PUBLIC PROGRAMS IN HONOR OF THE EXHIBITION Heaven and Earth: Art of Byzantium from Greek Collections

In the first exhibition devoted to Byzantine art at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, 170 rare and important works, drawn exclusively from Greek collections, offer a fascinating glimpse of the soul and splendor of the mysterious Byzantine Empire. On view in the West Building from October 6, 2013, through March 2, 2014, Heaven and Earth: Art of Byzantium from Greek Collections traces the development of Byzantine visual culture from the fourth to the 15th century, beginning with the ancient pagan world of the late Roman Empire and continuing to the opulent and deeply spiritual world of the new Christian Byzantine Empire.

Recognized masterpieces, many never lent before to the United States, are on view with newly discovered and previously unpublished objects from recent archaeological excavations in Greece. Sculptures, icons, mosaics, frescoes, manuscripts, metalwork, jewelry, glass, embroideries, and ceramics are being loaned by the Benaki Museum, Byzantine and Christian Museum, National Archaeological Museum, and Numismatic Museum, all in Athens, and the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki, as well as from collections in Argos, Corinth, Crete, Kastoria, Mistra, Patmos, Rhodes, and Sparta, among others. After Washington, the exhibition travels to the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, where it will be displayed at the Getty Villa from April 9 through August 25, 2014.

The National Gallery, the Dumbarton Oaks and the Embassy of Greece present a series of public programs in honor of the exhibition. The series started with the presentation of a concert with "Capella Romana" at the National Gallery and was reviewed by Washington Post’s Charles T. Downey (http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/cappella-romana-complements-heaven-and-earth-exhibit-at-national-gallery-of-art/2013/10/28/a8030c8e-3fe0-11e3-b028-de922d7a3f47_story.html).

PUBLIC PROGRAMS IN HONOR OF THE EXHIBITION
At the National Gallery of Art:
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"With a Ball and a Doll…"
What it’s about … By Ioulia Katsadima. Puppetry, Duration: 40 mins.
In collaboration with Euro Kids Festival, programs will be offered for children ages 5-10.
Did you ever wonder what toys kids played with long, long ago? In With a Ball and a Doll, you’ll find out how children in Ancient Greece and Byzantium entertained themselves and their friends. (Hint: There were no Xboxes!)  This short play — presented with traditional rod puppets — was originally prepared for the Archaeological Museum of Ioannina (Greece), and also features replicas of ancient toys!  Take a peek…
Nov. 9,  11:00 AM With a Ball and a Doll…   National Gallery of Art, East Building Small Auditorium.          
[Reserve here](http://kefgreece2.eventbrite.com/).






Nov. 10, 11:00 AM  With a Ball and a Doll… National Gallery of Art, East Building Small Auditorium.           
[Reserve here](http://kefgreece1.eventbrite.com/).
Ioulia Katsadima, www.amio.gr (MailScanner has detected a possible fraud attempt from " http://<http://www.amio.gr <http://> ) 

Colloquium
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Friday, November 15, 1:30–5:00 p.m.

Illustrated lectures by Eugenia Gerousi, director, Byzantine and Post-Byzantine antiquities, The Hellenic Ministry of Culture;
Ioli Kalavrezou, Dumbarton Oaks Professor of Byzantine Art, Harvard University;
Robert Ousterhout, professor of art history and director of the center for ancient studies, University of Pennsylvania;
Demetra Papanikola-Bakirtzi, director, The Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia.
This program is coordinated with and supported by Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection.

Lecture
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Gifts and Gift Exchanges between Byzantium and Islam
Thursday, December 10, 2013. 3:00 pm.
Anthony Cutler, Evan Pugh Professor of Art History, The Pennsylvania State University

High School Studio Workshop
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The Art of Byzantium from Greek Collections
January 27, 28, 31
February 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 14, 18, 19
10:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Education Studio
These two-part workshops include an in-depth examination and discussion of works of art in the galleries followed by a related one-hour studio activity. Participants will see and discuss objects from the exhibition Heaven and—among them mosaics, icons, manuscripts, jewelry, and ceramics—dating from the fourth to the sixth century.

Gallery Talks
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Regular public tours of Heaven and Earth: Art of Byzantium from Greek Collections will be offered by the adult programs department of the education division. For dates and times, (http://tinyurl.com/lzvbzab).

Gallery Shops
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The special shop created to accompany this exhibition includes an array of richly detailed Byzantine-inspired textiles and jewelry, including pieces in 14-karat gold, period music CDs, scholarly monographs, travel guides, children’s activity kits, contemporary and reproduction religious icons, as well as a selection of Greek crafts created by Greek and local artists.
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AT THE EMBASSY OF GREECE IN WASHINGTON DC:
Lectures
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“The Icon of Pantocrator in St. Catherine’s Monastery, Mt. Sinai: Art, Theology, and Modern Neuroscience”
?November 14, 2013, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
The Embassy of Greece and the Society for the Preservation of the Greek Heritage present Dr. Gary Vikan, former Executive Director of the Walters Art Museum, and Dr. Vassilis Koliatsos, professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, who will examine the two faces of this famed icon from the perspectives of art and neuroscience in this free presentation. A reception, will precede the program.
At the Embassy of Greece, 2217 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington DC.

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"Byzantine Tradition-Modernist Poetics: C. P. Cavafy on Byzantium."
December 9, 2013, 6:30-8:30pm.
Lecture on Byzantine literature and Cavafy by Professor Panagiotis Roilos, George Seferis Professor of Modern Greek Studies and of Comparative Literature. Harvard University Department of the Classics.
At the Embassy of Greece, 2217 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington DC.