Culture Award – Lila De Chavez
The dissemination of culture, through knowledge, the cultivation of aesthetics and the promotion of its achievements, was and constitutes a permanent command for a special woman the Ethnologist and President H&M Heritage and Museums Lila De Chavez.
From an early age he had developed special volunteering activities driven by family urges, with the motto, that it is especially important that everyone around us be happy.
The mother, Vera Athena, according to the first census of 1834, with piano studies at the Athens Conservatory, took care of her musical education, and her artistic and philanthropic father sowed a love for the arts. In the high school years at Moraitis School, the experience of listening to Venezis, Myribili, Elitis and Doxiadis talk about the new science of housing was a catalyst for the evolution of personality and the choices of her life.
Her father, though a doctor and a clinician, wouldn’t let her take a medical exam, which was her dream. Instead he studied Social and Political Sciences at the University of Geneva.
He was involved in research in comparative ethnology and studied microcraft with a rare specialization for the time in Historical Fabrics, Jewelry and Clothing, always in relation to “man”.
When he returned from Geneva, he collaborated as a consultant with the then first-created EEC office in Athens and with the National Organization of Greek Handicrafts and represented Greece in international jewelry exhibitions, Nancy (Nancy) and New York, where he was awarded.
Shortly afterwards she joined the Benaki Museum as head of the Coptic collection.
Coming into contact with cultural volunteering and in two-way cooperation with the largest museums and universities, he began to promote Greek culture on a global level. In 2002 she was elected Secretary General of the WFFM World Federation of Friends of Museums and in her capacity travelled as an official guest to promote the idea of creating Friends in the world’s largest museums, such as Kyoto, Japan, Moscow, Singapore, Easter Island, which she visited with Chilean President Michelle Bachele, in Abokane, Siberia, where she laid the foundation stone of Eurasia’s largest museum , Korea, South Africa, etc.
At the same time, for her knowledge level as an Ethnologist, she created and taught a fast-paced pioneering seminar on silversmithing in the “DIA LIFE LEARNING” adult education at the Benaki Museum, where she was responsible for 23 years, and where more than a thousand and five hundred people have attended, most of them women. Many have been recognized as “designers” internationally and exhibit in Museums of New York.
She was also an M.A. Professor. Master of Art program at southeastern American College in Athens, visiting Lecturer of the Faculty of Philosophy Seat of Folklore of the University of Athens, and supervising postgraduates in the fields of “Textiles”, “Exvotos” (EXVOTOS) and “Metalworking” in 1996.
He teaches the History of the Art of Textiles and Jewellery in comparative ethnology, invited as a lecturer at international universities such as Stanford University in California, Ain Shams (Ain Sams) University of Cairo, the University of Lecce and Taranto in Italy, Saint John in Malta, etc., –
As well as museums such as: lyon’s Historical Textile Museum, London’s Victoria & Albert Museum,- The State Museum of Moscow, Russia,- the Saori Foundation Museum in Japan,- the National Museum of Luxembourg, the Press Club of Washington and countless others. As an official guest of the Mayors of Shodoshima Island, Japan planted an olive tree as a sign of friendship and twinning with our country, where a bronze plaque was posted.
He has authored many books and essays, including Greek Lace at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Indictos, in 1999, for the first time study of the Corpus of V&A collections, – Greek Jewellery. History – Art – Technique. Catalogue of the European Conference of Jewellers Volos 1993. The first comprehensive study of the historic evolution of Greek jewellery from early antiquity up to the 20th century,-Encyclopaedia of Greece and the Hellenic Culture, Fitzroy and William, London 2000. Entry: “Metalwork”,-He has written in many well-known publications, such as Kathimerini and Step and has participated in many television programs of culture, Greek and foreign, such as CNN, ERT, TV5.
He served as Vice-President for two three years of the distinguished British Institution ,EMF, Council of Europe which annually gives the prizes to the most important Museums of Europe .Today he is Chairman of the Development Committee of the World Federation of Friends of Museums (WFFM) T.General Secretary, current President of the NGO “World Heritage & Museums” H&M (Heritage & Museums, Art, Culture and Education) around the world in partnership with EMF , Council of Europe,-Member of the International Committee of Museums (ICOM), NEMO Europa Nostra,EAWC Hellenic American Council of Women and President of the Hellenic Federation of Museum Friends.ESFIM.
As Founder and President of H & M, Heritage & Museums has also established Student Painting Competitions on “Painting Europe” for all Secondary Schools of Attica with the support of the Ministry of Education and offers scholarships and cultural trips to winners who visit european award-winning museums with their parents. The talented student Panagiotis Gafos of the 1st High School of Piraeus has also been awarded and together with his mother visited THE MUCEM, the multi-award winning Museum of the Mediterranean countries, in Marseille.
It has been decorated by the Presidents of France, Italy and the American Congress for its intercultural efforts and actions with:
Officier de l’ Ordre National du Mérite du President de la République Française
Cavalliere del Ordine del Merito Ossi della Stella della Republica Italiana
Congressional Award, House of Representatives, USA
Mrs. Lila De Chavez is a still,multidimensional and indeable ambassador of Greek Culture at the ends of the earth.
