American Turkish Society
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| Established | 1949 |
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| Mission | To enhance business, economic, and cultural and artistic ties between Turkey and the United States. |
| Chairman | Murat Koprulu |
| Location | New York, New York |
| Website | www.americanturkishsociety.org |
The American Turkish Society (ATS) is the oldest non-for-profit, apolitical organization based in America dedicated to building bridges between the United States and Turkey. The Society hosts a broad spectrum of programming, including lectures, workshops, symposia, conferences, festivals, performances, and exhibitions that highlight topics of relevance to the Turkish-American community and help to promote Turkish arts and culture in the United States.
The American Turkish Society was founded on June 29, 1949 when eight men gathered in New York City to announce its establishment. Its founding members were Selim Sarper, Ernest Jackh, Asa Jennings, Lewis Owen, Charles Wylie and three Turkish representatives, ex oficio. The organization was formed in order to further cross-cultural understanding between the United States and Turkey. In 1979, the organization restructured and Atlantic Records founder, Ahmet Ertegun, became chairman of the board of directors. He served as chairman until his death in 2006. The current chairman is Murat Köprülü, Head of Emerging Markets and Global Investment Strategy for a major hedge fund group based in New York.
The American Turkish Society provides several scholarships, grants, and awards to students, educators, and artists, in the United States and Turkey. Scholarships include The Ahmet Ertegun Memorial Scholarship at The Juilliard School, The Arif Mardin Music Fellowship at Berklee College of Music, Summer Residency at the School of Visual Arts, and the Young Photographers Award.
The Society also offers grants in education and the arts. Curriculum Development Grants facilitate discussion on Turkey in K-12 classrooms across the United States. American educators across America are encouraged to develop curricula incorporating Turkey in order to promote and broaden interest in Turkish culture and give American students an opportunity to increase their knowledge of Turkey.
The Society's Moon and Stars Project grants are offered to rising and established artists across the globe who are working on projects that relate to Turkey or Turkish art. The MASP grants were established by the Moon and Stars Project, which was a New York-based Turkish arts organization that merged with the Society in 2012.
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Wikipedia