NEW YORK – The American Friends of the Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum (AFILJM) reception at the Rubin Museum of Art took place on October 17. AFILJM, a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt corporation, was founded in July 2014 to strengthen ties between the Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum (ILJM), based in Athens, Greece, and the American public.
The primary goals of AFILJM are to promote collaborative relationships among museums and non-profits in the United States that further the mission of the ILJM to preserve, document, and study ancient and contemporary goldsmithery and jewelry-making techniques; to promote educational initiatives examining the history of ancient Greek art through contemporary jewelry, through the development of cultural activities in the U.S. such as educational and professional programs, scholarships and exchanges; and to participate in funding ILJM projects, such as fellowships, restorations, educational programs both in the U.S. and in Greece, and the renovation of the Museum’s galleries in Athens. The AFILJM Board of Directors: Marilena Christodoulou, Helen Drutt English, Keith Jewell, Lisa Jewell, Dr. Carlos Picon, Lena Saltos, Jeffrey Siger, and George Tsougarakis, were among those in attendance.
Marilena Christodoulou- Director of Finance and Administration of the Rubin Museum, gave the welcoming remarks at the reception and thanked everyone for their presence and their support. She noted that the AFILJM seeks to share the richness and vision of the ILJM with millions of Americans through the generosity of its contributors. The ILJM is a unique museum devoted to the art of jewelry and the decorative arts, founded in 1993, and opened to the public as a non-profit organization. As noted by AFILJM Board member and bestselling author Jeffrey Siger who spoke at the event, the museum receives no funding from the government and runs on “museum shop revenues, ticket sales, and private and institutional funding… the generosity of donors like you.”
Siger pointed out that the museum is dedicated to cultural exchange between Greece and the United States and it is “not an organization funneling money to Greece” only. He added that the ILJM, its programs and fully accredited Hephaistos Summer School “bring Greece and the US together to benefit both countries.”
Ioanna Lalounis, one of the late Ilias Lalounis’ four daughters and the Director and Curator-in-Chief of the ILJM, noted that she studied in the United States and sharing her passion for jewelry inspired by her father, she sees the value of culture in connecting communities. Since Ilias Lalounis passed away in 2013, Ioanna, along with her sisters Aikaterini, Demetra, and Maria, continue to run the family business. She noted that the ILJM was the first museum in Greece to be accessible to people with special needs and continues to offer programs for all ages, families, and those with special needs, and mentioned the museums efforts to display more jewelry in US museums. The museum, she pointed out, also offers internships and courses for jewelry students not in a classroom setting, inspiring the next generation of artists and giving them practical experience for the future.
Today, the Museum’s permanent collection includes over 4,000 pieces of jewelry and micro sculptures from over 50 collections designed by the museum’s founder, Ilias Lalaounis, between 1940 and 2000. The permanent collection is enriched with donations including jewelry and decorative arts from around the world.
The main museum edifice was the original workshop of Ilias Lalaounis Company. The alterations of the space were designed by Bernard Zehrfuss (1908-1996) and the architectural plan was refined and carried out by the Architect, Vassilis Gregoriadis with the Engineer, George Athanasoulis.
Temporary exhibitions with decorative arts, cultural programs involving research and educational programs for children on the ancient art of goldsmithing, publications and adult cultural activities are in the museum’s yearly agenda. The museum’s initiative focuses on cultural programs for special social groups such as individuals with disabilities and special interests groups include: programs on jewelry design and making, gemology, art history, children’s theatre, family weekend programs, special workshops on temporary exhibitions, as noted on the ILJM website.
The ILJM constantly renovates its exhibitions and develops its activities in the contemporary spaces below the Acropolis on its south side. Looking to the future, the museum aims to develop into an international center for the study of the decorative arts.
Among those in attendance at the reception were Permanent Representative of Greece to the United Nations Maria Theofili, Consul General of Greece in New York Konstantinos Koutras, Ambassador Vasilios Philippou- Consul General of Cyprus in New York, Ambassador Andrew Jacovides and his wife Pamela, George Tsandikos- Leadership 100 Chairman, Olga Bornozi- Managing Director of Capital Link, Dr. Miranda Kofinas, and Fr. Robert Stephanopoulos and his wife, Presvytera Nikki Stephanopoulos.
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