Tag: ARTS

Δήμος Καλαμάτας - Municipality of Kalamata has received a major international distinction, as the mural by visual artist Kleomenis Kostopoulos, depicting Maria Callas on the central Aristomenous Street, was named Best Mural in the World for 2025 by the international institution Street Art Cities. It is the first time a Greek artwork has won this global title.
The monumental mural now adorns the city center and has already become a landmark for residents and visitors alike. Through a dynamic artistic approach, the iconic figure of Maria Callas comes alive in public space, powerfully linking street art with contemporary Greek culture.
For the artist, the work is more than a portrait: “Callas isn’t a commemorative image, but a symbolic presence — a body carrying culture between past and present.” Nature, roots, fruit, and birds emerge as symbols of identity born from the land and its people.

Pharos- Revitalising Modern Greek is an independent, non-profit organisation based in Melbourne, founded in 2021 with the mission of strengthening, promoting, and sustaining the Greek language in Australia and internationally. The organisation operates at state, national, and international levels, serving as a collaborative platform that connects universities, schools, educators, and government bodies to support the long-term vitality of Greek in the 21st century. Through sustained interventions, including the protection of Greek programs in public schools such as Northcote High School, and the development of a coordinated global strategy for Greek language maintenance, the organisation has established itself as a significant institutional actor in Greek language policy within the Diaspora.

In 2025, the organisation’s President, Professor Joseph Lo Bianco (AM, FAHA), led a series of high-level engagements in Greece with universities and the Ministry of Education to advance a unified strategy linking Greece with the Greek Diaspora. Professor Bianco met with the Minister of Education, Ms Sofia Zacharaki, and presented nine policy proposals for improving Greek-language education abroad, focusing on the expansion and support of teacher secondments, simplification of the regulatory framework, and the creation of digital partnerships between schools in Greece and Australia through the European eTwinning platform.

In 2026, PHAROS enters its next phase: intensifying its efforts to promote and revitalise Greek in Victoria, while also developing a Global Vision and Framework for Greek Language Education, in collaboration with universities in Greece, Australia, Canada, and Europe. Together with Dr Dimitris Koutsogiannis (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki), Dr Stefi Nikoloudi (La Trobe University), and Emeritus Professor Bessie Dendrinos from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Professor Lo Bianco is shaping a unified research and policy agenda that will contribute to the global coordination of Greek-language education and its alignment with recent scientific developments. Professor Lo Bianco also serves on the International Advisory Committee of the Research Institute for Multilingualism and Language Policy (EIPOL - https://eipol.uoa.gr/) in Athens, representing the Greek Diaspora.

You may contact the PHAROS organisation at: pharos.au@gmail.com

Source: https://www.ertnews.gr/omogeneia/faros-2026-mia-pagkosmia-stratigiki-gia-to-mellon-tis-ellinikis-glossas/

A warm welcome in Brussels for the forthcoming branch of the International Hellenic University/Διεθνές Πανεπιστήμιο της Ελλάδος (IHU – Thessaloniki, Serres, Katerini, Kilkis)! The Greek Commissioner to the European Union, Apostolos Tzitzikostas Apostolos Tzitzikostas together with members of the Greek Community of Brussels Communaute Hellenique Bruxelles received the Rector of the University, Professor Stamatios Angelopoulos, and the university delegation.

The Brussels Branch of IHU will offer:
• an undergraduate programme in European Institutions and Organisations Management
• a postgraduate programme in European Programme Management

The Brussels Branch will also function as a communication and promotion hub for all English-taught postgraduate programmes, as well as the University’s other postgraduate offerings.