As President and CEO of the Museum of Cycladic Art, a landmark institution located in the heart of Athens, Kassandra Marinopoulou cultivates global artistic collaboration and sustainability initiatives that breathe new life into the cultural legacy of the Cyclades.
Kassandra Marinopoulou’s vision gracefully connects Cycladic culture with modern and contemporary art through innovative exhibitions and international collaborations. With her at its heart, the Museum of Cycladic Art is gradually revitalizing the islands’ ancient heritage through contemporary lenses, while celebrating timeless human creativity and compassion as audiences big and small come together.
The Museum of Cycladic Art is dedicated to the study and promotion of the ancient civilizations that flourished in the Aegean, with a special emphasis on Cycladic art of the 3rd millennium BC. After 16 years at the helm, what challenges do you face as President of its Board of Directors?
When leading an archaeological museum, your first concern naturally is how to make it contemporary and approachable for new audiences, especially the younger generation. This is achieved through organizing archaeological exhibitions aimed at a wider audience, contemporary art exhibitions relevant to today’s reality, and the development of innovative programs for adults and children. Our goal is to keep improving our visitors’ experience, whether it is linked to our exhibitions, the Cycladic Café, or our Cycladic Shop.
We aim for an open and accessible museum, providing equal opportunities to all visitors in order to accommodate today’s world social challenges. Attracting an audience that is not familiar with museums is one of our greatest challenges and responsibilities.
The next question, of course, is how to finance all of the above while ensuring the sustainability of a private Museum whose collections have been donated to the Greek State but receives no funding from it. This is the biggest challenge.
Since the start of your tenure, you have established a program of contemporary art exhibitions in dialogue with the museum’s identity, strengthening its international reputation. What was your goal, and how is your vision taking shape today?
Since 2008, when I became President of the museum, we came up with the idea of an annual program of contemporary art exhibitions in dialogue with antiquity through the pioneering series “Divine Dialogues”. This was a groundbreaking concept. We invite world-acclaimed artists and curators to study and be inspired by our collections, creating a conversation between Greek antiquities and creations of our time.
Our museum has hosted exhibitions by artists, such as Louise Bourgeois, George Condo, Jannis Kounellis, Sarah Lucas, Brice Marden, Pablo Picasso, Ugo Rondinone, Thomas Struth, Cy Twombly, Sterling Ruby, Ai Weiwei, and currently Cindy Sherman. We immediately noticed new audiences visiting these exhibitions, and in this way, they discovered our permanent archaeological collections.
Even in our days, with technology advancing at an impressive rate, how does ancient Greek art manage to inspire and attract an increasingly large audience of creators and visitors alike?
Ancient Greek art and technology aren’t opposing forces. On the contrary, they’re complementary. Let’s think about how technology benefits art in terms of promotion, awareness, and education: Today, even a child in the remotest village of the world can virtually visit our collections and exhibitions. It can participate in our international art contest, take a tour of the museum, and even listen to one of our podcasts. One can easily have an online shopping experience and receive purchases anywhere in the world.
You recently implemented the “Cycladic Identity” initiative in order to help preserve the culture, biodiversity, and intangible cultural heritage of the Cycladic islands.
We owe our existence as a museum to the Cyclades. It was there that the Cycladic culture was born, which we have been disseminating with great love since our museum was founded 36 years ago. At this time, when the most pressing concern is climate change and the environment, we thought it was time to express our gratitude with actions that give back to the Cycladic islands.
The objective of the Cycladic Identity initiative is to contribute to the preservation of the islands’ cultural and natural heritage of unique value, which are in danger of being destroyed and forgotten due to conditions of the modern era, such as climate change, overtourism, and the weakening of traditional practices.
Through Cycladic Identity, we seek to contribute to the preservation, restoration, and prominence of the elements that make up the identity of the Cyclades. As we prioritize culture, biodiversity, and intangible cultural heritage, we shine a light on the islands’ array of monuments, focus on habitats and their distinctive flora and fauna, and embrace customs, social rituals, traditions, and crafts.
The initiative serves as a platform for collecting donations and sponsorships for the above mission. The resources gathered are then distributed to programs implemented by foundations in the Cyclades. The funding proposals are evaluated by the Scientific Committee of the Cycladic Identity, which consists of Dimitris Athanasoulis, Director of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Cyclades, archaeologist Michael Boyd, Demetres Karavellas, General Director of WWF Greece, and Angeliki Kosmopoulou, Executive Director of the Athanasios C. Laskaridis Charitable Foundation. Due to their professional status, they all have a deep knowledge and understanding of the unique characteristics of the Cyclades.
A museum is no longer just a place to collect and display ‘old things’. It’s a living organization, open to all.
Kassandra Marinopoulou, President & CEO of the Museum of Cycladic Art
What has been the public’s response to the initiative so far?
It was only last year that the initiative was launched. Today, the first phase’s nine programs are being implemented or have already been completed on eight islands of the Cyclades: Amorgos, Andros, Donousa, Kea, Ios, Mykonos, Paros, and Sikinos. So, the first results are just starting to become apparent.
What particularly moves me is that the programs motivate local communities to showcase their islands’ special character. The program in Paros, for example, protects and highlights the famous Ancient Marble Quarries and aims to restore the safety of visitor access in the future. The program in Andros focuses on the island’s water wealth and ancestral management practices now that the climate has made water a more precious resource than ever. Local foundations and communities embraced the Initiative and told us how important it was to them.
We are now in the program’s second year, and the second phase is already underway: Six programs are being financed on four islands of the Cyclades (two programs in Amorgos, Sifnos, Sikinos, and Syros) and a common one on many islands. Being able to motivate more communities on more islands will be the greatest reward.
Why are the Cyclades so important? How do they still exert their charm at every turn?
For many reasons. Because the Cyclades hosted cultures and monuments of all eras, acting as a key anchorage for each period. In this austere and occasionally barren landscape, the prehistoric Cycladic culture evolved, one of the greatest in the 3rd millennium BC. Because the Cyclades are a living lab for biodiversity. They host an impressive range of habitats, including Natura 2000 protected areas. Because their customs, traditional music, festivals, and Greek cuisine are invaluable parts of their history and culture, shaping their unique identity over time. This is why preserving, highlighting, and passing on this identity to the next generations is of utmost importance.
What is the role of a museum of today, such as the Cycladic Art Museum? Is it ready to embrace the current values of sustainability and inclusivity among others?
A museum is no longer just a place to collect and display “old things”. It’s a living organization, open to all, without any social, political, religious, or other discrimination. It’s a place for gatherings and discussions between different social groups that must take the lead in a range of contemporary issues. A museum today is no longer judged only by its exhibitions and collections but also by how it perceives and responds to matters of its time.
For 10 years now, accessibility, inclusivity, and sustainability have been self-evident concepts for us. The museum has created a separate department that aims to organize programs for vulnerable social groups, specially designed for them inside and outside the museum to ensure that everyone has equal cultural opportunities.
To date, thousands of people have benefited from the museum’s social projects. In addition to programs for people over 65, people with disabilities, and migrant children, we created “IN CONTACT”, an initiative that enables people with sensory disabilities (visual and auditory) to access our exhibitions. Personally, I single out the program we created last year for issues related to the mental health and well-being of teenagers, as well as the program for schools in financially disadvantaged areas of Attica.
The Museum of Cycladic Art is part of a cultural route, a walk that includes other museums and artistic spaces in the heart of Athens. Heading south, how do you see art’s footprint developing in the wider area of the Athenian Riviera?
The southbound cultural walk is interesting. As you go down Syngrou Avenue, you can visit EMST (National Museum of Contemporary Art), ONASSIS STEGI, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, and soon the Ellinikon (Urban Regeneration Project).
What are you preparing at the Museum of Cycladic Art for the second half of 2024?
In September, we’re preparing our 2nd Cycladic Kids Festival, a free entrance festival that we hold outside the museum. Last year, 14,000 parents attended with their children. We’re organizing the 12th International Kids’ Art Contest and our new archaeological exhibition for December 2024, which will be as groundbreaking as our contemporary art exhibition that will take place in the summer of 2025.
