Near the Black Sea, 45 kilometers from Bayburt, on a hilltop overlooking the Coruh Valley, rises a 3-layered building. This area which was initially called Baks,, now called the village of Bayraktar, is the site of the Baksı Museum. Bridging together traditional handcrafts such as weaving and ceramics with Contemporary Art, this extraordinary Museum enables us to think outside of the box and it is one of its kind.
The foundation of the Baksı Museum, which today covers 30 hectars was initiated by Prof. Dr. Husamettin Kocan, a Bayburt born academic and artist. With an aim to bring arts to his homeland, he started the idea, which later turned into reality. A foundation was formed in 2005, and with the volunteer and artist contributions, the Museum’s building project was turned into a social project. As a result of the extensive work, Baksı Museum opened its doors to the public in 2010.
The Museum is unified with the surrounding environment, and it has two buildings, a main building which was opened in 2010 and a new exhibition area, namely ‘The Storage’ which was opened in 2012. In these buildings, the Baksı Museum exhibits Turkish Contemporary art and artists, such as Kemal Tufan and Tugrul Selcuk alongside with traditional handcrafts such as weaving, ceramics and embrodiery. Reflecting the mission of ‘openness’, it challenges, and hence goes beyond any limitations and rectrictions.
Being in a constant dialogue with its environment is of key aims of the Baksı Museum. Accordingly, it brings a new spirit to the region with its education programs and events. These are as diverse as its exhibits that merge the new and the traditional. While reflecting Turkish cultural heritage through special workshops on traditional arts and handcrafts, the Museum also organizes Contemporary Art programs and hosts symposiums.