THE ΤΕΛΟΣ SOCIETY speaks to Sozita Goudouna, Founding Director of Greece In USA
Greece in USA is a non-profit organization with a global reach that promotes knowledge of contemporary and ancient Greek Culture while fostering international cultural cooperation, experimentation and social engagement. The organization's extensive programming includes commissioned artists' and curators' projects, residencies, educational and ecological initiatives and the commitment to cultivating a sensible culture of innovation and thought leadership.
We are dedicated to offering innovative and unique programs in education and the arts, all exploring the evolving diversity and richness of Greek and Cypriot cultures. The non- profit organization seeks to generate new thinking about the arts and promote cross- cultural dialogue through partnerships and new platforms of creation.
The organization promotes international exchange of practice and knowledge in the arts - visual and sound art, dance, architecture, theatre - research on the methods used in curatorial and performing practices and investigation of points of intersection between the arts, science and the public sphere by means of interventions, collective actions, educational programs and publications.
Greece in USA aims to collaborate and build long-lasting partnerships with leading institutions and individuals who actively engage with Greece and its culture and to convey a comprehensive and distinctive representation of Greece and Cyprus by producing cultural and educational programs that encourage intercultural dialogue and enable cultural involvement.
Our principal goals are:
ï‚· To shape and envision the image of contemporary Greece in the United States beyond existing stereotypes
ï‚· To recalibrate the assumed center of Greek national narratives to include those who have often been denied historical recognition.
ï‚· To transform the way Greek histories are told and produce projects that reflect the vast, rich complexity of Greek culture.
ï‚· To support Greek inspired cultural practices by welcoming and nurturing new ideas and influential perspectives
ï‚· To commission, produce and present contemporary Greek and Cypriot culture that grapple with many of the pressing social and political issues of our time
ï‚· To foster Greek scholarship and cultural research within the American educational system
ï‚· To develop a transatlantic network for the exchange of culture and ideas
ï‚· To strengthen the development of structures in cultural policy & leadership, and foster worldwide mobility.
Greece in USA is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization registered in the State of New York, tax-exempt ID no. 85-0828531. Contributions to Greece in USA are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. Greece in USA's launch is under the auspices of the Greek Ministry of Culture.
The Day After...
Dictionary of modern Greek artists (2020-2050)
by Elli Leventaki, Athens
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Reflecting on all those years of artistic creation that took place in the Greek state, one must acknowledge the advances of the local art scene, aligning at last with the latest sociopolitical developments both in a national and international level. It is safe to say that after a full generation-long period, many artists, as well as a significant number of so called “underrepresented” groups that were previously marginalized by art histories, have finally managed to find their place in the official narrative. This is of particular importance in the case of Greece, a country that had always experienced difficulties when it came to the documentation and dissemination of its past in relation to its multifaceted identity.
Throughout the pages of this volume, I aimed at gathering and presenting the work of some of the most influential and celebrated contemporary artists in Greece, in an effort to map a creative period of approximately thirty years. That being said, I am more than happy to be able to announce that this dictionary contains more women visual artists than ever before, all of whom were not intentionally selected because of their gender, but in spite of it. Having read many art histories over the years myself, I aspired to write one that would be based on the principles of equality and equity, by fairly commemorating artistic production without gender- biased criteria. Reaching such an objective was as challenging as rewarding for me, both as an art professional and an individual, who wished to constructively contribute in counterbalancing the gender gap in the local art field.
I would like to close by stating that I hope for this book to become just one, among many others, to contribute in the consolidation of women’s position in society, while helping future art historians to further expand this substantial research topic.
