Carried through non-stop since for 30 years since 1991, the 16th of the Golden Jug Ceramic Competition is made. Organized by Izmir Rotary Club, the competition has been delayed because of the pandemic. Keeping up the competition with a great devotion, Yildiz Sima, in the award ceremony, underlined the phrase “Ars longa, vita brevis- Life is short, art lasts long”.
Assoc. Prof. M. CANDAN GUNGOR
Organized as a biennial ceremony every two year since 1991 by Izmir Rotary Club, the oldest Rotary Club of Izmir and Aegean Region and the third oldest of Turkey of which's foundation dates back to 1961, 16th Golden Jug Ceramic Competition is resulted. The award ceremony and opening of the exhibition with a large invitee group, is made in the 7th of October in Kulturpark Art Gallery with the concert given by Izmir State Opera and Ballet.
Being kept up by Halim - Yildiz Sima couple with a great devotion and carried through non-stop for thirty years, the Golden Jug Ceramic Competition couldn't be held thus delayed for the last two years because of the pandemic. Among the 185 works submitted the competition this year, 100 works passed the elimination and found worth to be exhibited.
Began to support ceramic art and artists for the first couple of years, the works taking place in the competition have been increased in years both in terms of quantity and quality. There are artists who have participated the competition in 90s and became lecturers in the academic staff all over Turkey now and for the first time, three lecturers who won awards in this competition before, took part as a jury member now.
2655 artists have attended the competition since the starting year of 1991 to this year 2021, with 1735 of them whose works have been exhibited and 639 of them who won awards. Competition has made it to three continents in 2014, 2016 and 2018 and took on an international dimension with foreign attendees and jury members. But this year, the international side of the competition is cancelled due to the measures taken because of the pandemic.
Yildiz Sima expressed her emotions and thoughts regarding the competition as follows: “30 years in Golden Jug! Yes, a full of 30 years, how it all passed; whereas we thought that millennium is so far away! We made the competition one after another in 91-92 and sure we had difficulties... And so we thought we would be more successive if we do it every two years and achieved a first in Turkey. They say Izmir is the city of firsts. And Golden Jug is one of those firsts. Ceramics was being considered under sculpture art even in a state exhibition. After Golden Jug, ceramics is accepted as a separate branch of art. As far as I hear from young people, Izmir Golden Jug Ceramic Competition is the only ceramic competition in the world that continues for 30 years besides being golden and with many awards. And there's this another feature of Golden Jug which's very honorary: it's not being made to acquire any advertising, earning or collection and all the works of the artists are being returned to themselves. Because the purpose is serving art and the artist. The embodiment of this service comes up to us as the Golden Jug Certificate of Achievement in artist biographies. I finish my words with these Latin phrases which I love most. ‘ARTE LONGE VİTA BREVİS’; ‘Life is short, art lasts long’.”
Izmir Rotary Club 2021-2022 Term President M. Erdal Miskioglu in his opening speech, thanked Yildiz - Halim Sima couple who brought in this competition to the club keeping on for thirty years and continued his words; “Since the loss of Halim Sima in 2014, Yildiz Sima still keeps working as the creator and head of this competition. Today Golden Jug became one of the most distinguished ceramic competitions not only in national but also in international scale and created a big family of its' own including competition attendees, jury members and we the Rotarians. Golden Jug Family will do its' best to keep this competition alive.”
This year, Assoc. Prof. Atilla Cengiz Kilic, Bingul Basarir, Prof. Halil Yoleri, Lecturer Hasan Sahbaz, Mustafa Tuncalp, Assoc. Prof. Mutlu Baskaya, Prof. Sevim Cizer took place among the competition jury. The competition exhibition was viewed in Izmir Paint and Sculpture Museum's Kulturpark Art Gallery between 7th - 12th October 2021.
Open to attendance of everyone who are interested in ceramic art in our country, supporting the art and the artist, followed and anticipated by art-lovers with excitement, we wish the Golden Jug Ceramic Competition to live much longer.
Award winning artists in the competition
I. Award (Gulen&Turan Muskara Award): Sevinc Koseoglu Ulubatli
II. Award (Serra&Telat Muskara Award): Ekrem Coskun
III. Award (Bilun & Galip Fesci Award): Ebru Bulut
I. Honorable Mention (Ayse & Erdogan Atay Award): Eda Ilbeyci
II. Honorable Mention (Naile&Recep Cukurova Award): Canan Gurel Ak
III. Honorable Mention (Gul& Sukru Kocagoz Award): Aylin Alkan
Youth Award (Yildiz&Halim Sima Award): Simel Berfin Polat
Person and institution Awards;
1) Izmir Rotary Club Award: Hakan Ergun
2) Presidents' Special Award: Nuriye Demir
3) Izmir Inner Wheel Club Award: Umit Koyman
4) Gulen Muskara Award: Seyfullah Buyukcapar
5) Filiz Sarper Award: Arzu Kantemir
6) Tuzum Kizilcan Award: Kenan Tarhan
7) Gonul Oney Award: Nurdan Akbulut
8) Gunduz Hekimgil Award: Emre Aydos
9) Gul Kocagoz Award: Lezgin Kanat
10) Birsen & Bulent Civelek Award: Ferda Filiz
11) Belkıs & Goksen Saran Award: Sevim Cinar
12) Enver Dundar Basar Award: Furkan Yuce
13) Gurdal & Gurel Ozcalik Award: Selim Cinar
14) Simart Award: Fatma Gurle
15) Hasan Ursavas Award: Denis Dilara Kesimli Aytepe
