SPECIAL REPORT MUSEUMS AND CULTURAL LANDSCAPES
Reinvigorating a remote hilltop The cultural landscapes of the Baksı Museum ©BAKSI MUSEUM
by Feride Celik, Director, Baksı Museum, Turkey
The Baksı Museum, Bayburt Province, Turkey
M
igration has been a major issue for Turkey since the 1960s, notably in the country’s eastern provinces. Populations move towards the industrialised cities of Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, as well as European countries such as Germany, Holland, Switzerland and Belgium, driven by fear for their future and the quest for a better life, a good education system, employment opportunities and a stable healthcare system. Migration has adverse effects on women and children, primarily, due to their vulnerability. Bayburt, the smallest province in Turkey, counts high levels of migration. While some migrants have retained a connection to their native region, albeit limited, a significant 16 ICOMNEWS | N°3-4 2015
portion of the population has left not to return, seeking out work as seasonal agricultural labourers. Bayraktar is the smallest village in the province, located in a remote mountainous region that has lost much of its population to migration. Its ancient name is Baksı, or ‘shaman’, and in recent years, it has become known as home to a museum project that is reinvigorating the local community and triggering reverse migration. The Baksı story The Baksı Museum was the brainchild of Hüsamettin Koçan, an Istanbul-based artist who was born in Bayraktar. Koçan’s father left the village to work when Hüsamettin
was very young, returning home only once every two years. Koçan would eagerly await his father’s return throughout his childhood, subsequently moving to Istanbul to become a renowned artist and later, Dean of Marmara University Fine Arts Faculty. Many years on, when his father passed away, he returned home to the village to pay his respects – and started planning for a project to house the works of local artisans. Hüsamettin Koçan originally wanted to transform an old mansion in the village into a cultural centre, but faced with substantial bureaucratic obstacles, he decided instead to build a new museum from scratch. The preparations for the Baksı Museum started