Creative Fusion
The Cleveland Foundation's International Artist-in-Residence Program
"Creative Fusion" is a multi-year initiative to bring accomplished artists from diverse cultures to Cleveland for extended periods of time. These artists will be embedded within existing cultural institutions to facilitate the exchange of ideas and experiences across sectors, populations, ideologies and modes of creative expression.
Want to learn more?
Click to listen to a panel discussion on Creative Fusion from an edition of WCPN 90.3 FM's "Around Noon" program. The Cleveland Foundation's Kathleen Cerveny was part of that panel. You may also:
The artists of Creative Fusion
Sevi Bayraktar
Young Audiences of Northeast Ohio and the Cleveland Foundation have teamed up to bring professional Roma (Gypsy) dancer and teacher Sevi Bayraktar from Istanbul, Turkey, to Cleveland. Bayraktar believes the creativity of dance can be used to assist in developing effective solutions for community issues. She incorporates her knowledge of dance and theater with arts-based education methods focusing on at-risk youth.
Bayraktar earned an undergraduate degree in political science and international relations, and has received her certification in racism and discrimination education. She is completing a master's degree in sociology at Turkey's Bogazici University.
Learn more about Sevi Bayraktar:
Serpil Sevgen
Serpil Sevgen is a visual artist from Istanbul, Turkey. She specializes in the ancient Turkish art form of paper marbling. She is also an education planner and psychological counselor and has worked for the Turkish Ministry of Education for 12 years. In her educational work, Ms. Sevgen uses the arts to help both students and parents develop positive relationships with each other and to address issues of peer violence and social exclusion. She was one of the Turkish artists participating in the 2008-08 U. S. Department of State cultural exchange program with Cleveland artists and the Turkish Ministry of Education, which brought the arts to hundreds of marginalized youth in one of Istanbul’s poorest neighborhoods
Serpil is hosted by Young Audiences of Northeast Ohio. While in Cleveland, Serpil is sharing her international perspective and passion for visual arts and youth development through a variety of engagements, including:
- Teaching Turkish arts and culture in the YA summer internship program, ArtWorks.
- Working with Young Audience artist Carol Lynn Mitchell.
- Collaborating with Morgan Art of Paper Making Conservancy and Zygote Press to share unique Turkish paper marbling techniques.
- Public visual arts workshops and events, details to be announced.
See her paper marbling technique in action in this blog post.
Özen Yula
The Cleveland Foundation has partnered with Cleveland State University and Cleveland Public Theatre to bring internationally acclaimed Turkish playwright and director Özen Yula to Cleveland. Yula is regarded as one of the world's most daring avant-garde theatrical artists. His collected plays have been published in five volumes and translated into more than 10 languages. His work is characterized as dark, comical, visually daring, and at the forefront of controversial issues of social justice and human rights.
During his nine-month residency in Cleveland, Yula is engaging university students in theatre and the social sciences, as well as working with Cleveland Metropolitan School District students and other urban youth, professional artists, and the general public. He will create two original works during his stay, one of which will be a world premiere professional production.
Learn more about Özen Yula:
 and Willowe Starling (darbuka).JPG "Sevi with musicians")
Sevi Bayraktar (right) talks with musicians Josh Sherman and Willowe Starling.
Sevi Bayraktar leads a class at Cleveland State University. 
Sevi Bayraktar (center) works one on one with a fellow dancer
Creative Fusion director Kathleen Cerveny with Özen Yula