The mission of the Historical and Folklore Museum of Nikiti is to study,
interpret and present the history and culture of Nikiti from the 19th and 20th
century.
The folklore collection of the museum includes approximately 1500
objects, donated during the last 20 years by the inhabitants of Nikiti to
the Nikitean philologist Mr. Dimitrios Dimaras.
For the purposes of the permanent exhibition, the collection was enriched
with new donations, and historical documents. Objects, archival material,
contemporary artistic photography, oral testimonies, and film documentary
become the means to highlight various stories about the settlement and the
lives of the people of Nikiti.
The exhibition aims to shed light to various aspects of Nikiti’s traditional culture,
which is approached in an interdisciplinary way and is interpreted as part of the
place’s history.
Main themes of the exhibition
Settlement, place, people
Engaging with tradition
Place, time, history, relations
Economic and social life
Following the narrative of the exhibition, the visitor learns how the settlement has
been expanded over time, and discovers aspects of history and daily life of the
people of Nikiti and the surrounding areas.
The building used to be the old primary school and is located within
the picturesque, traditional village of Nikiti.
How do I get involved?
Last summer, while visiting the traditional area of Nikiti, I was very
surprised to accidentally find out about the Museum especially given
the fact that I reside there as a summer visitor for many years. I quickly
got intrigued and always being curious about museums I wanted to find
out more about it.
What I realized was that at the initial phase of its function the Historical
and Folklore Museum of Nikiti had to deal with various challenges.
This Workshop aims to introduce you to these challenges and explore
possible solutions.
Challenge #1
Insufficient Human Resources
No permanent staff
Museum operated mainly by part – time assistance of municipal
employees with inadequate relevant experience and with no clear
task allocation
Very few volunteers involved How do you establish a closer relation with the local community and enhance community pride?
Challenge #2
Funding Issues
No income from tickets sales due to initial funding plan restrictions
Lack of policy for private donors and insufficient strategy for potential
sponsors How small/medium not so popular museums (eg folklore) can be attractive to private funds and donors especially in small rural communities?
Very limited public funding
• Public: inexistent especially due to economic situation of the country
• EU funds: limited and not directly linked to the goals and needs of the
Museum Is the “super market” approach enough for sustainable growth or just a remedy for survival? How do you develop tailor-made proposals that are in line with your needs and your development strategies?
Challenge #3
Lack of Communication
The Museum was not a part of the coordinated touristic promotion of
the area
Hotels, travel agencies and touristic info points were not properly
informed
Road signs guiding to the Museum’s location were absolutely absent
No online presence (website, social media)
References in local newspapers and magazines were inadequate
Local community was poorly informed about the Museum
How do you deal with these?
Given the short time of my involvement with this project, I came up with
some ideas, mainly regarding the barrier of communication.
Some of these proved to be effective in terms of the Museum’s
promotion, some other did not have the expected outcomes.
I will try to give you a glimpse of these initiatives and feel free to share
your thoughts.
The opportunity
Very close to the Museum’s location a couple of wine bars and
restaurants gather every night tourists and local residents who want to
enjoy the picturesque night scenery of the traditional area.
Despite the fact that the Museum is closed after 21.00, this hot spot still
arises a unique opportunity to raise awareness about its existence,
since it works as a pull for potential Museum’s visitors.
But how do these people actually get informed about the Museum when no
informational material is disseminated to them and even the road signs are
absolutely absent?
Step 1: you may get the Museum to them.
This is a video showing some
of the Museum’s exhibits
projected every night on a wall
next to the central bar of the
traditional area. The bar is
called Barcarolla and its
owners willingly offered to help
with the set up. The video was
a 10 minutes loop played on
repeat.
Step 2: you may give them a hint of the experience they would get if they
visited the Museum, by using some of the Museum’s typical exhibits
presented outside the building as teasers.
Incorporation of
contemporary
art-forms with
traditional ones,
through
alternative
usage of the
building and its
facilities can
intrigue the
audience,
increase the
Museum’s
visibility and set
the foundation
to build
partnerships
with local
businesses.
Topics to be explored – Food for thought
Three main challenges the Nikiti Museum is facing at the moment
1. Lack of man-power
2. Funding
3. Communication
• How do you believe this Museum could deal with these?
• Do you face such challenges in your organizations?
• If yes, how do you deal with them?
Please stay in touch!
You can find us on Facebook:
Museum of Nikiti
or
You can visit the Museum’s website:
http://www.mouseionikitis.gr/
Victoria Pervizou - Lawyer - Cultural Manager
[email protected] - +30 6951097707
Facebook: Victoria Pervizou - LinkedIn: Victoria Pervizou
Twitter: @per_vision