Art in times of COVID-19 with Tansa Mermerci Eksioglu!

On October 22, The Society launched its art webinar series by organizing “Art in Times of Covid-19”. Moderated by The Society’s Board member Tansa Mermerci Eksioglu, we were pleased to have a variety of voices from the art world to attend as panelist: Susan Hapgood (Executive Director at ISCP), Binnaz Saktanber (Advisor for Moon and Star Project Grants), Celenk Bafra (Director at SAHA), and Sarp Kerem Yavuz(Artist).

Each panelist shared their insights on the challenges and opportunities they endured and experienced during the pandemic. Susan Hapgood walked us through how the pandemic has affected funding and how ISCP has adapted and introduced new initiatives in this challenging time. Celenk Bafra talked about how the expectations, habits, and behaviors of art patrons & collectors evolved within the SAHA organization, and how the organization supports artists and curators now that mobility has become an issue. Binnaz Saktanber explained how the pandemic affected art grants in general and in particular the Moon and Stars Project Grants and how to identify the needs of grant providers and grantees during the pandemic. Finally, Sarp Kerem Yavuz shared how his creativity has been challenged during these tough times and how he used social media to his benefit to sustain sales.