Gül Özveren Art Gallery Opened At Toros University

"Gülüm Özveren Art Gallery", named after the wife of Toros University Founding Chairman of the Board of Trustees Ali Özveren, was opened on Friday, 24 November 2023.

The opening of the "Gülüm Özveren Art Gallery", which took place at the Uray Campus, where the Faculty of Fine Arts, Design and Architecture is located on the historic Uray Street, was attended by Founding Chairman of the Board of Trustees Ali Özveren and his wife Gülüm Özveren, Chairman of the Board of Trustees Y. Sertaç Özveren, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Mayor of Akdeniz M. Mustafa Gültak, Vice Rectors Prof. Dr. Tunay Köksal and Prof. Dr. Adnan Mazmanoğlu, Dean of GSTMF Prof. Dr. Uğurcan Akyüz, Members of the Board of Trustees, Academicians, Department Heads, artists, art lovers and many students attended the opening ceremony.

Toros University Gülüm Özveren Art Gallery opened its first exhibition dedicated to the 100th anniversary of our Republic. The works of 9 artists, including Prof. Dr. Uğurcan Akyüz, Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Design and Architecture, were exhibited. At the opening exhibition, Prof. Dr. Uğurcan Akyüz, Kim Yong Moon, Lecturer. Prof. Dr. Uğurcan Akyüz, Kim Yong Moon, Lecturer. Orhan Karakaplan, Lecturer. Assist. Elif Kılıçdoğan, Lecturer. Assist. Gözde Çetinkaya, Hüseyin Sönmez, Hüseyin Özçelik, Osman Keten, Hasan Zeybek took place.

AKYÜZ "WE MADE A VERY RIGHT DECISION FOR THE NAME OF OUR EXHIBITION"

GSTMF Dean Prof. Dr. Uğurcan Akyüz started his speech by congratulating the Head Teacher Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and all teachers on Teachers' Day and said: "We are here together for the opening of the "Gülüm Özveren Art Gallery" hosted by our Faculty of Fine Arts, Design and Architecture under the roof of Toros University and for the opening of our first exhibition dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the foundation of our Republic. I shared the story of the name of our gallery, Toros University Gülüm Özveren Art Gallery, in the catalogue. Personally, I think we made the right decision.

Since its foundation, Toros University has been growing and progressing with confident steps in every field, while the field of art had to catch up with the others. For this reason, we, as artists/academics, quickly set to work. Our hope, expectation and dream is that the works that emerged at the end of our workshops held under the roof of Toros University will be established in a museum and take their place there. Of course, we need to work harder, more workshops, more works of art means a more beautiful and stronger museum. We are taking firm steps forward.

We have created a selection of the works we have brought to our university in the two international workshops we have held in a year and a half. Undoubtedly, these works will constitute the first inventory of the museum of our university, which we hope to establish in the future. We will open the exhibition soon. Of course, we have had other events, and there are others in the queue.

It is a great chance for us that our university and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees value art as much as science. Behind every success, there are heroes who stay behind and do not like to be seen in the foreground. They are forgotten along with the success. At least today, I would like to bring their names before you with thanks" and thanked everyone who contributed one by one.

KÖKSAL: "THE BIGGEST SUPPORTER IS MRS GÜL ÖZVEREN"

Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Tunay Köksal started his speech by congratulating the teachers' day and said: "I would like to thank our Rector Prof. Dr. Ömer Arıöz for his contribution to artistic activities as well as all other activities. Our Founding Chairman of the Board of Trustees Ali Özveren is a person who has made great contributions to the education life of both Mersin and Turkey. There have been many people who have supported him on this challenging journey, but his most important supporter is his precious wife Gülüm Özveren. This gallery will make an artistic contribution to Mersin, many works will be published here."

GÜLTAK "WE WILL WALK IN THE DIRECTION OF CONTEMPORARY CIVILISATIONS"

Taking the floor after Köksal, Mayor of Akdeniz M. Mustafa Gültak said, "I celebrate the day of all our teachers, but I am against days, let's celebrate and respect the day of our teachers 365 days a year, valuable things should always be valuable and should not be compressed into days and weeks. Recently it was 29 October and we celebrated the 100th anniversary of our Republic and we will be here for many centuries. As Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk said, we will walk in the direction of contemporary civilisations. This does not happen in words, we need to work, practice and put something into practice. We attach great importance to art and culture. The campus we are currently on is one of the most important historical monuments of Mersin. May this gallery opened by Toros University be beneficial to all our students and Mersin."

ÖZVEREN "THE SACRIFICES OF MRS GÜL ARE UNPAYABLE"

Lastly, Ali Özveren, Chairman of the Founding Board of Trustees, said: "People should make social contributions as much as they can in order to pay their debts to the society they live in. We have chosen the profession of education by chance and we are trying to operate in that field. 50 years ago, we opened the first art gallery in Mersin together with Mr Semihi Vural. The three basic characteristics of human beings are thinking, creating and doing, that is, morality, logic and art. For these to happen, educators and parents have a duty. While we are interested in education on the one hand, we are trying to be interested in art on the other hand. I do not perceive this as a success, this is a responsibility, each of us should contribute to the society as much as we can. I know the sacrifices that Mrs. Gülüm has made for me and her children, but expressing this in the form of giving her name to such a place would not be doing our duty to her, they are unspeakable sacrifices that cannot be paid."

After the speeches, "Gülüm Özveren Art Gallery" was opened by cutting the ribbon. The exhibition, which was visited by visitors, was highly appreciated.

While the Mersin Metropolitan Municipality City Orchestra performed a music concert, flavours prepared by the Department of Gastronomy and Culinary Arts of GSTMF were served to the participants.

The exhibition, which is the first exhibition, can be visited by art lovers between 24 November and 22 December 2023.