Museum of Cycladic Art

About this Organization

The Museum of Cycladic Art is a private museum in the center of Athens hosting ancient Greek civilization, with special emphasis on Cycladic civilization which flourished in the Aegean Sea 5.000 years ago. Its temporary exhibitions focus on archaeology, modern and contemporary art, aiming to explore the links between ancient civilizations and contemporary artistic creation. The Museum’s mission is to be a place of dialogue between different communities for the purpose of education, research, and recreation. Its public outreach is enhanced by the rich content through digital platforms and channels.

Team Members

Director

Director, Education Department, Museum of Cycladic Art, Athens, Greece - mplati@cycladic.gr

Marina Plati studied History and Archaeology at the University of Athens. Since 1986, she is the Director of the Education Department of the MCA, which organizes programs for schools and preschool kids, produces educational material for teachers and students, creates educational games etc.

She has published books for kids (e.g. Man or Violin, 2013, Playing in Ancient Greece with Lysis and Timarete, 2009, Once upon a time a potter, 2007, etc.) and participated in numerous conferences on museum education and public outreach. As the Education Department has participated in an Erasmus+ Program (2014-2017), she co-directed a research program on the accessibility of people with visual imparities to museums.

She is currently co-directing two European Programs (Erasmus+ Towards a Multisensory and Inclusive Museum for Individuals with Sensory Disabilities (2019-21) and a Creative Europe Program, Museums of Impact 2019-22).

Head of Educational Programs

Eleni Markou Head of Educational Programs, Museum of Cycladic Art, Athens, Greece -  emarkou@cycladic.gr

Eleni Markou studied History and Archaeology at the University of Athens and has a Master’s Degree in Museum Studies. Since 2002, she is working at the MCA as Head of Educational Programs. She has organized programs for primary and secondary schools, authored or co-authored books for kids and teachers, and participated in the organization of conferences and seminars. She has given papers in several conferences on museum education and participated in research programs.

As the Education Department has participated in an Erasmus+ Program (2014-2017), she co-directed a research program on the accessibility of people with visual imparities to museums. She is currently co-directing two European Programs (Erasmus+ Towards a Multisensory and Inclusive Museum for Individuals with Sensory Disabilities (2019-21) and a Creative Europe Program, Museums of Impact 2019-22).

Digital Communication

Maria Malichoutsaki Digital Communication, Museum of Cycladic Art, Athens, Greece -  mmalichoutsaki@cycladic.gr

Maria Malichoutsaki studied Conservation of Antiquities and Works of Art in Athens. She holds two Masters degrees, in Museum Studies from the University of Athens (MA in Museum Studies) and in Arts Management from Università Cattolica in Milan (MA in Arts Management). During her MA in Arts Management, she focused on the importance of brand management in a museum context.

She has worked at MoMA (The Museum of Modern Art) in New York, at the department of Digital Media where she produced content for the website, provided quality assurance and conducted user testing and analysis. In 2020, she started working for the External Affairs, Press, and Communication department at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection (Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York), producing original content for the museum’s social media platforms, creating content for the museum’s fundraising campaigns, and proposing new strategies based on data analysis. Since 2021, she works at the Communication and Development Department of the Museum of Cycladic Art.

She is impassioned with the cultural industry and the idea of engaging the audience with the art.

Head of Communication and Marketing

Stella Tsagkaraki was born in Athens (1984) and she is Head of Communication and Marketing at the Communication & Development Department of the Museum of Cycladic Art. Her work focuses on branding and visual communication in terms of the strategic goals across the Cycladic Museum. She actively participates in strategic communication planning for temporary exhibitions and media campaigns.

She studied Cultural Organizations Management (MSc) and Information Technology and has participated in conferences and seminars in Digital Arts, Visual Communication, and Branding. Other areas of activity include the production of cultural events and collaboration with creative industries.

EU Projects Coordinator

Nefeli Bantela, EU Projects Coordinator - nbantela@cycladic.gr

Nefeli Bantela works as coordinator of EU-funded projects at the Museum of Cycladic Art. She has studied English and Greek Language and Literature at the University of Athens. She also holds a Master’s degree in Translation Studies with specialization in Language Technologies from the University of Birmingham, UK. She has recently received a certification in Digital Marketing and Social Media from the Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB).

In the past, she has worked as a Researcher/Project Manager in the field of preparation and implementation of EU-funded projects with focus on entrepreneurship, vocational training, formal and informal education as well as sustainability and business development.

Head of Information Technology and Services

Stamatis Manikis Head of Information Technology and Services, Museum of Cycladic Art, Athens, Greece - smanikis@cycladic.gr

Stamatis Manikis is Head of Information Technology and Services of the Museum of Cycladic Art. He studied Electronics Engineering at the University of Piraeus. Since 2008 he worked at technology company and specifically in the IT department with responsibilities in technical engineering, digitization team director and digitization projects supervisor until 2016.

He has been working at the Museum of Cycladic Art since 2016 as IT Manager, focuses on new technologies, design, configure and install hardware, software and telecommunications systems and equipment. He also evaluates emerging technologies and systems to enhance technology services or replace failing resources, setup and maintain security protocols and disaster recovery systems to mitigate breaches to the integrity of data resources within the Museum. He responds to requests for enhanced technology resources by departments, prioritize needs, and manage projects to modify systems.

He trains staff to use software and other technology resources. Finally, he has actively participated in many technology seminars.

Curator of Antiquities

Dr Ioannis Fappas studied History and Archaeology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He also has received a Masters, a PhD, and a PostDoc from the same institution. During his doctoral studies he received training in Mycenaean Linear B script at the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford, where he also conducted research on the archaeology and cuneiform epigraphic corpora from the ancient Eastern Mediterranean. During his academic course he has received various awards and grants from the British School at Athens, the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the Academy of Athens, the Institute for Aegean Prehistory (Philadelphia, NJ), the Institute of Classical Studies (London), the Center for Hellenic Studies, Harvard University (Washington, DC), the Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies, Princeton University, and the ANAMED, Koç University Research Center for Anatolian Civilizations (Istanbul).

He has participated in several conferences around the world and he has delivered many lectures and published numerous articles as well as a monograph on the manufacture and use of perfumed oils in Mycenaean Greece and the ancient Near East during the 14th and the 13th centuries BC. He is deeply engaged with the major excavation project of the Mycenaean palace of Thebes, as well as with various other international interdisciplinary research projects, and he has undertaken the study and publication of Mycenaean material culture from Boeotia and Argolis, two core regions of the Mycenaean civilization in mainland Greece.

For a considerable period of time Dr Fappas worked as an archaeologist and Museum Curator in the Greek Ministry of Culture and the redevelopment of the archaeological Museums of Thebes and Chaeronea.

He specializes in Aegean Archaeology, the Mycenaean Linear B script and Aegean material culture, with special interests on trade contacts and intercultural connections and exchanges in the Late Bronze Age Eastern Mediterranean. From June 2018 he is working as Curator of Antiquities in the Museum of Cycladic Art, Athens.