MuTourIn: Collaboration with the Centre of Hellenic Studies, Harvard University
Collaboration with the Centre of Hellenic Studies, Harvard University, on Museum Tours for Inmates – the ancient Greek encounters (MuTourIn)
The MuTourIn is an innovative 12-month research project to bring ancient Greek culture into prisons through museums and digital technology. It received a one-year scholarship from the Centre for Hellenic Studies, Havard University (CHS), 2024-2025. The MuTourIn will organize culture-related museum e-tours and discussions among male and female Greek prison inmates. It will assess its impact on stakeholders, including inmates/students of varying ages, educators, museum staff, researchers, etc. Furthermore, MuTourIn will contribute to the development of policies for museums and prisons. This initiative will shed light on how ancient Greek culture can effectively be communicated to inmates and the potential effects of such engagement.
This project builds upon the success of “Museum Whispers in Panopticon” (MWP), a non-funded initiative that offered museum-led e-tours and follow-up discussions to inmates/students at the Second Chance School in Corfu Prison (Panopticon) in Corfu, Greece. MWP was implemented in 2022-2023 by the Museology Research Laboratory of Ionian University, Greece (MRL-IU), in collaboration with the Second Chance School in Corfu Prison. Participating museums were from Antwerp, Athens, Cambridge, Doha, and South Africa. Through virtual tours via zoom and engaging discussions with museum staff, inmates/students experienced personal and social growth, developed communication skills, critical thinking, and newfound interests. MWP garnered widespread acclaim, receiving positive feedback and extensive media coverage. The MuTourIn project is implemented under the auspices of MRL-IU as part of Dr. Artemis Papandritsa’s post-doctoral research on museum education in carceral environments.
Thanks to the CHS scholarship, we will have the opportunity to continue and expand our research at the intersection of museums and prisons; focus on ancient Greek culture; explore its impact on various stakeholders; and formulate policies for museums and prisons worldwide.
