The Aeschylus Museum as a collections-free institution of the Muses: community consultation and values assessment

ABSTRACT

Although it is recognised that the values of performative heritage are intangible, this has not, unfortunately, affected the ways in which theatre heritage is appreciated in museums. The Aeschylus Museum, proposed for the site of the Palaio Elaiourgeiou in Elefsina, Greece, suggests collections-free programming to promote the plays of the ancient tragedian Aeschylus (525–456 BCE), born in the town. A combination of performances, digital programming, and hands-on workshops seek to engage more deeply with visitors’ lives, relating material in a way that does not simply valorise quarantined material remains. Complementing earlier research on the museum’s programming methodology , this article addresses the more specific concerns of establishing a museum with the proposed pedagogical approach. Through semi-structured interviews with the local community, benchmark analyses of similar institutions, and values assessments of the community and plays, we consider how the museum could meet local expectations and promote meaningful experiences. Provided that programming appeals to these values and engages critically with visitors, the museum’s collections-free approach presents a significant opportunity for museum studies. On indefinite hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Aeschylus Museum offers a novel approach for achieving museums’ institutional ideals through collections-free programming.

KEYWORDS:

• Elefsina, Greece
• community engagement
• intangible heritage
• theatre

Acknowledgements

This research was jointly supported by the University of Kent and the Athens University of Economics and Business. I am indebted to Professor Dr. Evangelos Kyriakidis for his mentorship and guidance and to my colleagues Antonio Núñez Martín and Callum Connolly for their collaboration and feedback on early drafts of this research. Thank you also to the two anonymous reviewers whose suggestions greatly improved this final draft.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

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Notes on contributors

Madison Leeson

Madison Leeson Ph.D. in Archaeology and History of Art (2022) from Koç University in Istanbul, Turkey; MA in Heritage Management (2019) from the University of Kent in Athens, Greece; MA in Heritage Management (2019) from the Athens University of Economics and Business; BFA in Criticism and Curatorial Studies (2017) from OCAD University in Toronto, Canada. ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8282-836X