Tip of the day 18/5/2022 – International Museum Day

• May 18, 2022

The International Council of Museums (ICOM), wishing to highlight the role of museums in modern society, designated 18 May as International Museum Day in 1977. The message of this anniversary is “to make museums the agents of cultural exchange, with a view to the development of education and mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples“. Admission to the museums is free.

18 May is dedicated each year to a specific theme relating to museums and the protection of cultural heritage. The theme of this year’s celebration (2022) is: “The Power of Museums”. By choosing this theme, the International Council of Museums (ICOM) wishes to highlight the power of museums as agents of social change and sustainable development. The Hellenic Section of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) has chosen the Metropolitan Museum of Fine Arts of Thessaloniki -MOMus, as the honoured organisation for 2022, particularly appreciating its scientific, educational and cultural work, as well as its dynamic presence in the visual arts sector.

Museums transform the world. By presenting the past, they open up new horizons and shape new innovative ideas to build a better future.

This year’s celebration will focus on the dynamic contribution of museums to three topical issues:

Sustainability: Museums are strategic partners in the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and have the power, through a wide range of activities, to contribute to raising awareness of environmental challenges and disseminating scientific knowledge to address them.

Innovation – new technologies – accessibility: New digital technologies that are changing everyday life are developing just as rapidly in the museum sector. The digital shift contributes to the accessibility of museum collections and their multifaceted interpretation, to the enhancement of the visitor’s experience and to the visibility of museums in general.

Strengthening social cohesion through education: through the interpretation and presentation of collections, as well as the organisation of educational activities, museums create a web that is essential for building and strengthening social cohesion. By supporting democratic values and providing equal opportunities for lifelong learning for all, museums contribute to the formation of a participatory civil society with knowledge and a willingness to contribute and create.

So, what will happen in museums of Athens today, except that the entrance is free to all? 

Acropolis Museum (15 Dionysiou Areopagitou Street, 2109000900): Focusing precisely on the parameter of educational activities, organizes thematic walks in the ancient “neighborhoods” at the base of the museum. An ideal opportunity to travel back in time, getting to know the daily life of the ancient Greeks who lived under the legendary rock of the Acropolis. Furthermore, the impressive collection inside the building awaits us to discover its secrets, the legends and the stories that surround it.

Benaki Museum (Koumpari 1 & Vasilissis Sofias Avenue, 2103671000): Presenting its Neohellenic Collection online in remote schools across the country, so that students can tour different regions of Greece and observe the life of our ancestors with a single click.

Kotsanas Museum (6 Pindarou and Akademias, University, 2114110044): As part of the This is Athens City Festival, the museum transformed into a “smart house of antiquity”, guiding young and old alike through its collection of technological gadgets of antiquity through educational programmes, such as Plato’s “Alarm Clock of Nature” (2 m. (2 p.m.), as well as the “Idol after Music” (4.30 p.m.), which combines arts and science in a fascinating thematic tour. Although most of the museum’s exhibits focus on the everyday activities of the ancient Greeks, the collection of astronomical instruments and, in particular, an exact replica of the famous Antikythera Mechanism are worth discovering.

National Historical Museum (13 Stadiou Street, Kolokotronis Square, 2103237617):  Participates in the festivities with an educational activity for people with memory problems on 21/5. In addition to the guided tour of the exhibition “Epanacystasis ’21”, where participants will learn about important figures of the Revolution through selected exhibits, there will be crafts inspired by the museum’s collection.

National Museum of Contemporary Art (2111019000, Kallirrois Avenue and Amvr. Franzis Avenue):  Visit it and discover the colourful “Tree of the Square”, a work by Stephan Goldrajch, made from pieces of knitted, woven and embroidered items made by social groups from the neighbourhoods around the museum. This peculiar “Tree” draws inspiration from the trees in the squares of African villages, places of meeting and exchange of ideas, transmission of memories and long-standing customs. In a Greek context, it recalls the plane trees in village squares, in whose shade social life is usually concentrated. Contrasted with the not so distant quarantine conditions, Goldrajch’s work expresses our need for communication and sociability.

National Archaeological Museum (Patission 44, 2132144800): Don’t miss miss the opportunity to explore its famous archaeological findings, a panorama of ancient Greek civilization, starting from prehistoric times and leading us to the Archaic and Classical period. The museum recently inaugurated the exhibition “Yesterday is now. George Lazogas: Myths and Antiquity”, giving existing exhibits the opportunity to engage in conversation with contemporary art.

Those are some suggestions for probably the most important museums of Athens that a visit is a must when you travel to the capital of Greece. But if you have something else in mind, or if you want to visit a special exhibition you heard about, you could use the Museum Finder site which is really hellpful and full of information. Or just ask us!