Istanbul Modern Won the Outstanding Museum Practice Award

After starting 2024 with multiple accolades, Istanbul Modern ended the year with another prestigious award. The museum has been honored with the Outstanding Museum Practice Award by the CIMAM (International Committee for Museums and Collections of Modern Art) for its program “Following a Dream,” which provides art education for young girls with the support of Bosch Home Appliances.

“Following a Dream,” an artistic development program to enhance young girls’ creativity and critical thinking skills, received an international award in museum practices. Istanbul Modern became the first museum from Türkiye to win this award.

Neslihan Varol, the Director of Istanbul Modern’s Education and Social Projects, accepted the award during the General Assembly of the CIMAM Annual Conference, held at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles on December 8, 2024.

“Following a Dream”

The “Following a Dream” program, which brings young girls together with art education, is inspired by women artists whose works are part of the Istanbul Museum of Modern Art Collection. Throughout this project, participating girls explore their own creativity, based on the experiences and productions of these women artists. Organized in collaboration with schools, local authorities, and non-governmental organizations, the program’s sessions are led by academics, artists, curators, art historians, and museum professionals. Applications are submitted with a teacher’s recommendation and are open to high school girls aspiring to receive arts education starting from 9th grade and above.

With the support of Bosch Home Appliances, 50 students from public schools in various districts of Istanbul participate in the program’s second year, which introduces young girls to creative and courageous role-model women artists. Consisting of seminars, lessons, and workshops, this learning experience strengthens the participants’ artistic expression skills and develops creative and innovative perspectives.

Innovative Museum Practices Recognized

Presented by the CIMAM (International Committee for Museums and Collections of Modern Art) of the ICOM (International Council of Museums), the award has been presented since 2021, recognizing innovative practices in modern and contemporary art museums with a focus on sustainable and collaborative projects that contribute to society and humanity.

Past recipients of the award include museums from different corners of the world, the Panama Museum of Contemporary Art in 2023; Kokama Museums (Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil); Museo Provincial de Bellas Artes Rosa Galisteo de Rodríguez (Santa Fe, Argentina), and MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum (Chiang Mai, Thailand) in 2022; and the Queens Museum (New York City, NY, USA) in 2021.