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To my knowledge there was only one freelance cera- regardless of title or position the place was cleaned,
mic artist living in Ankara, Hamiye Çolakoğlu whom I repaired and painted and eventually it was tuned into
invited to join the new faculty and start a department a centre of attraction, and became a place of frequ-
of ceramics. Convincing her was an ardous work. Fi- ent visits from all other departments on the campus.
nally she gave in and accepted the invitation. She im- It was all thanks to the warm personality, talent and
mediately activated her professional network to meet ability of Professor Çolakoğlu. The utensils, ovens and
the necessities of a new department which was going materials needed were all donations provided by hea-
to be established from scratch. Her next effort was ds of relevant industries, friends and organisations as
to form her academic staff. Topping the list with her, a result of personal relations.
I would like to commemorate late Professor Kaya Öz- Before admitting our first students for the 1982-83
sezgin, late Professor Sıtkı Erinç who were among the academic year we came together to decide our edu-
founding academic staff of the Department of Cerami- cation policies and plans for the future. First we had
cs. May they rest in peace. The last but not the least to define the role of art in man’s life. After lengthy
I would like to extend my personal thanks to Professor debates we came up with the idea that art promotes
Nazan Sönmez, and the first teaching assistants Yüksel richness of experience, help develop personality, and
Öcal, Berna Orhon and Banu all of whom are no lon- sociability, help search the good and the beautiful,
ger with us. Of course, I cannot leave out the present help the individual become open-minded,and create
academics who have untiringly been working for the emotional stability. Therefore we had designed the
further development of their department. I deeply ap- programs to educate the students so as to help them
preciate their efforts and I would like to congratulate become spiritually, emotionally and morally stable ar-
them. The Department is no longer seeking for aca- tists with independent and rational minds to be able
demic resources but it has become a resource in itself. to answer the needs and demands of their country
and get the necessary knowledge for a profession that
Another important problem that needed to be solved would make them satisfied, happy and content. There
was creating the required space for the sudios and staff fore the programs included such topics as aesthtics,
rooms, since the faculty had no building of its own and history of western thought, sociology of art, philosop-
there was no sign of hope to have one. In fact the new hy of art, history of art, as well as studio work. Howe-
century had to be waited for the first building of the fa- ver at this point I have to express my regrets at the
culty. The only possibility offered was to discover unu- removal of these courses from the teaching programs.
sed spaces in the building of the Faculty of Letters. For Despite this failing point, after having such a trying be-
the Department of Ceramics the space available was ginning , it has been a pleasure to see the thriving of
an abondoned corridor with a few rooms. By the way the department in the able hands of young academics.
they were quite lucky when compared with, for examp-
le the Department of Sculpture which was obliged to In 1985 we started with a 3- yearly national conference
use two landings of staircases. Which was to be the on arts in general and published the papers presented,
Department of Ceramics was covered with cobwebs, thus starting a series of publications on art. To have
window panes were broken, walls were moldy with international ties we became a member of ECUME an
humidity. However with the help of everyone, organasation of art schools of the Mediterranean

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