Greek Community Day at MFA Boston Offers Family Activities and Events, Including Special Talk by Rick Riordan
Special Activities on Saturday, September 19 include Art Making, Tours and Music
BOSTON, MA (August 27, 2015)—The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), celebrates Greek art and culture and the one-year anniversary of the renovated galleries dedicated to Wine, Poets, and Performers in Ancient Greece with a Greek Community Day on Saturday, September 19 (10 am–4:45 pm). Families can engage with Greek art and culture through theater, musical performances, family art-making activities and an array of tours and talks with curators in the galleries, including the Krupp Gallery, dedicated to Homer and the Epics. A highlight of the day is a special presentation by bestselling author Rick Riordan talking about his latest book, Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes. For visitors looking for a laugh, comedic storytellers MythMasters will offer two performances during the day, highlighting Greek Myths with a twist. The celebration marks the one-year anniversary of the new MFA galleries dedicated to Wine, Poets, and Performers in Ancient Greece. Museum admission is free for children 17 and under. Fans can follow @mfaBoston on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates on Greek Community Day, and all special events at the Museum. Greek Community Day is supported by Mr. and Mrs. Tas Parafestas, Susan G. Kohn, The Hellenic Women’s Club, Katherine S. Eraklis, Mr. and Mrs. Alice and Nicholas Galakatos, Kitty and Michael Dukakis and funds donated anonymously.
The MFA’s Greek Community Day is one of a series of cultural celebrations held at the Museum annually, along with Diwali, the Hindu ‘Festival of Lights’ (November 4); Hanukkah (December 9); Lunar New Year (February 6); Women in the Arts, celebrating Women’s History Month (March 2); Nowruz, the Persian New Year (March 19); and Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States (June 15).
Schedule of Activities
All activities free with Museum admission
Special Events
Welcome Remarks: Greek Community Day
12:45 pm, Shapiro Family Courtyard
ASL Interpretation
George D. Behrakis, Trustee and longtime benefactor of the MFA; Ifigenia Kanara, Consul General of Greece in Boston; and Nicholas Burns, former US Ambassador to Greece and professor, Harvard Kennedy School; give welcome remarks.
Lecture: “Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes” with Rick Riordan
3 pm, Remis Auditorium
A one-of-a-kind presentation by Rick Riordan, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Kane Chronicles, and the Heroes of Olympus. Visitors can learn about his newest book Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes, his influences and inspirations, and the allure of the Greek world and its characters. Signed copies of Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes and other titles are available for purchase in the Bookstore and Shop in Druker Family Pavilion in the Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art.
FREE LECTURE TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE AT REMIS AUDITORIUM BOX OFFICE STARTING AT 2PM ON SEPTEMBER 19. FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED; LIMITED AVAILABILITY. FREE LECTURE TICKET REQUIRED FOR ENTRY.
Music: Stelios Karaminas
11 am, Noon and 1 pm, Classical Roman Gallery
Stelios Karaminas—guitarist and vocalist from North America’s premier Greek American band, Orfeas—plays an acoustic set in the galleries.
Dance: Boston Lykeion Ellinidon
11 am, 1 and 2 pm, Shapiro Family Courtyard
Boston Lykeion Ellinidon researches, teaches and collects Hellenic folk culture and art through dance. Visitors can join them for a 30-minute performance and workshop demonstrating a variety of regional and traditional Greek dances.
Theater: MythMasters
11:30 am and 1:30 pm, Alfond Auditorium
MythMasters blast centuries of dust from the timeless tales of ancient Greece—audiences listen, watch, and even participate in this imaginative, creative, and spontaneous storytelling—a comic feast for both children and adults. Through a masterful use of mime, masks, wigs, hats, rubber noses and puppets, Greek gods and goddesses, heroes and villains, monsters and maidens walk the earth once more.
FREE PERFORMANCE TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE AT ALFOND AUDITORIUM TICKET DESK STARTING AT 10:30 AM (FOR 11:30 AM PERFORMANCE) AND AT 12:30 PM (FOR 1:30 PERFORMANCE) ON SEPTEMBER 19. FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED; LIMITED AVAILABILITY. FREE PERFORMANCE TICKET REQUIRED FOR ENTRY.
ART-MAKING ACTIVITIES
Ancient Vases
10 am–4 pm, Greek Archaic Gallery
Just like Ancient Greek artists, who decorated vases with mythical creatures and tall tales, families are encouraged to look at an array of amphoras, lekythos and column kraters for inspiration for their own Greek vase design.
Paper Mosaics
10 am–4 pm, Shapiro Family Courtyard
ASL interpretation between 10:30-11:15 AM.
Stone and glass mosaics often decorated floors and walls in ancient Greek and Roman homes. Children can visit an elaborate example with dolphins, fish and abstract designs for ideas about how to arrange their own mosaic with paper tiles.
Wearable Wigs
10 am–4 pm, Education Center in Druker Family Pavilion
After exploring the George D. and Margo Behrakis Wing for Art of the Ancient World, visitors can take note of (or sketch) the many wavy and whimsical hairstyles chiseled on the stone sculptures before creating their own inspired, wearable hairstyle in the studio.
Drawing in the Galleries
10 am–4 pm, Norma Jean Calderwood Courtyard (rain location William I. Koch Gallery)
Visitors of all ages are welcome to drop-in and sketch from a live clothed model.
TOURS AND TALKS
Highlight Tours: The Influence of Greek Culture
10:30, 11, 11:30 am, 12:30, 1, 1:30, 2:30, and 3 pm, Meet at Sharf Visitor Center
ASL interpretation at 3 pm
By joining a 45-minute tour highlighting the legacy of Classical art in the Western world, visitors may discover how ancient Greek art and culture have influenced centuries of artists.
Curator Talk: Behind the Scenes
11:30 am, Riley Seminar Room
ASL interpretation
Christine Kondoleon, George D. and Margo Behrakis Senior Curator of Greek and Roman Art, will give a one-hour behind-the-scenes introduction to the Museum’s collection of and master plan for Greek art.
Spotlight Talks: Homeric Vases
Noon, 12:30 and 1 pm, Krupp Gallery, Homer and the Epics
ASL interpretation at 1 pm
Visitors can look closely at ancient Greek vases in the gallery and learn about the stories they tell on one of these 15-minute talks.
Gallery Talk: Wine, Poets and Performers
2 pm, Meet in Sharf Visitor Center
ASL interpretation
Phoebe Segal, Mary Bryce Comstock Assistant Curator of Greek and Roman Art, will take visitors on a one-hour in-depth look at works in the new galleries dedicated to Wine, Poets and Performers in Ancient Greece.
Drawing in the Galleries is made possible by The Lowell Institute.
Spotlight Talks supported by The Wallace Foundation.
Bank of America Access Program. With additional support from The Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family Foundation and the Maida S. Abrams Fund for Increasing Access and Educational Opportunities for People with Disabilities.
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), is recognized for the quality and scope of its collection, which includes an estimated 500,000 objects. The Museum has more than 140 galleries displaying its encyclopedic collection, which includes Art of the Americas; Art of Europe; Contemporary Art; Art of Asia, Oceania, and Africa; Art of the Ancient World; Prints, Drawings, and Photographs; Textile and Fashion Arts; and Musical Instruments. Open seven days a week, the MFA’s hours are Saturday through Tuesday, 10 am–4:45 pm; and Wednesday through Friday, 10 am–9:45 pm Admission (which includes one repeat visit within 10 days) is $25 for adults and $23 for seniors and students age 18 and older, and includes entry to all galleries and special exhibitions. Admission is free for University Members and youths age 17 and younger on weekdays after 3 pm, weekends, and Boston Public Schools holidays; otherwise $10. Wednesday nights after 4 pm admission is by voluntary contribution (suggested donation $25). MFA Members are always admitted for free. The Museum’s mobile MFA Guide is available at ticket desks and the Sharf Visitor Center for $5, members; $6, non-members; and $4, youths. The Museum is closed on New Year’s Day, Patriots’ Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. For more information, visit mfa.org or call 617.267.9300. The MFA is located on the Avenue of the Arts at 465 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115.
###