The 2nd Annual ACS Athens Artists & Authors Spotlight Exhibition opened with an evening dedicated to creativity, conversation, and community. Hosted by the ACS Athens Global Alumni Community, the event brought together artists and authors from across the ACS Athens family in a shared celebration of art and storytelling.
The Theatre Lobby quickly filled with artwork, photography, and writing that encouraged visitors to slow down, reflect, and engage with the pieces on display. Paintings, sculptures, ceramics, jewelry, mixed media works, photographs, and written reflections created a welcoming atmosphere, inviting conversation and thoughtful exchange throughout the evening. Each piece offered its own perspective, highlighting how creativity can spark curiosity, emotion, and meaningful dialogue.
What made the evening special was the mix of people involved. Alumni, students, faculty, staff, parents and friends of ACS Athens came together, reflecting how deeply creativity is part of our community. A moving performance by Faculty Members Dr. Evangelos Syropoulos and Ms. Sofia Thanopoulou invited guests to pause and reflect through poetry, followed by piano music performed by students—an artistic moment that underscored the importance of what makes us human.
A unique element of the exhibition was the interactive installation Waterfall (2025) by artist and Spotlight curator Leda Tsoukia. The installation invited members of the ACS Athens community to actively take part by sharing a thought, feeling, or moment from the present. Visitors wrote their reflections on transparent sheets of paper and attached them to the hanging installation, gradually shaping the work over the course of the evening. As these reflections accumulated, the installation evolved into a flowing visual and written experience, transforming visitors into participants and allowing everyone to become both an artist and an author.
Thank you to all participating artists and authors who shared their work, as well as to everyone who attended and showed their support. Your presence and enthusiasm made the opening night a truly memorable experience. For artists who were unable to attend in person, a Virtual Corner was created to showcase their artwork and ensure their participation.
Participating Authors
- Dr. Peggy Pelonis (ACS Athens President)
- Dr. Evangelos Syropoulos (Division Chair of Language & Literature) and Sofia Thanopoulou (ACS Athens Faculty – Drama)
- Alina Ioannou (Alumni Parent)
- Efthymia Karatopouzi (ACS Athens Faculty)
- Constantinos N. Scampavias (Ephor of Byzantine Antiquities – Alumni Parent)
- Liisa Soderholm-Ioannidou (Former ACS Athens Faculty)
Participating Artists
- Halid Chrysinas (Class of 2015)
- Valia Efstathiou (ACS Athens Staff, Class of 2002)
- Shaya Ehteshamzad (Class of 2025)
- Farida El Gazzar (ACS Athens Faculty, Class of 1993)
- Dr. Theodora Fitzsimmons-Mazarakis (ACS Athens Alumna)
- Elvis Georgiadis (ACS Athens Alumni)
- Adrianna Janicic (ACS Athens Staff)
- Dimitri Kaliviotis (Class of 1995)
- Vivien Panagos-Geyr (Class of 1993)
- Mary Papachristou (Alumni Parent)
- Alexia-Celia Peza (Class of 2014)
- Anastasios Poneros (Alumni Family)
- Eliana Poumbrou (Class of 1995)
- Mary Roukounaki (ACS Athens Faculty)
- Sophia Soseilos (ACS Athens Faculty – Visual and Performing Arts Division Chair)
- Roberto Tiranti (Class of 1993)
- Leda Tsoukia (ACS Athens Staff – Spotlight Curator)
- Vivian Zotali (Class of 1994)
Virtual Corner Participants
Members of the ACS Athens Global Alumni Art & Literature Collective, including:
- ACS Athens Media Studio
- ACS Athens Writing & Research Studio
