Project Name
Supervisor
Duration
Members
of the Lab have formed a research group that participates in “Smooth
Educational Spaces. Passing Through Enclosures And Reversing Inequalities
Through Educational Commons” (SMOOTH,
H2020-SC6-TRANSFORMATIONS-2020).
The role of the research team of the Museum Education and Research Laboratory in this program includes the scientific supervision, the planning of 3 educational interventions in MoMus, as well as the collection of research data produced by these interventions.
Yannis Pechtelidis, Niki Nikonanou, Panagiotis Kanellopoulos
2020-2022
The Education Directorate of Central Greece, in the framework of an educational program developed a network of teachers from primary and secondary education of the Region of Central Greece who designed and implemented educational activities in museums, cultural sites and geotops, during the school year of 2017-18. The Laboratory of Museum Research and Education of the Department of Early Childhood Education, University of Thessaly undertook the systematic evaluation of the program. The aim of the evaluation was to record thematic preferences and connections to the curriculum, educational practices in relation to the forms of exploitation of cultural heritage sites and geoparks as well as the problems and difficulties faced by teachers when taking similar initiatives. Also, the special characteristics of these educational activities, especially their design and implementation, and the experience of teachers were also recorded. In the framework of the research program, the educational activities implemented by the teachers who participated in the program (52 school units) were evaluated with quantitative and qualitative research methods (questionnaires, evaluations of teachers’ experience, focus groups for primary and secondary education). The ultimate goal for the evaluation was to lead in specific proposals and conclusions for Museums and cultural institutions, the Ministry of Education and teachers who wish to make educational use of the cultural and natural environment, for the Regional Directorate of Education of Central Greece, the Local Government and other institutions interested in empowering teachers in this field.
Publications
Nikonanou, N., Rinou, M., Theodosiou, S. (2019).Educational Visits in Museums, Memorials and natural parks: Results of a Research, 1st Hellenic Conference of Local History & Education, November 22-24, 2019, Lamia, Greece.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rAZ7mzSsiFusmnHsY_O66eH628NwjdguX7cjyQo_NUE/edit
Niki Nikonanou
2018
The program focuses on exploring the concept of participation and inclusion as the basis for today’s debate on fulfilling the museum’s social role, overthrowing existing authorities and changing the relationship between cultural institutions and the public. For the investigation of the thematic above in Greek society, the Laboratory collaborates with the MOMUS Metropolitan Organization of Museums of Fine Arts of Thessaloniki, contributing to the planning of experimental activities and their systematic evaluation. In a first phase, the project focused on the theme “Cultural institutions and the refugee issue”, recording and evaluating the reactions of cultural organizations and especially museums to the refugee issue with exhibitions, local community awareness programs, educational activities and interventions.
In the second phase, the project focused on the “participatory shift” in arts, curation and education. In this context, experimental educational activities were carried out within the framework of the Biennale of Contemporary Art, in 2017 in Thessaloniki and an exhibition co-curation project “Together We Curate: We are preparing the next exhibition “at the Experimental Arts Center (Momus) in 2020, which was systematically evaluated.
Publications
• Nikonanou, N., Papavergou, E. & Paraskeva, K. (2020). The contribution of participatory projects in promoting the inclusive museum. Are visitors’ artistic creations welcomed in an International Exhibition of Contemporary Art? International Journal of the Inclusive Museum, Vol13, Issue I,1-11.
• Nikonanou, N. Kokoroskou, M., Papavergou, E. & Paraskeva, K. 2018, “Enchacing Intercutural Dialogue: Worldwide Games for the World! Toy construction workshop for the refugee camp at Thessaloniki Port”, Tetradia Mouseiologias, Volume 11, Kaleidoscopio, Athens (in greek)
• Rinou, M. & Nikonanou, N. “’Crowdsourcing’ as a participatory tool in heritage experience for youth: an insight into museum practice” in Conference proceedings Youth on the move: Social inclusion Through informal and non-formal learning, Volos (in press).
Presentations
- 11th International Conference on the Inclusive Museum: Inclusion as Shared Vision: Museums and Sharing Heritage, Are visitors’ artistic creations welcome in an international exhibition of contemporary art? The contribution of participatory projects in promoting the inclusive museum. 6–8 September 2018University of Granada in Granada, Spain.
- 10th International Conference on The Inclusive Museum, Special Focus: Diaspora, Integration and Museums Museums as forums of intercultural dialog: a case study from Greece 15-17 September 2017, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK (Videopresentation).
Niki Nikonanou
2018 - present
The project studies the educational scenarios that will be created by the Acropolis Museum in the framework of the project and the provision of advisory remarks and corrections to the proposed scenarios for the following digital applications:
• Interactive chronology of the Acropolis, Application with many inscriptions
• Map of Diaspora
• The History of “Erechtheion”
• The wedding in Ancient Athens
• Everyday life
• Gigantomachy
• Temple of Athena Niki
• Digital quided tour (the Exhibits speak)
Niki Nikonanou
2018-2019
The program focuses on exploring the concept of participation and inclusion as the basis for today’s debate on fulfilling the museum’s social role, overthrowing existing authorities and changing the relationship between cultural institutions and the public. For the investigation of the thematic above in Greek society, the Laboratory collaborates with the MOMUS Metropolitan Organization of Museums of Fine Arts of Thessaloniki, contributing to the planning of experimental activities and their systematic evaluation. In a first phase, the project focused on the theme “Cultural institutions and the refugee issue”, recording and evaluating the reactions of cultural organizations and especially museums to the refugee issue with exhibitions, local community awareness programs, educational activities and interventions.
In the second phase, the project focused on the “participatory shift” in arts, curation and education. In this context, experimental educational activities were carried out within the framework of the Biennale of Contemporary Art, in 2017 in Thessaloniki and an exhibition co-curation project “Together We Curate: We are preparing the next exhibition “at the Experimental Arts Center (Momus) in 2020, which was systematically evaluated.
Publications
• Nikonanou, N., Kokoroskou, M., Papavergou, E., Paraskeva, K. 2018. “Enhancing intercultural dialogue: Games of the world for the whole world”, Tetradia Mouseiologias, 11, σ.38-42.
• Nikonanou, N., Papavergou, E. & Paraskeva, K. 2020. The contribution of participatory projects in promoting the inclusive museum. Are visitors’ artistic creations welcomed in an International Exhibition of Contemporary Art? , International Journal of the Inclusive Museum, Vol13, Issue I,1-11.
• Rinou, M. & Nikonanou, N. 2019. “Crowdsourcing” as a participatory tool in heritage experience for youth: an insight into museum practice”, Socio-cultural Learning of Youth in Mobile Societies (SLYMS) Conference, April 9-11, 2019, University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece (in press).
Presentations
• 10th International Conference on The Inclusive Museum, Special Focus: Diaspora, Integration and Museums Museums as forums of intercultural dialog: a case study from Greece (σε συνεργασία με Ε. Παπαβέργου και Κ. Παρασκευά)15-17 September 2017, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK (Videopresentation)
• 11th International Conference on the Inclusive Museum: Inclusion as Shared Vision: Museums and Sharing Heritage, Are visitors’ artistic creations welcome in an international exhibition of contemporary art? The contribution of participatory projects in promoting the inclusive museum. ( σε συνεργασία με Ε. παπαβέργου & Κ. Παρασκευά) 6–8 September 2018University of Granada in Granada, Spain.
• 10th International Conference on The Inclusive Museum, Special Focus: Diaspora, Integration and Museums Museums as forums of intercultural dialog: a case study from Greece (σε συνεργασία με Ε. Παπαβέργου και Κ. Παρασκευά)15-17 September 2017, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK (Videopresentation)
Niki Nikonanou
2018-present
The Museum Education and Research Laboratory began a cooperation with AstronART educational initiative in order to perform a systematic evaluation, since the program was composed by a number of original and innovative elements.
In particular, the program’s aim was to encourage creativity through different activities that combined thought, emotion, expression of new ideas, and the development of processes that would result in the creation of original objects of aesthetic and technological value. Educational methodologies and tools were adopted to promote creativity, develop research and experimentation skills, decision-making and problem-solving in a sensitive and systematic way. Overall, creativity was not treated only as an activity linked to artistic expression but also as a way of understanding the world and managing reality, a necessary resource for everyone and in relation to different aspects of human activity.
The evaluation focused on:
• Students’ experience concerning their participation in the AstronART initiative and their views on creativity.
• Educators’ experience as regards the implementation of the AstronART initiative and the potential of the Toolkit.
• The effectiveness of the educational material, of specific methodologies (e.g. Visible Thinking Routines) and activities for the promotion of creativity, of cross-thematic approaches and the support of teamwork.
Publications
Nikonanou, N. 2017. AstronART Project: Evaluation of the program’s implementation, In Boudouroglou F. & Chalkia A., astronART, create the world you want to live in, bilingual exhibition catalog, Macedonian Museum of Modern Art, Thessaloniki.
Niki Nikonanou
2017-2018
The research project focuses on the exploitation of themes related to museums with the design and implementation of experimental applications in the context of the internship of students of the Department of Early childhood Education. Specifically, the investigation concerns
a. the exploitation of museum spaces of Volos,
b. children’s collections and
c. the participatory development of exhibition activities in kindergartens.
The aim is to explore the possibilities offered through these actions for the development of a museum education and to test tools that can strengthen participation in the cultural environment.
1.Zachariadou, A., Nikonanou, N. & Chatzopoulou, K. “Visible Thinking in early childhood education”, in Conference Proceedings Of 12th OMEP, Patras, (in press).
2.Nikonanou, N., Chatzopoulou, K., Thodosiou, S. (2019). Orchestrating educational scenarios for museum spaces: challenges and prospects for kindergarten teachers. In Coference Proccedings of 11 OMEP, Athens 277-278.
Niki Nikonanou
2017 - present
The project was designed and implemented in the context of the preparation of a doctoral dissertation and aimed at promoting the critical involvement of the public. The public travels to 1884 to visit the first exhibition of the relics of the revolution. There he meets a female visitor who converses with the public and shares with them stories, thoughts and memories on the occasion of the exhibits. This was followed by the evaluation of the program that aimed to explore the experience of the public.
Venieri, F. 2016. Approaching the social through the museum theatre: the case of the program “A visit in the exhibition of the monuments of the Holy Struggle”, April 1884, what is social in social history? Forum of social history, Athens.
Venieri, F. and Nikonanou, N. 2015, Staging the museum: Museum theatre as a means to critical engagement, Le musée par la scène. Le spectacle vivant au musée: pratiques, publics, médiation, Paris, France.
Σχετική δημοσίευση:
Venieri, F., Nikonanou, N. & Kotsira, P. 2018, “1884_Revolution_Revisited: The Exhibition of the monuments of the Holy Struggle”. Στο Chevalier, P., Mouton-Rezzouk & Urrutiaguer, D. (επιμ.), Le Musée par la scène, Montpellier: Deuxième Époque, 297-300.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6oeCxpU0Pw&ab_channel=FoteiniVenieri
Foteini Venieri
2015
Irene Nakou, director of the Museum Education and Research Laboratory at the University of Thessaly is conducting a research in Greek students’ ideas, knowledge and understandings over the Holocaust. This project relates to the national survey of 5-9,000 students conducted at the Institute of Education Centre for Holocaust Education, by Professor Stuart Foster (Executive Director), Rosalyn Ashby (Senior Research Associate) and Adrian Burgess (Research Officer). Relevant parallel projects are conducted in Portugal and Spain by Isabel Barca and Lis Cercadillo, respectively.
Irene Nakou (Gr) & Stuart Foster, Rosalyn Ashby, Adrian Burgess (UK)
2013-2015
In the context of the research work of the Museum Education and Research Laboratory, Irene Nakou is conducting a research project in the difficulties that people with visual impairment face in museums. Undergraduate and postgraduate students contribute together with museum professionals working in the field of the social, cultural and educational policies and roles of museums.
Irene Nakou
2012-2014
Members of Lab have collaborated in “DeMuCiV, Designing the Museum of the City of Volos: Historical Research and Development of innovative interactive content for the dissemination of knowledge”, in collaboration with the Department of History, Archaeology and Social Anthropology, University of Thessaly and the School of Architecture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Research Programme Thales, financed by the European Union and the Greek Ministry of Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs.
Panagiotis Kanellopoulos
2012-2015
Τhe research project explored current museums’ education practices in Greece and abroad, focusing on the different methodologies applied in the context of museum interpretation. An early survey of the research field identified the need to examine the potential of museum theatre for museum education, a field significantly under-researched both in Greece and abroad. The research project focused on the exploration of the development, use and function of Museum Theater as an interpretative tool in Greek museums. sociocultural milieu. Within this context the research project explored museum theatre’s ability to engage new audiences, making museums more attractive to different social and age groups, the ways the audience engages in the interpretation process, especially museum theatre’s ability to offer multiple narratives and challenge museum’s authority, as well as its potential on supporting the function of the museum as a place for experience, learning and entertainment.
Publications
• Nikonanou. N., Venieri. F. 2017. “Interpreting social issues: Museum theatre’s potential for critical engagement”, Museum and Society, 15(1),16-32
• Nikonanou, N. & Venieri, F. 2014 “Museum as Gameworlds: The use of Live Action Role Playing Games in Greek Museums”, The International Journal of the Inclusive Museum, Vo 6, Issue 3, 67-76 (http://ijz.cgpublisher.com/product/pub.177/prod.285).
• Venieri, F. & Nikonanou, N. 2015. “Museum Theatre in Greece: Perspectives in site interpretation”, EXARC, 2015/2, on-line: http://journal.exarc.net/issue-2015-2
Niki Nikonanou
2012-2014
Exploration of the educational perspectives of the Kitsos Makris Folk Culture Centre –
Prototype educational programmes
The project focused on the exploration of the educational perspectives of the K. Makris Folk Culture Centre, in Volos. In the context of contemporary Museology, Museum Education, Material Culture Theory and History Education, the enhancement of its educational role was studied by the use of new methods of approaching and interpreting museum objects and collections. On this basis, prototype educational programmes for children of different age were planned, realised and evaluated.
Relevant publications
Nakou, I. & Tacha, A. (2010). Educational programmes for nursery-school children planned and realised by University of Thessaly students at the K. Makris Folk Culture Centre in Volos. In Gavrilaki, I. & Katsaouni, F. (Eds.), Educational Programmes and Folk Culture. Athens: Cente for the Study of Modern Pottery. Greek edition, published on line: http://www.potterymuseum.gr/pub/Category.asp?lang=gr&catid=62
Irene Nakou
2010-2011
The European Commission-funded programme EuNaMus (European National Museums: Identity Politics, the Uses of the Past and the European citizen (www.eunamus.eu) aimed to define the national museum in its complexity, to reveal the historiographical practices that underlie national museums’ uses of the past, to make visible the material culture that unites and defines European sensibilities and values, revealing the agency of objects and collections, to interrogate the policy-making and policy implementation as well as attempts to locate/identify the European citizen as an active participant in making national museums and permitting them to be active agents of social change. This last point has been the concern of one of the work packages of research of this programme, entitled Museum Citizens. The research took place in nine European countries and 5.356 museum visitors participated in the survey which took place inEstonian National Museum, Tartu (Estonia), Latvian Open-Air Museum, near Riga (Latvia), German Historical Museum, Berlin (Germany), National Historical Museum of Athens (Greece), Nordiska museet, Stockholm (Sweden), National Museum of Ireland (Collins Barracks branch), Dublin (Ireland), National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, (UK), Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (The Netherlands), Museum of the History of Catalonia, Barcelona (Spain
Publications:
• Bounia, A., Nikiforidou, A., Nikonanou, N. & Matossian, A. D. (2012). Voices from the Museum: Survey Research in Europe’s National Museums, Linköping University Electronic Press, On line: http://liu.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A563949&dswid=855…
• Μπούνια, Α., Νικονάνου, Ν.,Νικηφορίδου, Α., Πιτσιάβα, Ε., 2016. «Εθνικά Μουσεία: Αποψεις Επισκεπτών. Η πιλοτική Έρευνα στο Βυζαντινό και Χριστιανικό Μουσεία», MuseumEdu, 3,171-186.
Presentations:
• Research Seminar Museum Citizens: National Museums and the European Citizen στο πλαίσιο του Συνεδρίου “Material Identities. Representing our National and European Selves in National Museums and Beyond”, στο πλαίσιο του Π6 του Ευρωπαϊκού Προγράμματος EUNAMUS, Πανεπιστήμιο Αιγαίου.
Ιστοσελίδα έργου: https://ep.liu.se/eunamus/
Niki Nikonanou (Collaborator)
2010-2012
Evaluation Research of the National Campaign ‘Environment and Culture’
Aim of the research project is the evaluation of the Panhellenic Campaign entitled ‘Environment and Culture’. There has been a systematic summative evaluation during 2008, 2009 and 2010, which aimed at charting the communication capabilities of the organizations (museums and heritage sites) involved, as well as at forming useful conclusions regarding current practices which would help the development of future policies and plans of both the Ministry’s directorates and the individual heritage bodies involved. The evaluation is going on until now with the collaboration of the Laboratory of Museum Research and Education, University of Thessaly.
Relevant publications
· Nikonanou, N., Bounia, A., Andriopoulou, D. 2009. “Evaluation of the National Campaign of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Tourism ‘Environment and Culture–The tree of life in four seasons’ 2008/9, in Chryssoulaki, St., Seleli, A. (eds.) The Tree of Life in four seasons. Environment and Culture 2008/9, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Athens 2009, 24-29.
· Nikonanou, N., Bounia, A., Andriopoulou, D., Chryssoulaki, St., Koutsouraki, T., Seleli, A. 2009. “Evaluation of the National Campaign of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Tourism ‘Environment and Culture 2008–The tree of life in four seasons’”, Museology Writings (Tetradia Mouseiologias) 6, 78-79 (in Greek).
Niki Nikonanou
2008-2012
Museum Education at Greek universities and museums
The aim of the project was to explore museum education a) as it is conceived and realised, bot as a research and teaching field, at Greek universities, and b) as it is practiced in museums, in the context of their broader educational and cultural policies. Data were collected by two questionnaires, which addressed universities and museums, respectively. Research results led to the formation of basic observations over both the achievements and the problematic issues of museum education in our country.
Relevant publications
Nakou, I. (2010). The museum as a place where different educational assumptions and practices meet: General observations of a research in universities and museums of our country. In Vemi, B. & Nakou, I. (Eds.), Museums and Education. Athens: Nissos (319-333).
Irene Nakou
2007-2010
City Museums around the World – Assumptions and practices
The project was funded by the
History and Documentation Centre of the Municipality of the City of Volos, in the context of the New Museum of the City of Volos, which was being planned by the same Centre. It aimed to explore assumptions, practices and challenges of different City Museums around the world, and it was based on a extensive questionnaire and a relative international scientific meeting that was realised in Volos in April 2006.
The Museum Education and Research Laboratory participated in the organising committee of the International Scientific Meeting, “Representations of Cities in City-Museums: Assumptions and perpesctives”. The Meeting was held at the History and Documentation Centre of the Municipality of the City of Volos, in April 2006.
Relevant publications
Mouliou, M. & Nakou, I. (2006). Describing City Museums: Trends and observations. In the Proceedings of the Scientific Meeting “Representations of Cities in City-Museums: Assumptions and perpesctives”. Volos:
History and Documentation Municipal Centre.
Marlen Mouliou, Irene Nakou
2005-2006
Contemporary educational challenges: The New Museum of the City of Volos.
The project was based on relevant litterature and observations at Greek and European museums. It aimed to construct a basic theoretical background for the New Museum of the City of Volos educational character and policy, with the scope to serve as a parametre of its final planning, in relation to its thematic object, its museological philosophy and its expected visitors.
Relevant publications
Nakou, I. (2006). Challenges of a contemporary cultural and educational role – The Museum of the City of Volos, En Volo, 22, July-September 2006, 104-109 (Greek edition).
Irene Nakou
2005-2006