By Erin Osmon TimeOutChicago

A splash of Greek chic arrived on Chicago’s museum scene in December – in the form of the new three story home of the National Hellenic Museum. Housed in a 40,000-foot LEED-certified building designed by local architect Demetrios Stavrianos, the grand structure incorporates Aristotle’s vision of the four classic elements.

The first permanent home for the institution clearly raises its profile from its days as the Hellenic Museum and Cultural Center, a tenant in a space above the Greek Islands restaurant. Thanks to kid-friendly interactive exhibits, an extensive research library, an oral history center, a killer rooftop patio and a children’s education center, the whole family can enjoy a fantastic voyage through earth, air, fire and water.

EARTH

Architectural element Natural limestone and recycled wood and glass – elements also used in classic Greek architecture – are present throughout the magnificent building. Interactive element Climb on a 13-foot-tall Trojan horse, one of many educational stations in the super-fun exhibit, “Gods, Myths and Mortals: Discovering

Ancient Greece,” which runs through September 2. Nearby in the same exhibit, play dress up in replicas of traditional garments made with the natural fibers and weaving techniques of the ancient civilization.

AIR

Architectural element A breathtaking rooftop terrace will have you floating like Zeus on a cloud. Coming soon here: a coffee bar where guests can take in unobstructed views of downtown and the main Greektown strip. For those who can’t bear the thought of ancient, pre-lnternet life: There will be free Wi-Fi, too. Interactive element Sing like a siren at the karaoke station, where you can belt out classic pop songs with modified (sometimes corny) mythological lyrics into an old-fashioned microphone. Or share your family’s story at the oral history center, where people of Greek heritage can record their tales, and everyone can listen to the stories. Greek-American celebs such as Nicolas Cage and John Aniston have already contributed.

FIRE

Architectural element A digital fireplace, wilt faux flames evoking the Olympic torch, provides a warm greeting to visitors as they enter the museum. Interactive element Kiln-fired pottery scattered throughout the exhibits tells the tale of ancient Greek Iife through intricate paintings and illustrations. Get hands-on with replicas, which depict one true and one false illustration of ancient Greek life on each side of the pot. You decide which one is correct.

WATER

Architectural element Glossy surfaces throughout the interior mirror the feeling of Narcissus’s reflective pond. Plus, the ecofriendly facility reduces water consumption by 40 percent by using fancy low-flow faucets, toilets and urinals. Interactive element Museum goers will be swept into the journey of the immigrant experience via the

In-progress permanent exhibit, “In Search of Home: The Greek Journey from Myth to Modern Day.” When Completed, it will feature floor-to-ceiling projections of epic, Poseidon-style waves. ln the current sample, a mosaic  of Greek American portraits takes on the look of an ocean swell.

“Gods, Myths and Mortals” runs through September 2. Visit nationalhellenicmuseum.org or see Calendar.

More than 800 of Chicago’s civic leaders and prominent members of the Greek community celebrated the opening of the country’s first National Hellenic Museum with a black-tie gala in the tents of Millennium Park, with décor by Event Creative.

THE HIGHLIGHTS

His Eminence Metropolitan Iakovos of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago welcomed guests to dinner, which was prepared by Catering by Michael’s. Executive Director Stephanie Vlahakis excited the crowd with details on the museum, which hopes to connect generations of Greek culture. More than $500,000 was raised. Photos by Furla Studio

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Source: Austin Hellenic Radio

Position Summary

This position will advance the Museum’s mission by creating, implementing, and evaluating a comprehensive and integrated marketing and communications effort to enhance visibility of its programs, increase institutional support, and strengthen its position as a leading national institution. Establish a strategy to increase attendance at the museum and maintain a constant and favorable media perception. Responsible for marketing, communications, media relations, interactive and print publications.

Essential Job Functions

• Publish newsletter and develop branded marketing campaigns for new and existing initiatives as needed, including comprehensive marketing plans, logos, taglines, branded print collateral, promotional items, and original marketing copy for donors, members, employees and public.
• Establish, cultivate, and maintain external and community relationships
• Develop, implement and manage marketing metrics to optimize media mix and track long term goals; report results on a regular basis.
• Develop and maintain relations with media and negotiate pricing for promotional packages.
• Write and edit press releases, develop story ideas and marketing plans to increase the organizations visibility.
• Understand visitor profiles to reach core audience and identify strategies and market placement to reach new audiences; research and evaluate Museum’s audiences and refine marketing model; identify trends and forecast attendance.
• Promote exhibitions and public programs and build a positive image or brand for the institution
• Serve as media contact and museum spokesperson
• Develop a communication plan and publicity campaigns for events, exhibitions openings, fundraising, educational programs, special events and membership activities.
• Establish contacts and manage professional relationships with local media, vendors, agencies and community based organizations.
• Design and create the majority of all printed pieces including, but not limited to: brochures, flyers, annual reports, advertisements, posters, banners, promotional items, newsletters and other marketing collateral.
• Coordinates all special event advertising, including advance publicity, invitations, signage, collateral, promotional materials, and follow-up communications.
• Develops and maintains social & new media marketing, production of publications and website content

Essential Job Requirements

Must be able to communicate effectively orally and in writing. Must be a creative thinker with the ability to work independently and as part of team.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in marketing, public relations or related field. Masters highly preferred.

Experience

5 to 7 years working in a marketing or pubic relation position. Must have nonprofit or government experience and have implemented successful marketing campaign.

Required Skills

Must have excellent computer skills and exceptional writing and proofreading abilities. Must have experience with development & implementation of marketing plans and exceptional public speaking skills.

Physical Requirements

Must be able to sit and stand for long periods of time. Must be able to lift and carry at least 25 pounds.

LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMER

The above job description is meant to describe the general nature and level of work being performed; it is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required for the position.

How to apply

If you would like to apply for an open position please email a cover letter and CV/resume to search3jobs@yahoo.com. Please no phone calls or emails for non posted position.

Position Summary

The Development Director will work in close coordination with the President, senior leadership team and Board of Trustees leadership and be responsible for directing and managing the Museum’s fundraising efforts including expanding and broadening the organization’s base of individual, foundation, corporate, and government philanthropic support as well as its general membership. Additionally, the Director of Development will direct special giving initiatives as well as comprehensive capital campaigns. In addition, the Director of Development will work with the President/ CEO and select Board of Trustee members on issues of Trustee development, engagement, communication and succession.

Essential Job Functions

• Provide strategic direction for the Museum’s development activities, working closely with the President, Board of Trustees, senior staff and other volunteer leadership and providing staff support to their development work.
• As a member of the executive management team, provide leadership in the development arena for the institution’s staff; work with other senior managers to create a consistent institutional message, develop annual fund-raising priorities, identify and pursue funding opportunities, and in other ways help achieve the goals of the Museum.
• Develop comprehensive annual, capital (including raising $10M to complete the final phase of the Connecting Generations Campaign), endowment and other long-term plans for the National Hellenic Museum’s development activities and manage associated campaigns.
• Manage major gift solicitation activities of staff and volunteers; as appropriate, serve as primary or secondary solicitor for major gifts and funding for special projects.
• Oversee and, as needed, develop systems for keeping records, tracking donors, and managing correspondence; develop and manage the department’s budget; act as a mentor to and provide for the professional development of staff members; participate actively in carrying out the work of the department.
• Deepen and broaden the constituencies involved with the Museum as members and donors.
• Record of accomplishment as a successful major gifts fundraiser, including the identification, solicitation and stewardship of high-capacity donors

Essential Job Requirements

The candidate will be an intelligent, articulate and highly organized self-starter who maintains high standards for his or her own work and the work of his or her subordinates and can work effectively with the Museum’s diverse constituencies. He or she will welcome the opportunity to build collaborative relationships with the president, board/ trustees and staff; will enjoy the challenges of a senior leadership role and of managing and meeting deadlines in a fast-paced environment. An awareness and interest in the history of Greece and the Greek American experience is also important.

Education

Minimum of a B.A. degree required, Masters Preferred

Experience

10 or more years professional development experience, including a proven track record of success with high-level volunteers, annual funds and membership programs, capital and endowment campaigns and major gift initiatives; comprehensive senior-level experience in a not-for-profit cultural institution desired.

Required Skills

Outstanding interpersonal skills are required with an in-depth knowledge of Chicago’s philanthropic community. Demonstrated ability to plan and implement a comprehensive development program for a complex organization and demonstrated skill in the full spectrum of development and membership activities. Success in building and maintaining relationships with individual donors and a successful track record of soliciting major individual gifts and securing foundation and government grants. Strong communication skills including the ability to write clearly and persuasively and to generate excitement about the Museum’s work

Preferred Skills

Experience managing a staff; the ability to think strategically while remaining focused on the detail-oriented work and follow-through required by the position. Experience with the variety of technical systems and database that support development activities.

Physical Requirements

Must be able to sit and stand for long periods of time. Must able to lift and carry at least 25 pounds.

LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMER

The above job description is meant to describe the general nature and level of work being performed; it is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required for the position.

How to apply

If you would like to apply for an open position please email a cover letter and CV/resume to search3jobs@yahoo.com. Please no phone calls or emails for non posted position.

The National Hellenic Museum’s journey to its new, modernist building on a prominent Greektown corner was long and difficult. There were many obstacles on the way.

The trip was, you might say, an odyssey.

To get to the corner of Halsted and Van Buren streets, the institution didn’t have to battle Scylla or ignore the Sirens, as the hero of Homer’s “Odyssey” did, but it did have to fundraise its way out of its most recent home, the fourth floor of the office building above the Greek Islands restaurant, just up Halsted.

Nor did it not have to compete in a pentathlon like Odysseus, but it did have to win city permits for a 40,000-square-foot building and plan the exhibitions inside, creating a splendid new addition to the city’s museum landscape that will be unveiled to the public on Saturday.

And although the staff does not roam around talking in the dactylic hexameter in which Homer composed “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey,” the museum’s first-floor exhibition space includes such “Odyssey” elements as a climb-aboard Trojan Horse and a bellowing Cyclops, part of the “Gods, Myths and Mortals: Discover Ancient Greece” exhibition that’ll be there through next summer.

To the 10-person staff, who’ve been in the building since September, the place is starting to feel like home.

“We’ve found our Ithaca, so to speak,” Stephanie Vlahakis, the museum’s executive director, says, making reference to the island home Odysseus had to work so hard to return to. “What’s been wonderful is just being part of the neighborhood, being part of the street level and having people peer inside.”

The idea of the museum having undertaken an odyssey is thematically perfect, because the Hellenic Museum concerns itself with the Greek homeland — and its formative influence on Western culture — and with Greek people looking to make their own homes here.

“The story we tell is very much the immigrant story and the individual story in search of opportunity, in search of home,” Vlahakis says. “The title of the core visitor experience at the museum is ‘In Search of Home: The Greek Journey from Myth to Modern Day.’”

The building, designed by Demetrios Stavrianos, a principal in the Chicago office of the RTKL firm, includes a prominent staircase running from east to west and incorporates the Aristotelian elements of earth, air, fire and water.

Since a literal version of fire would not be so good for the museum environment, there is, instead, a pretty convincing fake fireplace in the museum’s first-floor entry hall.

“They also wanted a running water feature,” says Bethany Fleming, the museum’s curator. “No, not so good for a museum with artifacts and books.” The solution: floor tiles that shimmer a little like water.

The “Gods, Myths and Mortals” exhibit, developed by the Children’s Museum of Manhattan, tells the “Iliad” and “Odyssey” stories in a kid-friendly, hands-on fashion. It should be able to leverage the Greek mythology renaissance among young people that includes recastings of the stories in, for instance, the “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” book series (and film).

Meanwhile, the museum’s core experience, drawing from its own collection and occupying much of the second floor, is not expected to be ready until late next year. But in its place, the museum has done a wonderfully innovative thing. Visitors will see an exhibition about the exhibition, complete with designers’ drawings and notes from the curator scrawled in marker.

“How about a cast of a Greek cliff?” reads one such note. Another display shows the evolution of the logo for the exhibition, from one featuring intricate mosaics to what it ended up as, an image featuring a ship. Elsewhere, there’s a sample of fixtures from a turn-of-the-century Berwyn candy shop, the type of place where Greek immigrants to Chicago entered the workforce in an astonishingly high proportion.

It all plays out on a concrete floor, in space designed to look like the work in progress that it is. While it may not be the detailed story of Greek culture and immigrant life the second floor hopes eventually to tell, it is compelling in its own way, a look behind the curtains to show how museum exhibits come together.

“We wanted to bring the visitor into our journey of building the exhibit and the museum,” says Fleming.

The goal is to be interactive and participatory, Fleming adds. “We are not the Art Institute or the British Museum.”

The National Hellenic Museum — “Hellas,” of course, being the word for Greece — also wants to be a big part of the neighborhood, befitting its roots as a cultural center. It hopes to boost its attendance from 10,000 annual visitors (in the fourth-floor space) to 50,000 or even 100,000 in the next year.

The building has the almost mandatory attractive multifunction rooms that can be rented out for events, plus a literal topper: a top-floor patio with a spectacular perspective on the city. Because the museum is hard by the intersection of the Eisenhower and Kennedy expressways, the view across the roadways to the Loop and Willis Tower is unimpeded.

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• Article from the online edition of the Chicago Tribune

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Courtesy of Children’s Museum of Manhattan

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Courtesy of Children’s Museum of Manhattan

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Courtesy of Children’s Museum of Manhattan

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Courtesy of Children’s Museum of Manhattan

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Courtesy of Children’s Museum of Manhattan

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Courtesy of Children’s Museum of Manhattan

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Courtesy of Children’s Museum of Manhattan

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Courtesy of Children’s Museum of Manhattan