On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Chios Gum Mastic Growers Association, the Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation (PIOP) in collaboration with the Chios Gum Mastic Growers Association (CGMGA) are presenting the periodic exhibition "80 years of the CGMGA: Tales with the Scent of Mastic" at the Chios Mastic Museum (part of the PIOP Museum Network).
On display will be exhibits from the foundation and operation of the Association, tracing how it has managed the production and marketing of mastic over time. Pride of place belongs to the archival material of the Chios Gum Mastic Growers Association, of which the maintenance, classification and safeguarding has been undertaken as of 2017 by the PIOP via a "commodatum" loan with a duration of 29 years. The archival items, exhibits and materials, are showcased via rich photographic and audio-visual presentations and original artefacts, that enable visitors to learn the history of the Association, which has been a pillar of the productive and economic life of Chios.
The law that led to the establishment of the first-degree co-operatives and the foundation of the Association was passed on October 10, 1938. The present exhibition also sheds light, for the first time, on the years before 1938, which had a decisive impact on the establishment of the Association.
Since then, the Association has supported the producers, improved the production process, strengthened the local economy and society, adapted to new developments and the requirements of different times. Primarily however, it succeeded in regularising the cultivation, processing, and standardisation of mastic, and establishing it as a product of international fame and recognition.
The scientific research and documentation was based on the data yielded by the Research Program for the establishment of the Chios Mastic Museum. The items on display were offered by the Chios Gum Mastic Growers Association, Mediterra S.A., the Archives of the Prefecture of Chios, the "Korais" Central Historical Public Library of Chios, the Photographic Archives of the Benaki Museum, the Aris Papatzikas Archive, and the photographers Manto Vasili, Dimitris Koilalos, Thanasis Kottas and Isidoros Loizos.
The exhibition will run from Αugust 1, 2018 to January 20, 2019
Visiting hours: Daily, 10:00-18:00 (to 15/10) and 10:00-17:00 (from 16/10). Closed on Tuesdays.
Admission is free of charge.
Chios Mastic Museum
Pyrgi, locality of Rahi (Tepeki) Chios 821 02
Tel. no.: 22710 72212| www.piop.gr
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