Contemporary Art Museum of Crete
Educational Section-Art Workshops
Academic Year: 2017-2018
Department: Museo-pedagogic
SUBJECT:
Participation in the conference of representatives of the European Days of Cultural Heritage with a three-hour workshop entitled:
What does Europe mean to me? Discussing the European Identity
Program design and realization:
Sophia Trouli, museo-pedagogue
The Contemporary Art Museum of Crete, in the heart of Europe!
In recent years, the Contemporary Museum of Modern Art of Crete (CCA) in addition to its exhibitions and educational activities distinguishes itself by conducting research work in the field of Museo-pedagogy through its participation in international conferences and scientific meetings.
In April 2018, it participated in the International Conference of the network of Balkan Museums, MEET-SEE-DO which was held in Thessaloniki. In particular, CCA’s museo-pedagogue, Dr. Sophia Trouli held a one-hour experiential museo-pedagogic workshop entitled: Discussing the European Identity. The workshop was based on a two-hour museo-pedagogic program she had designed and realized herself in the context of the exhibition Critical Archives III. Identities. Europe: people and space. The exhibition had been held at the CCA from December 2017 until March 2018, curated by its artistic director, Maria Maragou, by Pavlos Fyssakis, by Dimitris Kechris and by Giorgos Karaelias in a collaboration of the CCA with the organization KOLLEKTIV 8.
Jelena Mocevic, responsible for the institution of the European Days of Cultural Heritage at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg participated in the Thessaloniki workshop. She invited the Contemporary Art Museum of Crete to participate in the General Assembly of the Representatives of the European Days of Cultural Heritage in Strasbourg from October 17 to 19, 2018.
2018 has been declared European Year of Cultural Heritage (EYCH) aiming at encouraging more people to discover and embrace the cultural heritage of Europe and strengthen the feeling they belong to a common European space. The motto of the EYCH is: “Our heritage: when the past meets the future”.
The European Days of Cultural heritage (EDCH) is the most prevalent participatory cultural event shared by people from 50 countries in Europe which have signed the relevant cultural agreement culminating in the last weekend of each September. The Council of Europe started this initiative in 1985 and in 1999 it was included in the European Commission as well.
CCA participated this year as well in the EDCH, with two museo-pedagogic programs, one for adults and one for families.
The aim of the meeting and the assembly of the representatives of the European Days of Cultural Heritage this year in Strasbourg was for us to share our experiences and discuss ways to make the youth of Europe care for the cultural heritage of their country and of Europe in general.
In the context of the three-hour workshop: What does Europe mean to me? Discussing the European Identity, the 30 participants, led by Dr. Sophia Trouli, were inspired and encouraged through active, experiential activities and through the utilization of modern art works, to individually and collectively explore the multiple dimensions of the European Identity and discuss its value. The aim was for participants to come into contact with interesting educational techniques such as artistic reasoning, role play, and work in groups as well as with the dynamics of the utilization of modern art for approaching difficult concepts such as for example the European Identity.
It was a unique experience, to discuss- in the heart of Europe- and share your views and feelings on Europe, its advantages and disadvantages, its history, its people, our identities, whether there is a common European identity starting from unique modern photographic works and with 30 professionals from the field of cultural heritage, from Turkey and Armenia to Ireland and England and from Greece and Cyprus to Sweden and Moldavia.
We wish to thank the Council of Europe and Jelena Mocevic and Gloria Lorenzo-Lerones in particular for the invitation and the opportunity they gave us to share our experiences at such an important as well as interesting meeting.
