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Greece’s Art and Culture Flourish at an Inspiring New Cultural Center

At the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, music and art empower citizens in the midst of an economic crisis.
Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center. Athens, Greece. Courtesy of Yiorgis Yerolymbos / SNF

In the last year, Greece dealt with two elections, near bankruptcy, bailouts, the European migrant crisis, and economic instability. More recently, Brexit threatens to bring more uncertainty to the already-struggling nation. Plainly put, Greece is having a hard time, making it one of the last places you’d expect to find a rejuvenated hub for art and culture.

But that’s exactly what the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center aims to be.

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The Stavros Niarchos Foundation, (SNF, named for one of Greece’s most beloved entrepreneurs and a “master of ships”) is a philanthropic organization offering arts, culture, and health related grants to vulnerable societies. Over the last 20 years, they’ve provided $1.8 billion to nonprofits in 111 countries across the world. Their largest gift—of over 550 million euros—was giving back to Greece itself with the decade-long project.

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center. Athens, Greece. Courtesy of Yiorgis Yerolymbos / SNF

The Cultural Center (SNFCC) was proposed in 2006 as a facility and resource for Greek education and culture. In 2008, the SNF teamed up with world-famous architect Renzo Piano to create dynamic spaces for three Athenian institutions: the renovated Greek National Opera, the National Library of Greece, and the Stavros Niarchos Park. Titan creator Piano, whose past projects include the multi-pavilion Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Center in New Caledonia and the wave-shaped Kansai International Airport Terminal, describes the center in a virtual tour as a place of discovery: “We don’t celebrate power. We don’t celebrate money. We celebrate the idea that the land should breathe. The idea was to take the land—Athens—and lift it up.” In the face of economic crises, the center was completed June 2016, with the addition of the Agora, a community-oriented visitor’s center.

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center. Athens, Greece. Courtesy of Yiorgis Yerolymbos / SNF

An endless calendar of events gives citizens and visitors constant opportunities to invest and immerse themselves in a hopeful environment. From opera galas and latin jazz concerts, to film screenings and yoga workshops for children, not a week goes by that the center doesn’t offer artists an outlet for thriving, and community members a place to watch it happen.

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One of the most popular events this summer—“Music Escapades: The Dream Makers Series”—brought celebrated performers from Greece’s English-speaking music scene to the center for illuminated, outdoor shows. The series featured Prins Obi, Nalyssa Green, and Larry Gus during the month of July.

Larry Gus, performance at Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, Visitors Center. Athens, Greece. Courtesy of SNF

“It was a great show, in fact it was one of the best shows I’ve ever taken part of,” Gus tells The Creators Project.  “It’s wasn’t just the usual crowd of music listeners, it was also an opening to the neighborhood.” As there is no bar at the venue, no one was drinking—yet the audience gradually grew. “It was a dream-like scenario: a sober crowd, a beautiful setting, in front of a fucking Renzo Piano building, with passers by stopping to see what’s happening and then engaging with the concert itself… I can’t even describe my actual feelings after the night came to its end.”

The month of August will continue to feature public events. As SNF co-president Andreas Dracopolous puts it, “We owe it to our ancestors, we owe it to our children, to keep the light of our civilization burning… it’s an obligation to contribute to a better tomorrow.”

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center. Athens, Greece. Courtesy of Yiorgis Yerolymbos / SNF

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center. Athens, Greece. Courtesy of Yiorgis Yerolymbos / SNF

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center. Athens, Greece. Courtesy of Yiorgis Yerolymbos / SNF

Larry Gus, performance at Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, Visitors Center. Athens, Greece. Courtesy of SNF

Larry Gus, performance at Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, Visitors Center. Athens, Greece. Courtesy of SNF

Click here for more information about the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center

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