Welcome to Nikiti and Halkidhiki!

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with new donations, and historical documents.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.

Highlights of the artistic installation.

The exhibits became source of enjoyment and

interaction for tourists and locals…

And the visitors shared

their experience in social

media!

Step 3: you

may host a

contemporary

art exhibition

by local artists.

Step 4: you may also host fashion photo shootings

at the Museum’s building.

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.

Step 5: you may

organise open air

cinema and live

concerts at the

Museum’s yard.

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?

Thank you very much!

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

vicpervizou@gmail.com - +30 6951097707

Facebook: Victoria Pervizou - LinkedIn: Victoria Pervizou

Twitter: @per_vision