On the occasion of the International Day of Museums ICOM 2024, this year the Workshop “Museums as a place for the promotion of education and research, the case of the Tériade Museum-Library” was organized at the B&M Theocharakis Foundation on the initiative of the President of the Board of Directors and President of the Development Committee of the World Federation of Friends of Museums (WFFM), Mrs. Lila de Chaves-Chronopoulos, and the Director of the Tériade Museum-Library, Visual and Historical Art, Mr. Konstantinos Maniatopoulos, as well as with the support of the University of the Aegean. 

The Stratis Eleftheriadis-Tériade Museum-Library is the first museum of modern art to operate in Greece and was inaugurated in August 1979 in Mytilene by the donor himself, a resourceful Greek artist of diaspora, Stratis Eleftheriadis-Tériade, who lived in Paris. The Museum houses, preserves and displays a collection of priceless works of art and literature, which was created with the contribution of Tériade and includes works spanning from the end of Cubism to the modernism of the 20th century, by artists at the height of their creativity, such as Picasso, Chagall, Matisse, Lorca, Elytis, etc., as well as well-known Greek painters, such as Tsarouchis, Theophilos, etc. At the same time, it collaborates with museums in Greece and France, such as the Matisse Museum and the MUCEM, Museum of the Civilizations of Europe and the Mediterranean. 

The workshop was honoured with addresses by the Minister of Culture Mrs. Lina Mendoni through her representative Mrs. Katerina Tselou, Curator-Associate of the Minister of Culture on contemporary art, who among other things, mentioned that in 2010, the Ministry set out to renovate, upgrade and modernize with absolute respect to the original creation this innovative space which contains exhibits that are unique in Greece, has been designated as a monument and enjoys the provisions of the institutional framework for the protection of the country's cultural heritage. Mrs. Tselou was followed the President of ICOM-EUROPE, Dr Giuliana Ericani, who among other things said: “We are a network” and referred us to the continuous development of new data in various cultural and research areas concerning the use of technologies and the building of the information society. Mrs. Lila de Chaves-Chronopoulos, President of the Board and President of the Development Committee of the World Federation of Friends of Museums (WFFM), who welcomed the participants and elaborated on the points related to Cultural Diplomacy, such as the relationship between the public and the museums, the illustration of the two pillars of the museum sector worldwide, such as the international ICOM bodies, i.e. the museum professionals, and WFFM, i.e. the Friends of Museums worldwide. She also explained the major differences between Friends of Museums and Volunteers of Museums. At the same time, she referred to the extroversion that the Tériade Museum is trying to cultivate, as well as to the significance of synergies between institutions, such as Museums and Health Authorities among others. Finally, she announced the organization of an exhibition of the Museum in Italy and France. 

The Workshop was attended by many speakers who highlighted the pivotal role of museums in modern times, such as Mr. Pascal Fulacher, Honorary Director of the Atelier du Livre d'art et de l'Estampe et du patrimoine de l'Imprimerie Nationale with a speech entitled “Exposer et diffuser le patrimoine écrit : du lisible au visible”, who guided us with great knowledge and sensitivity in a place that used to be a Museum, a Library and a Research Centre featuring valuable and rare collectibles, as well as Greek typographic elements of the Renaissance. Mr. Patrice Deparpe, Director of the Matisse Museum in Le Cateau Cambrésis with a speech entitled “Au musée Départemental Matisse, un nouveau projet pour la mise en valeur de la collection Tériade”, who introduced us to the Matisse Museum in Le Cateau Cambrésis which was first created by Matisse himself. Today it constitutes one of the most important regional museums in France and is developed along three collecting axes, one of which features works from the Tériade collection. At the same time, it also presents innovations on the interaction between the general public and the Museum. Mrs. Eurydice Trichon-Milsane, Art Historian, Author and Chef de Projets, Beaubourg, with a speech entitled “How to ensure the visibility and operation of a small but important regional museum”, who mentioned that museums enjoy increasing visibility and can help teachers to develop their work outside school. 

Mr. Christos Kalloniatis, Professor of the Department of Cultural Technology and Communication at the University of the Aegean, with a speech entitled “Smart IT Applications in Culture: The Case of the Museum – Library Stratis Eleftheriadis – Tériade”, who presented the PSmart application which was developed together with his university team and students of the University of the Aegean and implemented at the Tériade Museum. He also referred to the experimental application of 3D printers in exhibits of the Museum. Mr. Panos Gregoriou, Professor of the Department of Sociology, University of the Aegean, holder of the Jean Monnet European Chair, with a speech entitled “Art and international law (L'art et le droit international)”, who elaborated on the European legal framework and the relationship between art and international law, as well as on the effects of hostilities on art, such as the example of Palmyra. Mrs. Angeliki Hatzi, Theatre Educator - Museum Educator, with a speech entitled “But how can you catch the elusive? The museo-pedagogical activity of the DCTC at the Stratis Eleftheriadis-Tériade Museum-Library”, who, accompanied by photographic material, introduced us to educational programmes for schoolchildren that were developed in the Museum for a few years. 

Dr. Aspasia Destouni, AUTH, Faculty of Medicine and Scientific Director of NESTOR Consortium in the Netherlands, Estonia and Greece, with a speech entitled “Museums in flux: Transforming them into living entities in a dynamically evolving innovation ecosystem”, who described the evolution of culture through museums with unprecedented scientific insight and said that museums are a living, dynamic, evolving organism, which makes us equal co-creators in sustainable and resilient ecosystems of innovation and cultural promotion. Mr. Konstantinos Maniatopoulos, Director of the Stratis Eleftheriadis-Tériade Museum – Library, Visual Artist-Historian of Art, Graduate of ASFA, with a speech entitled “Tériade Museum, history and perspectives”, who walked us through the life of the Museum over the last 30 years. Through the remarkable and rare photographic material, we witnessed important moments of its popularity and its wonderful evolutionary course, as prominent personalities such as Tériade himself, Elytis, Patriarch Bartholomew, Queen Sophia of Spain, etc. chose to visit it. At the same time, the close cooperation with institutions such as the University of the Aegean and other cultural institutions was highlighted. The Museum hosts important educational programmes, international conferences, French film festivals, musical evenings in collaboration with conservatories, etc. Finally, the workshop was moderated by Mrs. Iris Kritikou, Archaeologist-Historian of Art, with whom the Stratis Eleftheriadis-Tériade Museum-Library has a close collaboration.