Open Call for Hephaistos Summer School Program

Hephaistos Summer School - Archaeology, History and Technology of western jewelry under the light of the Acropolis. Join the Athens experience at one of the world’s leading institutions for jewelry in a two-week long summer school program. The Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum based in Athens, Greece challenges participants to discover the fascinating world of Ancient Greece and the history of western jewelry through its most spectacular artifacts.

The program is offered as part of the Hellenic American University’s General Education program, and provides 3 US college credits or 6 ECTS credits for participants who meet the University’s criteria for undergraduate admission. The program includes 45 hours of instruction that consist of classes, lectures and study visits. Classes cover the history of jewelry from glorious Classical Greece to amazing contemporary artistic productions.

Lectures are presented by academics that will draw on issues such as illicit trafficking of cultural artifacts, architectural changes in growing cities and challenges of artistic production over fashion design. Teaching combines study visits to selected Athenian archaeological sites, museum collections and hands-on tours to traditional and contemporary jewelry workshops where special access has been granted.
A number of extracurricular activities are offered as part of the program. The Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum curators will guide the participants daily to tours of the historical center of Athens and to open-air summer events.

Participants to the Summer Program may apply for internship programs at the ILJMuseum. Applicants may inquire placements in the JaIR Artist in Residence Program, or/and an Internship at the Museum Curatorial Department, before or after their participation to the Summer School Program. Successful admission to the Hephaistos Summer School grants a priority to Internship programs.


About Classes:
The history and archaeology of Ancient Greek jewelry from Classical Greece to the Byzantine era will be followed by a survey of the history of western European jewelry up to the most amazing contemporary artistic productions. The class on Studio Jewelry is tailored to the discipline of contemporary art jewelry and researches its creative methods. Participants will map diverse aspects of wearability and social coding of the body, as also investigate how concepts and cultural values materialize into jewelry formats. This exploration opens a new dimension to students concerning individual creativity and its application with tools and machinery in different vocations.

About Lectures:
Guest lectures will be offered throughout the course on a wide range of topics, from illicit trafficking of antiquities to Athenian architecture and museum management. All lectures will be held at the Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum Lecture Hall.

About Study Visits:
Participants will enjoy instructive guided tours of and on-site lectures by academics in the historical center of Athens and Museums with the most important jewelry collections. These include the Acropolis archaeological site and Museum, the National Archaeological Museum and the Byzantine and Christian Museum. Visits to jewelry making workshops will introduce students to the secrets of successful jewelry making in Greece. Open doors to the havens of industrial units of fine jewelers and artist’s studios will give an insight of the exciting use of ancient and modern goldsmith techniques and the use of non-traditional materials for the delight of contemporary creations.


Date and Hours: 7 June - 21 June, 2020. 9 am - 19 pm.

Click here >> for the application form and more information.
Application Deadline: April 1st  2020, 10:00 A.M Athens Local Time. Applications are reviewed in accordance with the application deadline table. For inquiries on scholarships and professor opportunities please write to Eleni Mastoras.

Application fee: 20€; non-refundable, due with application.
Tuition fee: 1600€; Includes teaching for all classes, lectures, study visit tours and services provided by the ILJMuseum throughout the course. Also includes tickets for visits at Museums, transportation to jewelry workshops, receptions at the ILJMuseum.
Accreditation Fees: For those students requiring credits from the Hephaistos Summer School Program, accreditation fees apply. The cost is 450€. Please note: All accreditation fees are non-refundable.Fees effective since  January 1st 2018. All fees are non-refundable, regardless of the accreditation decision.
The due for all above payments is April 1st 2020.

Requirements:

• Eligibility: Applicants are welcome from a wide range of studies in higher-level education that are interested to attend and/or require the credits towards their program of study and degree. Students from Humanities or Liberal Arts studies, such as archaeology, art history and cultural studies, history, literature, museum studies, arts administration and fine arts, after the completion of at least two years of studies in an accredited institution. The program is open also to individuals who are looking for further education on the history of jewelry in a unique Athenian experience. For interested parties not enrolled in a higher education program please email to info@jss.gr with your current status and reason for applying to the course. 
• Course Requirements: A good command of the English language is necessary. Upload a copy of your most recent exam report into your application. Native English speakers or students involved in an English speaking program do not need to upload the language certificate.
• Enrollment: A minimum enrollment is required. The ILJMuseum reserves the right to cancel the course by April 1st 2020 if minimum enrollment is not achieved. The maximum number of attendees:  25.

Teachers

Dimitris Plantzos, Ioanna I. Lalaouni, Vivi Touloumidi