Contemporary Art Museum of Crete
“The Garden of the Heart” - New cycle of events in the context of the social role of the museum

Approaching mental health issues

Event date: 20 October 2020
Venue:  Contemporary Art Museum of Crete (CCA) - Mesologiou 32



The temporary exhibition held by the Contemporary Art Museum of Crete is entitled “Paper. Designs, watercolors, engravings, photographs, installations” and consists of the museum’s permanent collection artworks, which have paper as a common point of reference. 

The valuable collection of artworks created by the participants in the project “The Garden” has a special place in this exhibition. In 1996, two artists (Ronald Jones and Angelos Skourtis) joined forces and worked in partnership with the Mental Health Clinic in Chania, setting up a special art workshop. Ten adults experiencing some form of mental illness designed and then planted, in the Clinic outdoor area, a garden that could be for each one of us the “The Garden of the Heart”.

On the occasion of the World Mental Health Day (October 10) and the UN Secretary-General’s statement taking into consideration recent research regarding the impact of the pandemic on mental health, we estimate that nowadays, perhaps more than ever, we should be taking greater care of our fellow citizens’ wellbeing, while recognizing the crucial role of social cohesion in this attempt. To this end, we propose a series of programs, which will be strategically designed based on our city's existing assets aiming to: 

• raise public awareness concerning vulnerable groups

• enhance wellbeing

Hence, we use resources from the CCA permanent collection and we build collaborations with public services that have the required expertise depending on the subject matter.

1st theme: Approaching mental health issues
Collaboration with the Associate Professor of the Department of Sociology at the University of Crete, Manolis Tzanakis, who specializes in Sociology of Illness and Medical Institutions. Part of the seminar entitled “Confinement and Narrative” is taking place at the CCA, on the occasion of the exhibition dedicated to the project “The Garden”.


Event planning: Eleonora Nisanaki
Certified professional development in “Artful Thinking” program 
PGCert “Socially Engaged Practice in Museums and Galleries”
MSc “Cultural Organizations Management”

Guided Tour: Costas Christides, Head of CCA Education Department
Member of E.E.P. Pedagogical Department of Primary Education University of Crete

“Confinement and Narrative” seminar: Manolis Tzanakis, Associate Professor - Sociology of Illness and Medical Institutions, Department of Sociology, University of Crete