General News
Meropi Kyriacou Honored as TNH Educator of the Year
NEW YORK – Meropi Kyriacou, the new Principal of The Cathedral School in Manhattan, was honored as The National Herald’s Educator of the Year.
ATHENS – The Museum of Cycladic Art President and CEO Kassandra (Sandra) Marinopoulou released a statement on the New Year, New Perspectives for the Museum. Her full statement follows:
“In the beginning of 2020, when we announced the Museum’s program for the next 12 months, it was impossible to imagine what was about to happen to humanity. The historian of the future who will be called upon to examine the upheavals brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, will surely dwell on, among other things, the imposition of an unprecedented new reality: man’s mandatory physical distance from Art.
Looking back at this difficult year that went by, I feel that we emerged from it both stronger and wiser: the fear and confusion of the early days of the pandemic were quickly replaced by the challenge to innovate.
Our goal was to stay as close to you as possible, even if this could only be achieved online, while working on the newest ways to communicate.
Now, we are welcoming 2021, well prepared and optimistic.
From now on, our strategy will focus on the ‘phygital’ (physical and digital), although digital communication can never replace one's living relationship with Art. It is obvious that the physical experience will always be a priority. We are currently creating a new, more digitally friendly Museum for you to be able to visit us at any moment, from anywhere you are.
We shall continue to offer you, free of charge, everything that was available on our website up to now, while, for a small price, you will be able to enjoy filmed online guided tours of our exhibitions narrated by our own curators as well as talks by guest art experts. In this way, we will also be able to give access to our exhibitions to the ‘digital tourist’ who may be located anywhere in Greece or abroad.
Our Next Exhibition
The exhibition Antiquarianism and Philhellenism: The Thanassis and Marina Martinos Collection, which was to open this past December, is ready at the Stathatos Mansion and will be inaugurated as soon as museums are open again. Ιt's an exhibition celebrating the Bicentennial of the Greek War of Independence that contains important European nineteenth-century and Greek neoclassical works of art in dialogue with important antiquities from major museums in Greece and Italy.
Zoom in Schools and Online Workshops for Parents and Children
In 2021, we shall develop the Zoom in Schools Program: live streaming programs for pupils nationwide. They will replace their daily school visits to our Museum and will be sustained for schools outside Athens and abroad, once regular museum visits in our physical space will be resumed. At the same time, weekend workshops for families and children will also be offered online, so as to reach students from all over Greece and abroad.
Cycladic Αrt Virtual Tours for Adults
In 2021, we started live-streamed cultural guided tours for philhellene audiences (organizations abroad, embassies, companies, associations, etc.), exporting Cycladic culture all over the world. Our recent virtual tours took place at the Hellenic-American Chamber of Commerce in New York as well as at UCLA Stavros Niarchos Foundation Center for the Study of Hellenic Culture, hosting more than 600 participants.
Friends of the Museum
The program of our Museum friends is now including digital events. Friends will attend a series of virtual events on a weekly basis devised especially by the Museum’s creative team such as guided tours in homes and studios of artists. We have already visited the home of the prominent American-Cuban artist Jorge Pardo, Greek artists such as Konstantin Kakanias and Georgia Sagri and have started live-streamed performances, the most recent being the virtual cooking project with Aris Vezenes and the artist Jannis Varelas.
Vulnerable Social Groups
We are planning to place an even greater emphasis on vulnerable social groups. In early 2020, we conducted VR tours of our Cycladic collection in nursing homes. We are also preparing a VR tour of the Museum’s permanent collections for vulnerable individuals who cannot visit the Museum. This will be distributed to senior centers, special education schools, and refugee centers.
Looking very much forward to seeing you all again soon, I wish you a happy, healthy new year.”
Kassandra Marinopoulou
President
CEO
Museum of Cycladic Art
More information is available online: https://cycladic.gr/en.
NEW YORK – Meropi Kyriacou, the new Principal of The Cathedral School in Manhattan, was honored as The National Herald’s Educator of the Year.
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza (AP) — An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst.
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