IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, I FOUND SOMEWHERE: BAKSI MUSEUM

Was it kader? Kader is Turkish for “destiny.”

I first heard about one-of-a-kind Baksi Museum in 2019 from my friend Seyda, whose family’s roots are there. Located in a remote village in eastern Turkey, it’s the brainchild of Husamettin Kocan, a true Renaissance man—artist, academic, educator. The museum’s mission to eliminate the boundary between folk art and fine art is remarkably in synch with ARTWITHOUTBOUNDARIES.ART’S philosophy.

Naturally, I was interested.

Fast forward to July 2022. Asuman, another friend, told me about an August trip to the museum. (She had no idea I already knew about Baksi.) She put me in touch with Nesrin, a college counselor taking a group of Turkish high school art students there. When Nesrin told me Husamettin bey would be with the group, I was in!

Our 5.5-hour journey began with a flight from Istanbul to the eastern city of Erzurum, followed by a long minibus ride through the Anatolian landscape. The golden hills surrounding Baksi reminded me of my years in Southern California.

The resemblance ended there.

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