Creta Maris Beach Resort & Culture
Biennale for the students of Greek Schools of Fine Arts
In its endeavor to intervene and contribute to the cultural events of Greece and to closely bind tourism and art, whilst supporting the up and coming young artists, Creta Maris Beach Resort in cooperation with the newspaper “Art News” organize a Biennale competition for the students of Greek Schools of Fine Arts, which is under the auspices of the Athens School of Fine Arts and the Department of Fine & Applied Arts of the Aristotelio University of Salonika.
Biennale is the expansion of the Annual Competition first held by Creta Maris in 1997 for the Athens School of Fine Arts into a national competition encompassing the whole of Greece.
Creta Maris Beach Resort offers prizes to the winners of this competition and also exhibit their works in the hotels’ art galleries.
The year 2007 was significant in that the 4th Biennale for the first time since its initiation traveled out of Crete. At first to Athens, where it was exhibited in the exhibition area of METRO, in Syntagma square under the auspices of the Ministry for the Environment, Physical Planning & Public Works and both Schools of Fine Arts of Greece, and later on it traveled further a field to…. Canada. In Toronto, the exhibition was presented in the annual Canadian National Exhibition and participated in the cultural activities of “Nuit Blanche” (White Night) organized by the municipality of Toronto, during which the whole township celebrates and various cultural events take place throughout the whole night.
The presentation of Biennale in Canada was the initiative of the General Consulate of Toronto.
Significant Donations
Nikolaos Metaxas, founder of Metaxas Group of Companies, donated a priceless private collection of 2.220 ancient objects to the Greek Public in 1997 and was awarded a gold medal by the Athens Academy. He also donated to the Cretan Historical Research company a collection of 181 rare gold Arabic coins from the era of Arabic Domination in Crete.
Mrs. Theano Metaxas, wife of the founder also donated to the Cretan Historical Research Company a collection of 237 traditional Cretan weavings (rugs, hand-woven bags, blankets & towels) which are a significant part of the folklore tradition of Crete.
Concerts
Creta Maris participates in cultural events in the wider area of Crete, either as sponsors or co-organizers of events, such as Classical guitar recitals, concerts of Thanos Mikroutsikos, various painting exhibitions, traditional Greek music nights, concerts in honour of Mikis Theodorakis, concert of the famous Budapest Camerata, Multikultichor Bonn and the choir of Heraklion, piano concert of Dimitris Sgouros, the internationally famed pianist, presentation of the poetic collections of Enrique Badsda, Anna Vissi concert etc.
Other Donations and Sponsorships
Metaxas Group of Companies contributes with donations and sponsorships to Institutions, Associations, Unions etc., for scientific, charitable and other causes. Indicatively some of the more recent donations or sponsorships are mentioned below:
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Medical School of the University of Crete program – Pancretan Union of BioMedical Research
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Zoodochos Pigi Centre for children with Down Syndrome
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2nd Primary School
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Agios Spyridonos Centre for retarded children
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Avdou Cultural club
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Purchase of EL GRECO painting for the municipality of Heraklion
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Keratokambos Cultural Club
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Laying of Turf on the mini PESY football pitch at Neapolis Lasithi, Crete
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Creation of the 1st Oncologic Centre for Children (Hope Association)
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Album for the Lions Club Heraklion
