The 'Pandemic Academy of Visual Arts': A Museum online experience in the COVID-19 era

Περίληψη

The development of new technologies, new media and social networking in combination with the vast social changes and challenges are topics of intensive discussion and relevant practices within museums. Constructing museum's digital identity is considered a very important aspect for the twenty-first century museum and for its globally connected digitally literate visitors. The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak led to an imperative shift from the physical to the digital museum experience through online visits, virtual tours, online exhibitions and other digital activities. The lnternet appeared as the only way for museums to reach and expand their audiences during the COVID-19 crisis. Similarly, the higher education sector also had to adapt to the COVID-19 circumstances by using distance education. The common challenges in the museums and the Higher Education sector during the pandemic set the ground for collaboration in the case of Western Macedonia, an outermost region in Northern Greece. More precisely, the urgency to face and creatively respond to the COVID-19 crisis gave rise to the collaboration of the Department of Visual & Applied Arts (ΤΕΕΤ) of the University of Western Macedonia (Greece) with the Archaeological Museum of Florina (Western Macedonia , Greece). These two bodies co-organized the virtual exhibition Visual Arts e-Pandemic: Towards a creative diffusion of the aιts in the frame of the lnternational Museum Day 2020: "Museums for Equality: Diversity and lnclusion " organized by the lnternational Council of Museums (ICOM). Fifty-five (55) art students participated in the exhibition. The exhibition aims to manifest the triumph of human creativity which fosters resilience even in hard times. lt faces the COVID-19 era as a creative opportunity for collaboration, artistic expression and therapy, in order to overcome difficult moments and situations. lt also confirms the ICOM's words Museums have no borders, they have a network.