Alarko Holding and İKSV Bring Children and Young People Together with Different Disciplines of Art

Alarko Holding's "First Steps in Art" project, which aims to introduce children and young people to art from an early age, continues in full swing.

Alarko Holding views culturally and artistically inclusive sustainable development as a foundation for the future. In line with this vision, the "First Steps in Art" project, implemented through collaboration between Alarko Holding and Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV), aims to introduce children and young people to art at an early age through art workshops organized alongside IKSV festivals.

In the Stop-Motion Animation Workshop organized between April and June as part of the 44th Istanbul Film Festival, 52 participants in the 14-19 age group designed original characters and created animations. Participants also experienced animation production with artificial intelligence-supported tools and had the opportunity to explore different areas of animation such as editing, sound design and storytelling. The films produced at the end of the workshops were screened on 30 June at an online closing event attended by Istanbul Film Festival Director Kerem Ayan, director Gökalp Gönen who led the workshop, Mehmet Kurtuluş, founder of Anima Istanbul, and Merve Dizdar, who received the Best Actress award at Cannes Film Festival.

In the second phase of the "First Steps in Art" project, "A Musical Weekend" workshops were organized. As part of the 53rd Istanbul Music Festival, hip-hop dance workshops conducted by dance instructors Esma Akın and Aydan Uysal were held in June at three different venues on both the European and Anatolian sides of Istanbul, where 73 children in the 7-12 age groups experienced the excitement of discovering their creativity through music and dance.

In the next phase of the "First Steps in Art" project, the Colorful Jazz Workshops were held on 10 and 12 July with 120 participants in the 6-12 age group as part of the 32nd Istanbul Jazz Festival. Participants explored their sense of rhythm with musician Ezgi Daloğlu and created their own rhythms, while learning portrait art with art educator Uğur Kaya and creating creative works by transforming instruments into portraits. Children who met with jazz musician Meltem Ege explored Latin jazz rhythms with percussion instruments and gained basic knowledge about music genres such as bossa nova and samba.

Theater Workshops Next
The workshop series, which enables children to discover themselves through art, freely express their feelings and develop their creativity, will continue with theater workshops. The workshops to be organized in November during the school break as part of the 29th Istanbul Theater Festival are designed for children in the 4-6 and 7-9 age groups. Through creative activities and behind-the-scenes experiences inspired by Sevinç Erbulak's book "A Day in the Theater," children's imagination will be enriched. These workshops, focused on developing expression skills, will provide young participants with an unforgettable adventure in the magical atmosphere of stage arts.

Visionary Investment from Alarko: Expanding Cultural and Artistic Participation
The "First Steps in Art" project stands out as part of Alarko Holding's sustainability vision that prioritizes not only economic but also social and cultural development. The "First Steps in Art" events, in which the children of Alarko employees also participate, provide a common experience space within the community. Alarko aims to continue supporting the widespread access to art, increasing equal opportunity through art, and particularly establishing platforms that will bring out the creative potential of children.