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Tag Archives: audience development

Two AHEAD labs take place in Crete

Woman seen filling in AHEAD lab sheet

HERITΛGE in co-operation with the Archaeological Museum of Mesara in Greece held the first two labs EMPATHISE & DEFINE of the AHEAD program for the Greek hub on December 20-21, 2024. AHEAD (Accessible Heritage Experience for Audience Development) is an EU-funded program that aims to give cultural heritage professionals the tools to develop audiences using innovative approaches.

The labs marked a significant milestone in capacity building and following a series of intensive seminars. They provided a safe and collaborative space for heritage professionals, artists, and audiences to co-create innovative strategies for audience engagement and development.

Aris Anagnostopoulos, HERITΛGE head of Community Engagement, shared his expertise on audience engagement, guiding participants through the process of conducting empathetic interviews with local communities and students. His insights set the stage for meaningful interactions and the development of actionable steps to connect with target audiences effectively.

The enthusiastic participation of the museum staff made this initiative truly rewarding from day one.

Lab 1, focused on “Empathize,” featured two key phases:

  • Step into My Shoes – Museum Perspective, which explored the museum’s understanding of its audience.
  • Step into My Shoes – Audience Perspective, which shifted the focus to how audiences perceive the museum.

 

AHEAD logo

Lab 2 “Define” focused on conducting empathetic interviews and defining the specific needs of the targeted audiences. This workshop encouraged participants to engage directly with primary school students and the local community (including parents) to gain deeper insights into their perspectives, expectations, and experiences. Through active listening and thoughtful dialogue, the lab laid the groundwork for identifying key audience needs and developing meaningful, audience-centered approaches for cultural engagement.

With primary school students and the local community (including parents) as the target groups, these labs fostered open dialogue and mutual understanding.

Through these workshops and the broader AHEAD program,HERITΛGE and its AHEAD partners strive to build and sustain meaningful relationships between archaeological sites and their audiences, fostering connections rooted in empathy and shared experiences.

These labs are just the beginning of a six-lab series designed to transform how cultural heritage professionals engage with their communities. Stay tuned for more exciting developments in the months ahead!

Elektra Angelopoulou is the artist selected for AHEAD’s Greek hub

ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ

Elektra Angelopoulou /Photo by Thalia Galanopoulou

 

HERITΛGE in collaboration with the Archaeological Museum of Messara is very pleased to announce that artist Elektra Angelopoulou has been selected as the artist to create a participatory work of art as part of the AHEAD (Accessible Heritage Experience for Audience Development) project.

AHEAD is co-funded by the EU’s Creative Europe program and aims to transform how the public interacts with cultural heritage by providing heritage managers with the tools to create new participatory and inclusive experiences. The project brings together three cultural heritage sites in Greece, Italy and Spain, where selected artists will collaborate with local communities to create experiential works of art. 

Elektra Angelopoulou has a rich background in archaeology and the performing arts and was chosen among dozens of artists, originating from or residing in Crete, to work with the project’s Greek hub to create an innovative and participatory art project at the Archaeological Museum of Messara. Through this work, Electra will explore new ways of experiencing and connecting with cultural heritage.

The artist will collaborate with two key target groups: primary school students and the local community. Through a series of co-creation workshops, structured using the ACED (Audience-Centered Experience Design) methodology, she will develop a participatory work of art that strengthens the public’s connection to the museum and its heritage.

The goal is to create an open and participatory experience, which will highlight the archaeological site as a living, creative space where history meets the present.

“My intention, every time I come into contact with an archaeological site, is to show what some of us ‘see’ in our imagination when we look at stones, vases, soil, sculptures – that is, an entire world – to those who have not been able to see it that way until now,” the artist says. “Museums and archaeological sites are changing, turning towards local communities and taking steps to become an integral, living part of them. In this context, my goal is to connect people with the object.”

AHEAD team meets in Bilbao

Team members posing in front of staircaseHERITΛGE  joined our partners in the AHEAD (Accessible Heritage Experience for Audience Development) consortium for an interim project meeting in Bilbao this October, hosted by the University of Deusto.

AHEAD is a project co-funded by the EU’s Creative Europe program, aimed at providing cultural heritage professionals with innovative tools and practices to develop new audiences.

Over three days of sessions packed with ideas, plans, and exchanges, the AHEAD team reviewed the progress already achieved. This includes the delivery of nine seminars and the launch of a series of videos and seminar materials, all freely available to cultural heritage professionals on the project website.

The partners also discussed the next steps for the project, including the launch of calls for artists in Greece, Italy, and Spain, and the organization of AHEAD Labs, which will begin in November. These labs will be held in Ostia Antica, Altamira, and Crete, bringing together artists, local communities, and staff from the archaeological parks. Participants will co-design creative practices to enhance how heritage is experienced in their regions.

To find out more about AHEAD, the opportunities it offers, or to join the AHEAD Network, visit the AHEAD website.

AHEAD: Πρόσκληση σε καλλιτέχνες

Η Πρωτοβουλία για την Ανάδειξη της Πολιτιστικής Κληρονομιάς (HERITΛGE) σε συνεργασία με το  Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο Μεσαράς, προσκαλεί καλλιτέχνες να καταθέσουν τις προτάσεις τους για την δημιουργία έργου στο πλαίσιο του ευρωπαϊκού έργου AHEAD (Accessible Heritage Experience for Audience Development) το οποίο συγχρηματοδοτείται από το πρόγραμμα Δημιουργική Ευρώπη της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης. 

Στόχος της προκήρυξης είναι η επιλογή ενός καλλιτέχνη, με τόπο κατοικίας ή καταγωγή από την ευρύτερη περιοχή της Κρήτης, καλλιτέχνη που θα συμμετάσχει σε εργαστήρια συν-δημιουργίας / συν-σχεδιασμού για την ανάπτυξη ενός έργου σε συνεργασία με το κοινό που έχει επιλεγεί για το Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο Μεσαράς υπό τον συντονισμό του οργανισμό HERITΛGE). 

Το έργο AHEAD αποσκοπεί στη δημιουργία νέων βιωματικών εμπειριών που επιτρέπουν στο κοινό να συνδεθεί με την πολιτιστική κληρονομιά συμμετοχικά και χωρίς αποκλεισμούς. Μέσω αυτής της πρόσκλησης, ο καλλιτέχνης που θα επιλεγεί θα συνεργαστεί με το Μουσείο και την τοπική κοινότητα για να αναπτύξει νέους τρόπους βίωσης του αρχαιολογικού χώρου. Ανάλογες προσκλήσεις έχουν δημοσιευθεί στο πλαίσιο του έργου στην Ιταλία και την Ισπανία. 

Συμμετοχική Δημιουργία

Η πρόσκληση αποσκοπεί στην επιλογή ενός καλλιτέχνη που θα λάβει μέρος σε εργαστήρια δομημενα με τη μεθοδολογία ACED (Audience Centered Experience Design) θα πραγματοποιηθούν κατά το χρονικό διάστημα από τον Δεκέμβριο 2024 έως τον Μάρτιο του 2025. Ο καλλιτέχνης θα συνεργαστεί με δύο κοινότητες-στόχους, μαθητές δημοτικού και τοπική κοινωνία, για να σχεδιάσουν από κοινού νέες εμπειρίες που θα ζωντανέψουν το Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο Μεσαράς. 

Αυτή η συνεργασία στοχεύει να μετασχηματίσει τον τρόπο με τον οποίο το κοινό αλληλεπιδρά με τον αρχαιολογικό χώρο, κάνοντάς τον ένα δημιουργικό χώρο συνάντησης του παρελθόντος με το παρόν. Ο καλλιτέχνης θα πειραματιστεί με νέες μορφές έκφρασης που θα ανταποκρίνονται στις ανάγκες διαφορετικών ομάδων κοινού.

Ποιοι Μπορούν να Συμμετάσχουν

Η πρόσκληση απευθύνεται σε επαγγελματίες καλλιτέχνες που ασχολούνται με συμμετοχικές και σχεσιακές πρακτικές, και έχουν εμπειρία σε έργα που εμπλέκουν κοινότητες στη συν-δημιουργία. Ο ιδανικός υποψήφιος θα πρέπει να μπορεί να συνδυάσει την καλλιτεχνική του γλώσσα με τις αξίες της αρχαιολογικής κληρονομιάς και να αναπτύξει μορφές έκφρασης που βασίζονται στη συλλογική εμπειρία.

Υποβολή Αιτήσεων

Οι ενδιαφερόμενοι καλλιτέχνες μπορούν να βρουν περισσότερες λεπτομέρειες στην επίσημη προκήρυξη και να υποβάλουν τις αιτήσεις τους έως τις 15 Νοεμβρίου 2024, ακολουθώντας τις οδηγίες μέσω email ή εναλλακτικά συμπληρώνοντας την παρακάτω φόρμα συμμετοχής .Τα AHEAD Labs προσφέρουν μια μοναδική ευκαιρία για τους καλλιτέχνες να συμβάλουν στη δημιουργική ανανέωση του Αρχαιολογικού Μουσείου Μεσαράς, συνδυάζοντας σύγχρονη τέχνη με την πολιτιστική κληρονομιά της Κρήτης.

Introducing the First AHEAD Training Seminar Video

 

HERITΛGE is excited to announce the release of the inaugural AHEAD training seminar video, Introduction to Audience Development. AHEAD (Accessible Heritage Experience for Audience Development)  is a project co-funded by the EU’s Creative Europe program that aims to encourage the cultural heritage sector to adopt human-centered approaches, learning by doing, impact and data-driven methodologies to innovate working practices, become more relevant for our communities, financially sustainable and create opportunities for social, cultural and economic growth.

This first video is hosted by University of Deusto’s Macarena Cuenca and Jaime Cuenca and  is part of AHEAD’s comprehensive capacity building program, which aims to equip heritage professionals with the essential tools and knowledge to foster audience development, entrepreneurship, and effective marketing strategies.

Fostering active audience engagement and access to culture is a major challenge for the cultural sector, and one which entails reinterpreting the relationship between cultural organizations and the public. In this context, audience development is becoming a key component of cultural sector strategy, as evidenced by the support for it from the European Commission. 

AHEAD’s first seminar is aimed at practitioners working in the cultural heritage sector who are interested in putting audiences at the center of their work and implementing an audience development approach in their organizations. It is made up of two presentations. The first starts with a reflection on the democratization of culture and cultural democracy and related considerations of ethics. It then introduces the concept of audience development. The second presentation is focused on the eight main strategic areas of intervention in Audience Development that were identified in a European-level relevant study on Audience Development (Bollo et al., 2017): Programming, Audience participation and co-creation, Digital, Use of Data, Place, Alliances and Collaboration, Organizational change management, and Capacity building.

Watch the seminar video now to gain valuable insights into the AHEAD program and the importance of audience development in the cultural heritage sector at your convenience. Become a member of the AHEAD network for more news, videos, training opportunities and upcoming events.

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