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Three members of the CHS team participate in this year’s Harvard Staff Art Show

April 16, 2024
A collage highlighting the diverse artistic contributions of the CHS team at the 2024 Staff Art Show. Included are Zoie Lafis's painting and sculpture, Olivia Henderson's digital and canvas paintings, and Evan Katsarelis playing the piano in the recital.

Current visitors of Harvard Ed Portal’s Crossings Gallery at Allston, Cambridge MΑ, will come across a 20x30-inch painting that shows an anthropomorphic Greek mythological titan woman surrounded by more than a dozen other female figures. The painting “Mnemosyne, Mother of the Muses” was created by M. Zoie Lafis, Executive Director of CHS US, who is among the 242 Harvard staff participating in this year’s Harvard Staff Art Show.

The Harvard Staff Art Show

The annual university-wide Show showcases the artistic endeavors of colleagues in an effort to include their “whole selves” on campus, celebrate their creativity, and “impart a sense of beauty, inspiration, and hope for a better tomorrow” on the wider community of the university as its mission statement writes. Tall and slim figures emerge in different parts of the canvas. The most prominent of them is dressed in a white gown and faces forward with one of her hands open and welcoming, like protecting or presenting the other figures around. A somewhat built environment of town buildings is hardly visible in the background. Prominent colors are grey and dark, with some smudges of yellow and orange.

It consists of a series of events which take place during the spring semester:

Firstly, the virtual galleries of the Show are launched on the StaffArtShow.harvard.edu website which hosts the entirety of artworks submitted each year. The 2024 online galleries feature over 400 artworks of a range of themes like Portraits, Landscape, and Fashion, which use a variety of media such as painting, musical compositions, puppetry, and prints.

Moreover, local shows where audiences can enjoy the artworks in person are organized in different locations in the university. This year, the four scheduled local shows are taking place at the Smith Campus Center, the Harvard Ed Portal at Allston, the Countway Library of the Longwood Medical Campus, and the Gutman Library of the Graduate School of Education. More than two-thirds of the 2024 artists have opted to display their artworks locally in addition to the online exhibition.

In parallel, additional events, featured as Artists Events, are organized to celebrate further the participating artists, offer opportunities for interaction between them and their work, and engage in general to a greater extent the Show’s community and audiences. A university-wide launch party for the Show’s online galleries and numerous receptions in the context of the local shows also complement the connections between each year’s artists and Show enthusiasts.

CHS at the Harvard Staff Art Show

From a voluntary initiative at Smith Campus Center in 2020 to a multi-sponsored university-wide project in collaboration with Harvard Human Resources in 2024, the Show’s identity of a “from staff to staff” effort and driving force of inclusivity have flourished and have allowed for all kinds of artists and artworks over the years. In this context, it is no surprise that staff from Harvard’s global locations have also been part of the Show already since 2021. The Center for Hellenic Studies first participated with volunteer work on the Show’s website by a few of its members. Mina Tsentourou, CHS Greece Programs and Events Coordinator, has served in the Show’s steering committee beginning in 2022 to the present. In her words, “I believe in the importance of art in our lives, and I am happy I can make a small contribution to this within my workplace.” She additionally highlights the value of connecting with fellow volunteers who are colleagues from many parts of the University and being grateful for their discussions and joined efforts.

Also, in 2022, the Show featured a CHS artist for the first time, Evan Katsarelis, CHS Greece Programs and Events Manager, who submitted the “Channels of Expression in Times of Change” video composition.

This year, three staff members of CHS have joined the 2024 Harvard Staff Art Show as participating artists. They are:

For Evan Katsarelis, “being on stage and performing is a moment of true happiness,” from which he derives fresh perspectives, strength, and inspiration. He would argue that a part of his artistic journey is owed to stimuli sparked by Harvard’s rich ecosystem and diverse landscape, and he had the chance to weave his music and dance performances in both professional and personal engagements connected to the university.

Similar things can be said for M. Zoie Lafis, a lifelong supporter of the visual and performing arts and a visual artist whose paintings are displayed at the Center for Hellenic Studies and in private collections.

3/4ths view of the artist's face, neck up. The face is rendered while the hair and background being gestural. The portrait is black and white on a tan background. The digital brush use resembles a soft pencil. Last but not least, Olivia Henderson, the youngest and newest member of the CHS US personnel, introduced more of herself to the university’s community with her paintings, including a self-portrait of hers. Her portrait was also featured recently on the Show’s Instagram account as part of the celebratory posts for Women’s History Month.

We invite you to visit the StaffArtShow.harvard.edu website and marvel at the CHS artists’ works, along with those of their colleagues.

See also: Fine Arts, CHS Greece at Harvard, Harvard Community, Open to all