Menemen Pottery Festival

THE HEART OF POTTERY BEATS IN MENEMEN

Dear friends,

In the heart of the Aegean where history and culture meet, Menemen is not just a pearl of the region; it is also one of Turkey's most important pottery centers. We carry the pride of preserving this ancient tradition and striving to pass it on to the future. To this end, we organized the Third International Menemen Pottery Festival to realize a common dream and leave a unique legacy for tomorrow.

In Menemen, pottery is not just a craft; it is a way of life, an expression of culture. Every pot made here has been shaped by the labor and sweat of our Menemen masters, taking inspiration from the soil and spirit of Anatolia. These pots are not just ceramics; they are time capsules carrying traces of our past.

The International Menemen Pottery Festival has successfully undertaken the mission of preserving and carrying this valuable heritage into the future. Our festival revived the traditional art of pottery by bringing pottery masters together; it introduced new generations to this precious heritage and played an important role in introducing Menemen's cultural richness to the world.

By participating in this meaningful event, you showed your support for Menemen's pottery tradition. While celebrating this art that has taken root and grown in Menemen's soil together, we shared the pride of passing it on to future generations.

The Third International Menemen Pottery Festival was held in great unity and solidarity from participants to visitors. We were honored and delighted to see you among us. With love and respect...

PHOTO CONTEST "IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE POTTERY"

The International Menemen Pottery Festival, organized to develop the art of ceramics, include craftsmen in the field of art, especially to encourage young artists in the field of ceramics, and to contribute to Menemen artistically and culturally, the "In the Footsteps of the Pot" Photography Competition held within the scope of the festival; it has become a great resource for recording, archiving and creating a visual memory of the festival from a visual perspective. The competition, which aims to contribute to photography artists and art, and to encourage young people interested in photography, evaluated many beautiful works by the jury after the festival. We congratulate all the winning photographers.

SKILLED HANDS POTTERY COMPETITION

The "Skilled Hands Pottery Competition," organized for the third time this year as part of the International Menemen Pottery Festival, once again featured colorful scenes. 100 contestants from the United States, Albania, Azerbaijan, Algeria, China, Morocco, Canada, TRNC, Pakistan, Poland, France, Belgium, Uzbekistan, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Spain, Italy, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, and Syria, along with participants from various provinces of our country, competed to receive points from 15 jury members from four different countries who participated in the festival.

HEM-HAL MIXED EXHIBITION

The Hem-Hal Mixed Exhibition, one of the most popular events of the 3rd International Menemen Pottery Festival, brought visitors together with art. The exhibition was organized in memory of Ceramic Artist Yıldız Şima, who made great contributions to the International Menemen Pottery Festival and guided us with her experience even today, whom we recently lost. A total of 85 artists applied with their works, and 56 works deemed worthy of exhibition by the Selection Committee consisting of seven academics were displayed. Festival visitors who visited the exhibition, which remained open for three days, had the chance to examine the valuable works up close.

PANEL

As part of the International Menemen Pottery Festival, an event organized on September 6, 2024, the first day of the festival, brought together academics, artists, and ceramic enthusiasts under the title "Menemen Pottery from History's Logbook." The panel, held at Menemen City Park, reminded industry representatives, students, and young people of the sector's past while shedding light on its future. In the panel moderated by Argun Yüksel, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Topsan A.Ş., Prof. Dr. Ersin Doğer, Assoc. Prof. Füsun Çövenoğlu, Ceramic Artist Mehmet Tüzüm Kızılcan, Pottery Artist Ulieana Trandafilova Tekin, and Menemen Potter Master Orkun Küpçü shared their knowledge and experiences with the audience.

ALTERNATİVE FIRING

Alternative Ceramic Firing Technique activities were one of the most interesting areas of the 3rd International Menemen Pottery Festival. While valuable masters and academics participating in the festival brought clay and fire together using different methods, participants had the opportunity to closely observe traditional and modern ceramic firing techniques. Especially during the opening ceremony, the Giant Vase sculpture kiln demonstration organized by Menemen Potter Master Ahmet Taşhomcu and Zinaida Korchagina and Dimitri Sorokin from Russia was watched with great interest and appreciation.

WORKSHOP EVENTS

Workshop stands were one of the prominent activity areas of the 3rd International Menemen Pottery Festival. Many citizens, especially children, showed great interest in the workshop activities organized by 26 artists and academics whom we hosted in our district. The activities, which provided an opportunity to experience clay and art, were enjoyed by thousands of people over three days.

STREET SALES STANDS

The street sales stands set up for artists and businesses aiming to showcase their products to festival visitors as part of the 3rd International Menemen Pottery Festival received great interest. Over the course of three days, 48 artists and business owners from İzmir, Adana, Denizli, Eskişehir, Istanbul, Kütahya, Manisa, Nevşehir, and Şırnak had the opportunity to sell their handcrafted pottery, ceramics, tiles, glass, and sculpture products while also creating a unique visual feast.

THE HEART OF POTTERY BEATS IN MENEMEN

The Third International Menemen Pottery Festival was held in great unity and solidarity from participants to visitors. We were honored and delighted to see you among us. With love and respect...

With love and respect...

2ST INTERNATIONAL MENEMEN POTTERY FESTIVAL

KVKK Text

Cookie Policy

Confidentiality Agreement

Clarification Text

International Menemen Pottery Festival

All articles, news, videos and photographs published on the website www.comlekfestivali.com All kinds of rights belong to Menemen Municipality. Quotation without permission, even by citing the source It can't.