AN EXPLORATION OF A VILLAGE INSTITUTES PRACTICE IN ART EDUCATION
A STUDY ON THE ‘ders BELGELİĞİ’ WORKSHOP
Ezgi KAPLAN SALT Research Funds – 2024 Projects
Among 183 projects funded by SALT Research Funds in 2024, six were selected for presentation and discussion during a program held at SALT Galata on Friday, December 13. The event, which began with an opening speech by SALT General Director
Deniz Ova, attracted significant attention both in person and online.
The sessions, moderated by members of the Selection Committee —
Prof. Dr. Gülhan Balsoy (Istanbul Bilgi University),
Assoc. Prof. Ayşe Erek (Kadir Has University), and
Assoc. Prof. Bilge İmamoğlu (TED University) — featured presentations by researchers on their methodologies, processes, and findings.
During the second session, moderated by
Assoc. Prof. Ayşe Erek, projects under the theme of ‘Art’ were showcased. Ezgi Kaplan, a participant in the ders BELGELİĞİ initiative, presented her project titled “A Village Institutes Practice in Art Education: An Exploration of the ‘ders BELGELİĞİ’ Workshop.”
Ders BELGELİĞİ: Historical and Educational Reflections
Initiated in 1995 at Marmara University’s Atatürk Faculty of Education, Department of Fine Arts Education, Painting-Handicraft Teaching Program, within the workshop of H. Avni Öztopçu, the educational method called Ders BELGELİĞİ can be considered, from a historical perspective, as carrying the traces of the Bauhaus philosophy and the Village Institutes educational structure — a significant reflection in the Turkish education system. However, before delving into these similarities and differences, I would like to start by examining Ders BELGELİĞİ through the academic texts written about it, interviews conducted with its students, and my own observations.
Ders BELGELİĞİ began in 1995 in workshop number 8 at Marmara University’s Atatürk Faculty of Education, Painting-Handicraft Teaching Department, under the guidance of H. Avni Öztopçu. The course notes evolved into a magazine, which over time became a formation housing a memory that encompasses many processes. According to Ders BELGELİĞİ graduate Leyla Mengüç, Ders BELGELİĞİ “is an ethical, aesthetic, and dynamic education and production process that does not contradict nature, born from the needs of the age and a reckoning with the past” (Çiftcibaşı, 2023).
What is Ders BELGELİĞİ?
During the Social Entrepreneurship Program for Social Transformation broadcast on Açık Radyo, Ders BELGELİĞİ graduate Selin Yağmur Sönmez responded to the question “What is Ders BELGELİĞİ?” as follows:
“Belgelik literally means ‘Archive’ in Turkish, and Ders BELGELİĞİ means documenting what happens in the class, creating a memory or archive. This was its initial aim but its scope gradually widened. Ders BELGELİĞİ is concerned with how art relates to other disciplines. Students investigate how art can connect with other fields. These inquiries usually arise from a need; there is no fixed formula or ready recipe for Ders BELGELİĞİ. Above all, it is a self-reflective structure. It is not a teaching model imposed by the teacher on students for application; rather, it is an educational process that evolves collaboratively, where students reinterpret and reflect on their own work, think critically, and jointly develop solutions to educational problems. Defining it precisely is difficult because our work does not always have clear boundaries. Art is somewhat similar. A problem arises, and various solutions are sought, or a need emerges. For example, when an art student conducts outdoor work, they go outside and observe nature, but this observation is not done with purely instrumental or utilitarian logic. The student realizes that nature includes humans living within it; they perceive this and evaluate their own position. Nature is not an object or an external structure; we are a part of it. Ders BELGELİĞİ proceeds with this awareness. Its fundamental aim is to nurture individuals who become the genuine humans of their profession. This is primarily a social issue rather than an individual one; students work actively in the field, learn by doing, observe, and seek solutions to problems. This is how what we call interdisciplinarity develops.”
Participant Yıldırım İnal, part of the research project, answered the question “What is Ders BELGELİĞİ?” as follows:
“Although it is difficult to define Ders BELGELİĞİ with a single definition, I can evaluate its parts, processes, and goals. At its core, it is based on an art education process and method. This process progresses in an organized manner and offers students opportunities to question themselves, society, nature, humans, humanity’s past, and the accumulated knowledge about the future. In this questioning process, the student gains a metacognitive developmental ground that supports identity formation as a researching and producing individual. While learning how to transfer the outcomes of these questioning and research processes into two-dimensional and three-dimensional productions, the student also understands what to pay attention to during this transfer. They think about and question the movement between the elements of their composition, considering all fundamental principles. They also evaluate interdisciplinary dynamics such as music, philosophy, and literature, incorporating these into their productions. These processes contribute to Ders BELGELİĞİ’s goal of cultivating “true individuals of their profession who understand themselves and society, research, produce, and add value to life.” The archive and its branches recall Joseph Beuys’ concept of “social sculpture” and the “7000 Oaks” project. Similarly, Belgelik acts like a living entity where students and alumni leave traces with their knowledge, experience, and thoughts; this accumulation shapes, renews, and enriches over time. Thus, Belgelik becomes a living and evolving organism extending from past to future with individual contributions. Like a living organism with constantly renewing students and alumni, it changes, transforms, and affects; it embodies a structure with both past and present, becoming an entity that can touch the future and live the truth in the moment.”
Research Methodology
The research conducted within this project employed qualitative methods, particularly interviews. The research universe was limited to individuals who had encountered this workshop at some point in their lives. The sample consisted of Ders BELGELİĞİ students/graduates and participants from various professions who follow Ders BELGELİĞİ externally. A total of 62 people participated, including 44 students/graduates and 18 external participants. Considering time constraints, interview questions were prepared and delivered online. The data obtained was evaluated focusing on the relevant topics.
Common Keywords and Concepts
When examining responses to the question “What is Ders BELGELİĞİ?”, the following words and concepts frequently appeared:
Avni Hoca (Teacher Avni)
Nature
Philosophy
History
Branches
Collective
Interdisciplinary
Archive
Memory
Preservation
Accumulation
Learning by Doing and Living
Active Student Participation
Freedom
Originality
The True Person of the Field
The definitions given by participants generally revolved around these concepts.
Role and Impact of Ders BELGELİĞİ
Ders BELGELİĞİ builds and preserves its own history and memory through voluntary participation of its students, and carries this legacy forward through various channels. Such a formation directly supports students aiming to become the true individuals of their field. It offers an alternative to education models that confine learning within four walls. Belgelik is like a living memory that nurtures a student’s process and continues to live through their voluntary contributions. Its working branches provide students with a space for exploration related to themselves and their environment, encompassing the human as a whole in relation to their surroundings, bringing them a step closer to their own selves.
Perspectives on Expanding the Model
The question “Do you think the Ders BELGELİĞİ education model should be expanded? Is there a need for this in the current atmosphere? How could this be achieved? What are your thoughts?” was asked.
Participant Zekeriya Ezelhan argued in favor of expanding the model:
“Expanding the Ders BELGELİĞİ education model is especially important to address the lack of deep thinking and creative production in Turkey’s art education system. The current system largely relies on rote learning and restricts individual creativity. Ders BELGELİĞİ emphasizes that art is not only a technical skill but also a thoughtful, philosophical, and interdisciplinary process. This model allows students to develop their artistic identities and integrates art with life. Expansion could be achieved by reorganizing course content in art schools and treating art as a system of thought rather than just a skill. Strengthening the connection with nature, philosophy, and other disciplines would deepen students’ understanding. This also requires retraining art educators and reinforcing their artistic identities. Ultimately, Ders BELGELİĞİ could play a critical role in evolving Turkey’s art education into a creative, free, and interdisciplinary structure. It promotes a new understanding that sees art not just as a technical skill but as a process that deepens humanity.”
Participant Merve Çiftcibaşı reflected on the need for the model from a temporal perspective:
“People tend to lose themselves in the pace of life by forgetting their historical structure. They need spaces where they can stop and think, ask questions. Education is at the root of this condition. The transient, discontinuous nature of education causes the loss of historical structure. A human type that only lives in the moment and forgets the past has emerged. Concepts like archive and memory arise as we face the past and strengthen the bonds between time dimensions. Ders BELGELİĞİ incorporates archive and memory concepts into education and relates them to time’s dimensions. An education system where processes are made meaningful and formed from generation to generation should exist today. Ders BELGELİĞİ can raise awareness and become an example by becoming more visible.”
Participant Deniz Bozkurt evaluated the possibility of such a structure existing outside a university:
“I think Ders BELGELİĞİ could transform into a formation beyond the university, in a larger physical space hosting workshops, production, panels, exhibitions, studios, and short-term trainings. It could be a version of the Nesin Mathematics Village. Whether there is a need is debatable, but what matters is whether students or alumni have motivation or desire for this. If so, then there is a need. Being outside the university could provide a freer environment without restrictions of class hours.”
Özkan Eroğlu discussed expanding Ders BELGELİĞİ into an educational museum:
“The Ders BELGELİĞİ education model holds an important place in Turkey’s art education development, introducing an interdisciplinary, student-centered, and creative approach. Expanding it would enrich art education and support students’ development of critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity. The workshops and interdisciplinary interactions enable students to connect with art beyond unidirectional knowledge transfer. Applying this model in universities, high schools, and other institutions could bring a holistic view of art and education. Thus, expansion is necessary. To prevent it from fading, supporting Ders BELGELİĞİ with a museum seems essential. Though it was created with our teacher Avni, it should be integrated into the A.E.F. Painting-Handicraft Teaching curriculum, potentially as an interdisciplinary workshop branch. A Ders BELGELİĞİ Museum would offer innovative contributions, documenting creative processes and interdisciplinary studies in art education, providing visitors with a different experience space. Workshops on art, nature, philosophy, music, and demonstrating art’s relationship with other disciplines could introduce society to the educational dimension of art. Such a museum could become an innovative learning center in art education and help bring art to a broader audience in Turkey. There is a definite need for this today. In the digital age, art contributes crucially to emotional and intellectual development. Creative thinking and critical perspectives necessitate more art education, which should not be limited to technical knowledge transfer but engage with art’s nature to develop conscious individuals. In conclusion, expanding and museumifying Ders BELGELİĞİ would bring fresh vitality to art education and offer interdisciplinary, student-centered contributions to Turkey’s art education philosophy. Such projects promote viewing art not just as a skill but as a tool for societal transformation.”
