FAQ

FAQs

• When is the application deadline?

• Do I qualify for this Summer Program?

The program is very challenging for individuals who wish to attend a unique program. If you are a college/university student in Jewelry making and/or liberal arts, studying archaeology, art history and cultural studies, museum studies, arts administration and fine arts, undergraduate, graduate, or post-graduate level, you qualify and you will find the program very fulfilling. A solid background in English and History of Art is required.

• Can faculty attend the program?

Faculty members leading 5+ students may attend the Program without tuition fees and are offered free accommodation at designated guest house.

This offer includes free attendance to all classes held on the ILJM premises. Field trips, tickets, transportation, and meals obliges the Faculty member.

The Faculty Member may be assigned to deliver an hour-long presentation on their field of their study.

If the extra studio component is chosen, the Faculty Member is required to oversee students’ projgram and chaperon students at venue.

Please note that there is a maximum number of seats for faculty members / per Institution.

• Do I need a Visa to come to Athens?

Participants are responsible to secure legal permission to stay in Schengen area countries, including Greece, for the duration of their stay.

• How do I get to Athens, and where do I stay during the program?

You may want to book a room in a hotel nearby, find a local space with an Airbnb or stay with a local family.

Hotels: Please check out the following links of hotels which are walking distance from the Museum, where the main classes will be taking place. It is best to reach the hotels directly by e-mail and inform them your inquiry refers to your ILJMuseum Summer School placement.

Acropolis Hill Hotel www.acropolishill.gr

Hermes Hotel: www.hermeshotel.gr

Philippos Hotel: www.herodion.gr

Plaka Hotel: www.plakahotel.gr

Athens Center Square Hotel: www.athenscentersquarehotel.gr

Arion Athens Hotel  www.arionhotel.gr

Achilleas Hotel         www.achilleashotel.gr

4 Streets Athens  www.fourstreetsathens.com

A reminder that light lunch is offered with a meal plan and is served in the Museum café.

•  What documentation do I receive after the successful completion of the Hephaistos Summer School?

The ILJM will provide you with an official certificate of attendance.

• Do I get academic credit at my home university? How does this work? 

Academic Credit: The program is offered in collaboration with Athens University and its BA Program in the Archaeology, History, and Literature of Ancient Greece, and provides 3 US college credits or 6 ECTS credits for participants who meet the University’s criteria for undergraduate admission, https://baag.uoa.gr . Equivalent to a regular one-semester course according to both European or American standards. Since degree requirements vary among universities, students are advised to ensure in advance that their home university will recognize this program.

-Grades are recorded as an official ILJMuseum transcript along with the name and credit earned.

-The academic course is typically offered for a letter Grade.

-Undergraduate and graduate students wishing to receive credits at their home institutions for work completed at the ILJMuseum are encouraged to obtain pre-approval for the course and should determine with their institution officials the cared process for credit transfer.

• Can I apply for an Internship at the ILJM?

Summer School Applicants have a priority when applying for internships in the ILJM.

The ILJM offers internships for college students and recent graduates interested in art museum careers. An internship at the ILJM offers a unique opportunity to learn about the operations of a focused and dynamic museum. Interns work closely with the administrative or curatorial staff and gain exposure to many aspects of museum work.
Internships are currently offered in the museum’s curatorial department for the summer of 2026. Interns will be assigned projects that will be determined in collaboration with the museum director based on the museum’s current projects and the intern’s special interests.

Internships are available mid-May through mid-July. Internships extend from 3 weeks to two months (minimum 20 hours/week, maximum 30 hours/week).

Please note that internships at the ILJM are unpaid.

To apply: Please send a cover letter and resume to Ms. Eleni Mastoras, Director of Administration administration@lalaounis-jewelrymuseum.gr

Please include the following in your cover letter: reasons for applying, specific interests in museum work, your preferred dates and the name and contact details of an academic reference.

• Is Hephaistos Summer School featured in Social Media?

Yes, Hephaistos Summer School obtains a page on Facebook; please like the official page Hephaistos Summer School (https://www.facebook.com/hephaistosjss/).

• Who was Hephaistos?

Sing, clear-voiced Muse, of Hephaistos famed for his skill. With bright-eyed Athena he taught men glorious crafts throughout the world – men who before used to dwell in caves in the mountains like wild beasts. But now that they have learned crafts through Hephaistos the famed worker, easily they live a peaceful life in their own houses the whole year round.
-Homeric Hymn to Hephaistos

In Greek mythology, Hephaistos is the god of fire, metals, metalsmithing and crafts. The son of Zeus and Hera, Hephaistos was lame, having been thrown from Mount Olympus by his father when he took his mother’s side in a quarrel.

Despite his condition, or perhaps in fact propelled by it, Hephaistos was a master inventor for whom no technical feat was impossible. His workshops were volcanoes, whose fire he used to fashion many wondrous items: the Olympian palaces, Zeus’ thunderbolts and scepter, Achilles’ shield, Athena’s spear, Eros’ arrows and jewels for Zeus’ lovers. He is the embodiment of creativity and humankind’s ability to master the earth’s natural resources. His symbols are a smith’s hammer, anvil and a pair of tongs.

As the patron of all craftsmen, especially those working with metals, he was worshipped in the manufacturing centers of Greece, particularly in Athens. Today, not far from the ILJMuseum, atop a small hill west of the Ancient Agora or marketplace, by what appears to be the metalsmithing quarter of the ancient city, the 5^th c. BC temple to Hephaistos still stands as the most well-preserved Ancient Greek temple that survives.

For more information please write to:

info@jss.gr