place where we will produce content collectively in cooperation. We will carry this out by coming together with stakeholders and pass it on to future generations.”
Marmara Islands Mayor Aydın Dinçer stated that the campus was designed as a common area for civil society organizations on the islands. He stated that with the campus, cultural and artistic activities in Çınarlı Neighborhood and Marmara Island will increase.
THE PROGRAM SUPPORTED BY THE METROPOLITAN MUNICIPALITY WAS COLORFUL WITH EVENTS
Following the speeches, the children's folk dance group and the Balıkesir Metropolitan Municipality Pop Orchestra took the stage. Within the scope of the Marmara Aks project artist visit program, the work of Sibel Horada, who is located on Marmara Island, was exhibited in the common office area. The short film titled “From Small Boat to Big Ship”, shot in collaboration with the Visual Anthropology Center and Saraylar Imam Hatip students from Belgrade, was shown in the Avni Özken hall in the Çınarlı Culture and Arts Campus. The children spent time coloring in the activity room on the campus and also had the opportunity to examine the children's library with an island theme.
