National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens

Colors & Minds was an experiential artistic programme aiming to raise awareness for young people in the psychosocial sector. It lasted from October 2023 until May 2024. Its goal was to promote an understanding and acceptance of the world around us through the deployment of the visual arts, with the ultimate aim of creating a more open, amicable environment for all. It involved young people from different population groups (students from the Athens School of Fine Arts and the Art and Psychotherapy Centre), as well as mental health service users. Inspired by Vlassis Caniaris’ work Hopscotch (1974), participants used different artistic means (drawing, photography/video, sculpture, installation, performance and text) to experientially explore contemporary art through the various conceptual aspects of the specific work. The programme was jointly organized by the ΕΜΣΤ | National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens, the Association of Social Responsibility for Children and Youth (SKEP), the Association for Regional Development and Mental Health (EPAPSY) and the voluntary artistic initiative Talks & Crafts by Marina Tsironi.

The programme applies to public programming, outreach programming, accessibility and education.

Explain in one sentence why you think the project you nominate is outstanding and could serve as an example for the entire community of modern and contemporary art museums.

Catering for underserved communities, we wanted to introduce mental health patients to contemporary art through various artistic perspectives, while at the same time familiarizing young people with the psychosocial sector through artistic co-creation with mental health recipients. The idea of jointly shaping the world through cooperation and creation was outstanding in this project.

Explain why this practice or program is relevant and sustainable in creating meaningful and lasting connections with people, communities, and the museum context with a medium to long-term vision.

Not only were strong friendships born during the program which we hope will last but after discovering the ways that mental health patients engaged with different art forms (especially with performance art) we started discussing the possibility of enlargening the program to include not only Fine Art Schools, but also Drama Schools, Dance Schools, etc. The program is sustainable and can also become a European project with funding from the EU.

https://www.emst.gr/en/education/educational-programmes-en/colors-and-minds