On Monday, November 3, the Cycladic Identity Initiative of the Museum of Cycladic Art held a conference at the Museum’s Auditorium entitled “Cycladic Identity in Action: Empowering Communities and Creating Impact.”
This was the second conference of the Initiative, which, following its first successful event in 2024, aims to continue the public dialogue and raise awareness about the role of local communities in the sustainable development of the Cyclades.
The Cycladic Identity Initiative is now in its third funding phase, supporting ten new programs across eight Cycladic islands — Andros, Donousa, Koufonisi, Mykonos, Santorini, Serifos, Syros, and Tinos — including two inter-Cycladic programs. To date, it has supported sixteen programs on eleven islands, among them one inter-Cycladic.
The conference brought together participants from education, civil society, local government, and the academic community, who shared experiences and ideas on how to activate island communities and create positive social and environmental impact.
Sandra Marinopoulou, President and CEO of the Museum of Cycladic Art, opened the event stating:
“The essence of Cycladic Identity lies in the people implementing the programs on the islands. Today we are joined by volunteers, teachers, professors, mayors, and local representatives — people who prove every day that culture, both tangible and intangible, education, nature, and society are not separate worlds but threads of the same fabric that together weave the future of the Cyclades.”
In summary, the conference highlighted the Cyclades as a living laboratory of participation and collaboration. Through four thematic sessions, it showcased local communities, explored meaningful ways to engage them, examined the role of local government, and discussed the challenges of genuine involvement. The timelessness and significance of Cycladic identity were examined through an international lens, while educators from the Cyclades joined voices to discuss education and youth empowerment. The discussions also explored how the natural and built environment of the Cyclades shapes their identity — and how collective action can safeguard this unique heritage.
Activating Local Communities
The first session was moderated by Dimitris Karavellas, General Director of WWF Greece and member of the Cycladic Identity Scientific Committee.
Mr. Karavellas stressed that the pressures facing the Cyclades — overtourism, uncontrolled construction, the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, and weak law enforcement — require not only policy measures but also the awakening and active participation of local societies. Cycladic Identity, he noted, was created precisely to support such initiatives.
Lazaros Alexopoulos, President of the Milos Volunteer Rescue Team (OEDIM), spoke about the need for self-organization among islanders in the absence of state mechanisms: “OEDIM was born out of the need to protect each other. In this effort, we need more young people,” he said.
Giannis Koutoudis, Funding and Programs Advisor at the Cyclades Preservation Fund (CPF), presented the organization’s work since 2018, supporting local environmental protection initiatives.
Vasilis Marakis, Mayor of Sikinos, emphasized that Sikinos consciously follows a mild, sustainable model of development, protecting its identity and authenticity. The municipality has promoted hiking trails, biodiversity, and monuments while making symbolic but essential decisions such as banning swimming pools and underground houses, maintaining open-access beaches, and preserving traditional architecture.
“Our goal is for Sikinos to remain a small, unspoiled gem — a model of mild development for the Cyclades,” he said. “We care about tourism, but not only that. We want to remain beekeepers and livestock farmers too.” He also referred to past mistakes, such as paving over the island’s historic stone paths, as examples not to be repeated.
The session concluded that the key to a sustainable future for the Cyclades lies in the cooperation between the state, citizens, institutions, and organizations.
The Cyclades through an International Lens
The session “Cyclades through an International Perspective” began with Dr. Michael Boyd, Senior Research Affiliate at the Science and Technology in Archaeology and Culture Research Center of The Cyprus Institute and member of the Cycladic Identity Scientific Committee. He emphasized the importance of an international approach to understanding the Cyclades and the Initiative’s three core pillars: culture, biodiversity, and intangible heritage.
Professor Rebecca Sweetman, Director of the British School at Athens, highlighted the unique historical continuity of the Cyclades, inhabited from prehistoric times to the present. She underscored their enduring resilience in the face of conquests and external pressures — from the Persians and Athenians to the Ottomans — and the preservation of local traditions over the centuries. She also pointed out the importance of inter-island connectivity, the historical role of women since the Roman period, and the islands’ environmental adaptability.
Professor Panagiotis Iosif, Scientific Director at the Museum of Cycladic Art, emphasized the need to move beyond tourist stereotypes and promote authentic Cycladic experiences through local storytelling — enabling residents to share their memories and histories. He also noted the importance of educating visitors through experiences that combine taste, knowledge, and culture.
The discussion concluded that authenticity, local participation, and international networking are essential for preserving the islands’ unique identity in a global context.
Educating and Empowering the Next Generations
Dimitris Athanasoulis, Director of the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades and member of the Cycladic Identity Scientific Committee, opened the session “Educating and Empowering the Next Generations.” He emphasized the need to connect education and culture: if school education does not offer meaningful exposure to culture, children cannot learn to appreciate or protect it — even in small communities like those of the Cyclades.
Anna Mavroudi, Former Principal of the Kea Secondary School and President of the Federation of Women’s Associations of the Cyclades, spoke about the deficiencies of public schools in the Cyclades, both in cultural education and funding. She stressed the risk of the islands ceasing to produce culture and the need for a national policy that reconnects education with culture through consistent funding and collaboration between ministries.
Giannis Miliadis, President of Primary Education Teachers of Thira and the Islands, highlighted the challenges of island teaching, such as high staff turnover, and reiterated the importance of institutional cooperation between the Ministries of Education and Culture to integrate cultural education from preschool onward.
Director and educator Gianna Deliyianni, Founder and President of Cinemathesis, discussed the power of film education as a tool for cultural awareness. Through audiovisual expression, children can explore different cultures, stories, and social issues, fostering creativity and critical thinking. She noted the absence of arts education in schools and the vital role of dedicated educators in filling that gap.
The session concluded that love for local heritage must start at a young age and that education needs to reimagine how it integrates culture — not as a luxury, but as an essential part of community life.
Cycladic Identity: Linking Landscape, Nature, and Human Presence
Dr. Angeliki Kosmopoulou, Archaeologist, Strategic Narrative Advisor, and member of the Cycladic Identity Scientific Committee, opened the fourth session stating: “The Cyclades are not just a beautiful or ‘instagrammable’ landscape — they are a living place with history, resources, and people striving to balance the past, the present, and the future.”
Maria Damanaki, Former EU Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, emphasized that the Cycladic landscape includes both nature and people — they are inseparable. She summarized Cycladic Identity in three concepts: insularity, locality, and femininity. Insularity reflects limited space that remains open to the world; locality embodies rootedness and community; femininity expresses care, balance, and spatial economy. She warned that these values are threatened by greed and large-scale development that distort the islands’ character, stressing that each island needs its own tailored protection and development strategy.
Andreas Kourkoulas, Professor Emeritus of Architecture at the National Technical University of Athens, described the Cyclades as the product of both natural forces and human ingenuity. He explained how dry-stone walls, terraced farming, and water management reveal a centuries-long dialogue between people and environment — a model of coexistence rather than dominance. These dry-stone structures, he said, are both cultural and ecological heritage and could play a modern role in sustainability as water collectors.
The session concluded that Cycladic Identity is not static but a living continuum that connects past and future through insularity, locality, femininity, and ingenuity. Protecting it requires respect for the landscape, limits on greed, and active collective awareness. The Cyclades can serve as a model of harmony between nature, culture, and human life — as long as we recognize that their identity is not a tourist product but a way of living.
About the Cycladic Identity Initiative
The Cycladic Identity Initiative of the Museum of Cycladic Art was launched three years ago to protect the cultural and natural heritage of the Cyclades and to preserve, restore, and promote their unique identity. Focusing on three pillars — Culture, Biodiversity, and Intangible Cultural Heritage — the Initiative functions as a platform that attracts and allocates funding to projects carried out by organizations active on the islands.
Project proposals are evaluated by the Cycladic Identity Scientific Committee, composed of:
Dr. Dimitris Athanasoulis, Director of the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades
Dr. Michael Boyd, Senior Research Affiliate, Science and Technology in Archaeology and Culture Research Center, The Cyprus Institute
Dimitris Karavellas, General Director, WWF Greece
Dr. Angeliki Kosmopoulou, Archaeologist and Strategic Narrative Consultant
The Cycladic Identity Initiative is currently in its third funding phase, supporting ten new programs on eight Cycladic islands — Andros, Donousa, Koufonisi, Mykonos, Santorini, Serifos, Syros, and Tinos — including two with an inter-Cycladic scope.
