Corfu: Ionian University Museum, a «beacon» of cultural dialogue

The Museum of the Ionian University, which has been actively operating in Corfu for the past two years, offers a fruitful journey through history with the aim of developing cultural dialogue and producing knowledge for students and the general public.

The institution of the University Museum has existed since the 17th century, with the Ashmolean Museum of the University of Oxford being a prime example. It is a special category of museums housed on the premises of academic institutions and aims to promote knowledge and familiarize the academic community with museum spaces. As a continuation of the museums of the Ionian Academy in Corfu in the early 19th century, the Ionian University acquired its own museum in 2019, called the «Ionian University Museum Collections.».

The Museum of the Ionian University, housed on the university premises, includes collections from the Typography Department, which consists of exhibits related to typography and the history of books, such as printing presses, paper cutting machines, bookbinding tables, office machines, printing tools, and four-color printing plates.

The History of School and Education collection, with original items and archival material related to school equipment and the operation of schools in Corfu, and the Digital Culture collection, which includes virtual reality creations with 3D modeling and aims to represent both the man-made and natural environment. The collection is accompanied by selected objects and scenes of interest using modern virtual and augmented reality technologies, as well as objects and evidence of three-dimensional design and printing.

The Museum's mission is to support the educational work of the schools and departments of the Ionian University at undergraduate and postgraduate level, as well as to strengthen scientific research and the dissemination of knowledge both within the university community and the wider local community .

«This is an organization that aims to create new experiences based on a human-centered model of managing and promoting cultural heritage.

However, the strongest factor that highlights the unique character of the new museum organization is that of inclusiveness. The university itself understands the role of its museum in the broader social context. By promoting participatory processes of development and evolution, the university museum also aims to serve as a laboratory for experimentation and creativity, activating the local community and integrating it into cultural life. The museum focuses on unleashing the critical and creative abilities of members of the university community and the local community in general as levers for the development of cultural dialogue and knowledge production. A key parameter of its museum policy is the participatory approaches that are now considered essential for transforming the museum into an organization that is actively involved in the life of the community and interested in providing a platform for the public, creating lasting bonds with it, improve access, and encourage the greatest possible participation from the community. To achieve this, the university museum will always be open to a sincere and ongoing dialogue through which all issues relating to its operation will be addressed,» said Stavros Vlizzos, associate professor in the Department of Archival Science, "To achieve this, the university museum will always be open to a sincere and continuous dialogue through which all issues of its operation will be addressed," said Stavros Vlizzos, associate professor in the Department of Archival Science, Library Science, and Museology, who, on his own initiative, established the Ionian University Museology Group in 2015.

«The people at the Ionian University Museum did not stop seeking contact with the public during times of pandemic and social exclusion through online communication and, whenever possible, through face-to-face collaboration,» notes Mr. Vlizzos, emphasizing that «the first dynamic move was made in the context of the celebration of International Museum Day 2020, through an open online discussion with representatives of the museums of Corfu.».

The aim of the event was to map the needs, insecurities, and consequences that arose due to the pandemic, but also to explore prospects for solutions and alternative proposals. This was followed by another online event in the form of an open discussion held in mid-July 2020, in which representatives of various museum organizations in the Ionian Islands Region participated, highlighting, through their own experiences, the difficulties they faced due to the situation.

So far, the university museum has also done some digital stuff, like this project with the Museum Studies students at the Ionian University called «Creativity in a time of pandemic,» which involved creating a tour of the world of art in a unique way. In November 2020, the public was invited to share photos and stories from their school years as part of the initiative «Let's Design the New School Museum Together.» Immediately afterwards, in December 2020, a Christmas online workshop for preschool and early school-age children was held, entitled «Who hid Santa's sack?», while the digital activity for children aged 6-13 on the theme «I care... what the museum of the future will be like!» was completed. The children envisioned their own unique and ideal museum with wonderful colors and original ideas, with works presented in a digital exhibition available on the Museum's website (https://museum.ionio.gr/gr/learn/children-museum/).

In 2021, the Museum continued to offer «breaths of culture» with online activities and events, with many «cycles» of lectures and guest professors from other universities in Greece.

International Museum Day was celebrated for the second consecutive year via teleconference. On May 18, 2021, in an online event entitled «The Future of Museums through Networking: The Example of the Ionian Islands Museum Network (Di.M.I.N.),» issues related to networking, synergies, and the future of museums in the Ionian Islands Region were discussed with representatives of Di.M.I.N. members and the general public.

Although the Museum's collections remained closed due to the pandemic, various teaser videos were created to keep the Museum's activities alive in the public's memory. Finally, the Museum participated in the COVID Community Collecting Initiatives – Global campaign, as well as in national cultural initiatives on social media (Instagram Take Over – The Comuseum).

Collaboration and outreach are among the key priorities of the University Museum's museum policy. This parameter has led to the creation, on the Museum's initiative, of the Ionian Islands Museum Network (Di.M.I.N.), an organization consisting of 13 members and based on the principles of solidarity, cooperation, and the pooling of resources. In the context of extroversion, the new organization seeks, on the one hand, to collaborate with related organizations abroad and, on the other hand, to join international networks of university museums, such as the European network of university museums UNIVERSEUM. The Ionian University Museum has already been registered on the map of the global body of university museums.

«The University Museum of the Ionian University is an official academic institution with a wide range of activities, both in terms of organizing physical and digital collections within the institution and in terms of supporting organizations in the development of new, innovative ways of presenting museum content. innovative experiences for presenting museum content. Its significant presence at the regional level is further documented by the recent initiative to establish the Ionian Islands museum network, which reinforces the relevant academic work produced, both in terms of research and as an extension of the teaching activities in the field of museology carried out at our Foundation,» Andreas Floros, Rector of the Ionian University, told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency.

The University Museum also maintains regular communication with the Primary Education Directorate regarding the planning of educational activities for primary school pupils in Corfu. Indicative examples include the educational programs «The Conspiracy of Letters» and «We, the Printers,» which aim to familiarize students with the Museum's Typography Collection through experiential methods and storytelling, dialogue, book creation, and a treasure hunt game. The activities for primary school children in the «History of School and Education/Corfu School Museum» Collection in Skripero refer to topics such as «Keeping our home clean» with the aim of developing ecological awareness through dialogue and play, «Developing empathy through art» for the recognition of feelings and understanding the concept of empathy through interactive games, and «Become a Curator/Curating for Kids,» which introduces children to the field of museology and the process of creating a museum exhibition.

Finally, the general public actively participates in the action «Designing the Museum Together – The Re-exhibition of the Collection «History of School and Education/School Museum of Corfu» in Skripero. The aim is to re-exhibit the collection through an open, participatory process that aims to familiarize the public with the processes of shaping museum spaces and creating a museum exhibition.