TCF and the World Affairs Councils of America (WACA) selected 11 WACA councils as partners for the 2014 Spotlight on Turkey program. In 2014, World Affairs Councils in Dayton and Northwest Ohio,  Minnesota, Santa Fe, Salt Lake City, Utah, Washington, DC, Las Vegas, Nevada, St.Louis, Missouri, Seattle, Washington and Denver, Colarado will partner with TCF and WACA in the implementation of this nationwide educational program on Turkey, funded by a major TCF grant. The Spotlight on Turkey program features Teacher Workshops on Turkey, Teacher Study Tours to Turkey, and a series of cultural programs for the general public titled Portrait of Turkey.

On November 22-24, TCF participated in the nation's largest Social Sciences conference organized by the National Council for the Social Sciences. The TCF session titled "Broaden Your Horizons: International Travel Opportunities for Global Perspectives" promoted the Spotlight on Turkey program as an important tool for teachers to shape their students as globally competitive individuals, while learning about Turkey. The TCF informational booth at the conference provided participating teachers, administrators and educators an opportunity to learn more about the educational and cultural programs of TCF and about Turkey.

The deadline to apply for the 2014 TCF Cultural Exchange Fellowship's first term is December 2. Established in 2012, the TCF Cultural Exchange Fellowship aims to support international exchanges between artists and other culture professionals. After December 2, interested individuals may apply for the second term fellowships until June 2, 2014. For more information on eligibility, terms and application forms, please visit the TCF website.

The 2013-2014 season of the TCF Lecture Series in Turkish Culture and Art held at the TCF Istanbul offices featured Dr.Karin Adahl, Uppsala University on November 5, who spoke on the topic of “The Ottoman heritage in Sweden and the Celsing Collection,” and Dr.M.Sinan Genim of TAC Foundation, who took participants on a journey along historical Bosphorus in the 19th Century. In December, the TCF Istanbul office will host Dr.Johann Pillai of Sidestreets Educational and Cultural Initiatives who will follow the trail of “The Lost Turkish Pavilion of Expo ’58,” and Dr.Mustafa Ozer of Bahcesehir University, who will speak about the ongoing excavations, research and restoration efforts at the Edirne Palace.    For more information on the TCF Lectures, please visit here. All TCF lectures are recorded and periodically uploaded on the TCF Video Gallery for online viewing.

After a successful exhibition at the 20th Sculpture Objects and Functional Art - SOFA Chicago Fair earlier this month, Turkish contemporary art will be on exhibit at the Hilton Asmus Contemporary Gallery in Chicago. The show titled “Istanbul Breeze” brings together Ani Afshar, Asli Kutluay, Aysegul Kirmizi, Belgin Yucelen, Camekan,  Cetin Ates, Derya Ozparlak, Dilek Aydincioglu, Dincer Gungorur, Meltem Aktas, Meral Deger, Nadia Arditti, Pembe Hilal Tuzuner, Semra Ozumerzifon and Yasemin Aslan Bakiri and will remain open until January 14, 2014. For more information, please visit the Gallery’s website.

TCF awarded a grant to the American Turkish Association of Southern California, ATA-SC, underwriting a commemorative event celebrating the life and achievements of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk on November 10. The event was attended by over 200 participants and took place in Carson, CA where plans are underway to build an Ataturk monument in the Carson Sculpture Garden.

As part of its mission to preserve Turkey's cultural heritage, the TCF Cultural Heritage Preservation and Natural Dyes Laboratory-DATU provides free analytical services to museums and other cultural institutions. This month, the TCF-DATU scientific team did analysis on the fabrics covering the tomb of Naksidil Valide Sultan (wife of Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamit I, mother of Sultan Mahmut II, 1768-1817) in the Fatih Mosque complex.   The dye, fibe and metal thread analysis conducted on 9 tomb covers suggested that while eight were historically original and valuable, one cover was likely not original. Based on the analysis, DATU recommended appropriate restoration methods for the fabrics.

The TCF Culinary Arts Center - YESAM organized a culinary tour to Ayvalik and the surrounding region on November 22-24. Tour guests participated in the olive harvest, observed the making of olive oil, and had a chance to sample olive oil and regional cuisine, while learning about the rich history of the region.  The tour, organized with support from NAR Gourmet, was led by renowned food culture researcher and journalist Nedim Atilla.

In November, YESAM hosted Dr.Ahmet Uhri of Dokuz Eylul University for a lecture on the “Roots of Anatolian Culinary Culture,” as well as the first of two lectures on “Traditional Turkish Confectionary” by Mary Isin, author  and culinary expert. On  December 18, Mrs.Isin will present the second lecture on Turkish traditional confectionary, focusing on desserts. Past YESAM lectures are periodically uploaded and are available for viewing on the TCF Video Portal.

Meanwhile, Turkish cooking traditions are highlighted every month with the YESAM Recipe of the Month, which features a recipe forSinkonta, a Pumpkin Stew from the Aegean coast of Turkey for November.