Press Releases

As part of the ongoing Museum Educational Programmes at the State Gallery of Contemporary Art – Majestic, children, families, adolescents and adults are invited to participate this October, November and December in the following art, emotional intelligence, music and kinetic improvisation workshops:  

1. “ART-BASED RESEARCH”: Psychoeducational Sculpture Program for adults

This programme aims to cultivate creativity and develop one's interest in the field of art-based research, providing participants with a complete experience involving knowledge, emotional intelligence and actualization with multisensory materials.

Participants will have the opportunity to tour the State Gallery's Permanent Collection and familiarize themselves with the research tool "The Relational Art Inquiry Tool (RAIT)" as well as to become acquainted with various publications, documents and other items in store (State Gallery Archives, Art Library etc.). Consequently, they will have the opportunity to create their own work of art, using clay and other materials in the gallery space, inspired by the selected artworks and various themes in the Collection. The investigation will mainly focus on the themes of society and culture, nature and the environment, or human emotions.

By the end of the programme, participants will have further developed their critical thinking and research skills, as well as their self-expression capabilities, while enhancing their emotional intelligence and self-awareness.

The program aims to actively engage different audiences in cultural spaces and raise public awareness on issues of personal development, empathy and well-being.

The programme is implemented through the collaboration of Elpida Fragkeskidou, founder of the Kuns Studio sculpture workshop (MA Fine Arts & Arts Education), and art psychotherapist Eleni Petridou Bouriti (MSc Art Psychotherapy | MA Fine Arts & Arts Education).

Workshop dates:

1. Monday 07.10.2024, 10:30-12:30 (Special Group 18+) and 19:00-21:00 (Open Group 18+)
2. Monday 14.10.2024, 10:30-12:30 (Special Group 18+*) and 19:00-21:00 (Open Group 18+)

December 2024:

1. Monday 02.12.2024, 19:00-21:00 (Open Group 18+ ετών)
2. Monday 09.12.2024, 19:00-21:00 (Open Group 18+ ετών)
3. Saturday 14.12.2024, 10:30-12:30 (Special Group 18+*) and 15:00-17:00 (Open Group 18+ ετών)  

*During the workshop and the guided tour, there will be parallel interpretation in Cypriot Sign Language.

Participation is free and open to everyone.

Limited number of participants (15), by order of priority.

Reservations required, via the link here.

For more information: tel. 99883150.

2. “Drawing as journaling”: Series of experimental drawing workshops for adults

How do we use drawing to express our innermost thoughts, meditate on our deepest desires and exorcise agonizing fears? Can drawing help us conceive of new personal rituals, becoming our rite of passage into new states of clarity?

In the wider framework of his practice, visual artist Othonas Charalambous leads a series of 4 workshops at the State Gallery, exploring drawing as a process of journaling, expression and contemplation between realism and abstraction, as experimental exercises in meditative and potentially transformative experiences of self-agency.

During the workshops, participants are invited to allow time and space for themselves to freely contemplate their thoughts, insecurities, anxieties, fears, as well as personal truths, awakenings and triumphs, without distractions or censoring. Encouraging experimentation in the context of personal exploration, participants have the opportunity to examine how drawing, as a form of crystallizing instances, can reveal things we might be aware of but cannot yet fully articulate, clearing our minds from burdening thoughts.

Participation in the workshops is open to everyone, regardless of previous experience.

Participants may select any subject/s they wish to meditate on, and ask for any assistance they might need during the workshops. Materials will be provided, including H4-B4 pencils, colour pencils and paper. Participants may also bring their own materials of choice, including but not limited to: drawing pencils, colour pencils, chalks, pastels, paper etc.

Designed and facilitated by Othonas Charalambous (visual artist)

Workshop dates:

1.   Wednesday 09.10.2024, 18:00-20:30

2.   Wednesday 16.10.2024, 18:00-20:30

3.   Wednesday 23.10.2024, 18:00-20:30

4.   Wednesday 30.10.2024, 18:00-20:30

Suitable for adults. Participation is free.

The workshops will be self-contained.

Limited number of participants (10), by order of priority.

Reservations required, via the link here.

For more information: tel. 99883150. 

3. "Conversations": Thematic Creative Movement and Music Workshops for Families and Adolescents

Conversations: We know that they are one of the characteristics of spoken language within the context of dialogue. During the workshops, participants will approach works that present human figures, encouraging the observation of non-verbal communication and imaginative conversations between them.

Participants will have the opportunity to experience a shared "together" moment. They will engage in discussions about selected works from the permanent exhibition and listen to live soundscapes for each piece. Following this, they will recreate the image through movement, and imagine and present what might have happened before and after the creation of each work. In a consequent activity they will have the chance to enrich the soundscape with kinetic proposals, implemented by the musician on the spot. Finally, they will present four scenes as a unified performance.

The following tools will be used:

• Creative movement
• Possibility thinking
• Deconstruction
• Creative soundscapes
• Floor Scenery

The workshop will take place while moving on the first floor, accompanied by live music.

Designed and facilitated by Maria Kamberis (dance educator, choreographer) and Demetris Yiasemides (musician, composer).

Workshop dates:

1. Friday 11.10.2024, 18:00-19:30 (families with children 5-12 year) and 19:30-21:00 (adolescents 12-18 years)
2. Σάββατο 12.10.2024, 10:00-11:30 (families with children 5-12 year) και 11:45-13:15 (adolescents 12-18 years) 

The workshops will be self-contained. Participation is free.

Limited number of participants (10 participants per workshop- for the adolescents workshops and 6 families per workshop- for the family workshops), by order of priority.

Reservations required, via the link here.

For more information: tel. 99883150. 

4."Discovery: Me, Others, and Art": Psychoeducational Program for Children 10-12 years

The program aims to help children explore concepts related to emotions and human relationships through the storytelling of "The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse" by Charlie Mackesy and "The Missing Piece Meets the Big O" by Shel Silverstein. Each character has their own story, and similarly, each child will talk about their own emotions and relationships while exploring the works of the State Gallery’s permanent exhibition. During the exploration, the children will create and wear masks representing the characters from the stories.

The purpose of the program is to empower children to discover and express their feelings, both positive and negative, and connect them to important people in their lives. Additionally, the program aims to help children recognize the value of these relationships, through storytelling and the artworks used as inspiration. At the end of the program, children will use worksheets from the book "The Little Book of Great Happiness" by Voni and Stamatakopoulou, focusing on developing life skills and emotional growth for children entering early adolescence.

Designed and facilitated by Androula Fouskotou (archaeologist specialized in museum education).

Workshop dates:

1. Saturday 26.10.2024, 10:30-12:30

2. Saturday 02.11.2024, 15:00-17:00

3. Saturday 30.11.2024, 15:00-17:00

Suitable for children 7-10 years. Participation is free.

The workshops will be self-contained.

Limited number of participants (10), by order of priority.

Reservations required, via the link here.

For more information: tel. 99883150. 

General information:

STATE GALLERY OF CONTEMPORARY ART - Majestic

Stasinou Ave. & 1 Kritis Street, 1060 Nicosia

Working hours: Monday-Friday 10:00-16:45, Saturday 10:00-12:45

Contact:

+357 22 458228

stategallery@culture.moec.gov.cy

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(EK)