As a Traditional Arts Association, since the COVID-19 pandemic has started in our country (mid-March), we took new measurements. First of all, we re-organized our routine works and moved every possible task online while shaping our workflow.

The association team members started to work from home instead and those who need to come to the office have applied social distance rules strictly. We had to cancel or postpone all organized or co-organized events, meetings, and organizations due to the global pandemic situation; however, we are organizing online events and meetings when possible via our social media accounts.

The content of such events includes education seminars, live Instagram broadcasts on every weekend, and usual board meetings. Our scope is Traditional Arts and Crafts and we have scheduled more live shows for the coming weeks.

Although it necessitates to be taught under master-apprentice relationship, the members of our association -masters and academicians- also continue to conduct their workshops, lectures, and classes either online or via different social media channels. Most of them make their own works accessible through these broadcasts.

We are also providing them with free legal and technical advice on these matters. As for other art and culture institutions in Turkey, all of them started to go online and made the museums, exhibitions, libraries accessible through their websites and social media accounts. This allows the audience to reach art and culture by using online channels while maintaining self-protection measurements.

The current situation is an opportunity born out of a crisis enabling us to think of ways to reach out to our members, to art and culture enthusiasts as well as keeping up with our community in a healthy and sustainable way.

We believe that continuity is a must in terms of intangible cultural heritage and we are trying our best to keep up safeguarding our heritage. Therefore, we aim to maintain our schedule and activities this way. We are also open to the experiences of other NGOs.

We do hope this process will end quickly and in a healthy way for all countries in the world. Stay safe, stay home, stay healthy.

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