Is the Hellenic Museum enough?

Greek Australians have made inroads into the arts, commerce, science, academia, and politics, yet, the impact of our Hellenic culture and our community's endeavors are not heralded in major collecting or cultural institutions, media or literary centers. We see too often stereotypical cultural images of Greeks in our media and we all face at times inadvertent subtle bigotry, among many of this city's elite and our peers. We take it, we even use it play with it we become Greek Australian caricatures.

Yet in New York City, in Boston and Chicago, the Hellenistic zeitgeist is evident in all walks of cultural life. This is why leadership by wealthy Greek Australians, intellectuals, media and community leaders is crucial. We need to work towards the creation of self assured and confident, not arrogant or ethnocentric vision of who we are and to do this we need greater financial input into our cultural and arts, educational and scientific, media and communications sectors.

The absence of mainstream cultural profile is not the only the responsibility of wealthy Greek Australians, whom many of are still anchored to the symbolic migrant ghetto. It is as much a poor reflection on current mainstream museum directors who don't seek the support of the Greek wealthy. In some cases, these 'artistic leaders' lack sufficient understanding of Hellenic culture, history and community development, but that's another discussion.

How wonderful it would be if Greek Australians were patrons of Australia's cultural and collecting institutions. Imagine the Hellenic Museum as a conduit between the Benaki Museum's collection and the National Gallery of Victoria.

Greek Australian rich should also continue to sponsor programs for the Greek Community such as the in Victoria, the Greek Cultural Centre. Like Jewish Australian patrons, the Greeks need to, support he arts, as well as community programs.

The Victorian Jewish community, government as well as benefactors support the Jewish Museum. It has arts directors, curators, academics and researchers working within it. This in many ways could be a model for both the Hellenic Museum and more so for the more democratic Hellenic Cultural Centre which the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne, Victoria will soon open.

Our Greek philanthropists, very rich and not so rich ones, need to build relationships with Australian collecting institutions and through them promote Hellenic classical and contemporary culture to Australians. The development of a Hellenic foundation that brings in expertise from across sectors and is a conduit to money, intelligence and skill, may need to be considered.

Sadly, I do not go to the Hellenic Museum enough and I will try to go more. I look forward to the Hellenic Cultural Centre as the antidote to the kitsch and at times banal representation of Hellenic cultural in Australia.

I will go again to the Met in New York, the New Acropolis Museum in Athens and the NGV regularly. I just wish I could see more Greek impact on major Australian cultural institutions.