https://www.haberturk.com/kenan-yavuz-etnografya-muzesine-avrupadan-turizm-tasarim-buyuk-odulu-3627667

Kenan Yavuz Ethnography Museum has won another of Europe’s most prestigious awards. At the Design Summit held in Slovenia, the Big See Tourism Design Grand Award was given to Kenan Yavuz Ethnography Museum. The award, given by the Big See Platform, formed by 22 European countries in cooperation with the Slovenian Ministry of Culture and UNESCO, to original designs and projects that bring identity experiences to life, was awarded to Kenan Yavuz Ethnography Museum in 2023. The award ceremony was held at the Music Academy in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. The jury, which included important names from the design world such as Paul Robbercht, Kentaro Takeguchi, Prof. Ron Nabarro, and Jose Martinez, announced that Kenan Yavuz Ethnography Museum was deemed worthy of the award for its successful work in the field of cultural identity, carrying the past to the future with creative projects, and bringing local tradition together with the global world. Kenan Yavuz Ethnography Museum Board Member and External Relations Coordinator Furkan Yavuz, who managed the process leading up to the award, said the following about the award:

“Our museum, which uses the mottos of ‘Return to the Roots’ and ‘Those Who Come to Us Live Us’, won the European Museum Forum Silletto Grand Prize and the Museum of the Year Award in 2021, and then received the 2022 European Union Cultural Heritage Europa Nostra Award and the Special Award of our Ministry of Culture and Tourism from our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, which increased our responsibilities and reinforced our excitement.

The story of our family, which we started as an amateur 12 years ago, met with the spirit of Anatolia, grew and turned into a place that represents our country in the international arena and carries our ancient culture as a flag today. Today, it was awarded the Grand Prix Tourism Design Grand Prize at the “Big See Tourism Design Week 2023” summit in Slovenia by a jury consisting of very important names from the world of design and architecture. Our story, reflecting the spirit of our land, has won one of the most important cultural design awards in the world by carrying the ancient heritage of Anatolia, the cultural capital of the world, from today to the future. It has been a great source of pride for us on behalf of our family, friends and our country.

We have fixed one foot on the soil of our village and are traveling around the world with the other foot. Being the first museum of our country to win such important awards in the field of cultural heritage has become a great success story, as defined by our cultural ambassadors.

We have brought a brand new perspective to the world museum understanding. Our museum has transformed the issue of migration from village to city, the importance of agriculture and animal husbandry, the unique architecture of Anatolian villages, and our traditional life that should not be forgotten into factual messages with a holistic approach. My late grandfather Mecit Yavuz’s legacy to my father Kenan Yavuz, ‘Son, whatever you are, do not forget your village, use the opportunities God has given you to pay your debt to your land’ has become our red apple. We, as the third generation, will hopefully carry the flag of this heritage forward.”

Speaking at the ceremony, the Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to Slovenia, Aylin Taşhan, said, “I am very happy to participate in the 2023 Big See Design Conference as the Ambassador of Turkey. I congratulate the Big See Platform for this magnificent organization. Turkey is the intersection point of the deep cultural heritage of the east and the west, the north and the south, with its architectural, design and cultural richness. Today, I congratulate the Kenan Yavuz Ethnography Museum, which received the Tourism Design Grand Award, and I believe that this award will increase the cooperation between our countries and allow for better mutual recognition of our cultures.”