Athens is a magical city where ancient history meets modern life. The city's recorded history spans 3,400 years, making it one of the world’s oldest cities.
Ancient Greek Ceramics in Athens
Explore ancient ceramics in Athens, where 3,400 years of recorded history meet modern city life. Ancient temples and monuments stand alongside cafes and tavernas in a city that helped shape Greek art, philosophy, theater and music.
Discover how Greek pottery reveals daily life, mythology and artistic achievement. You will visit museums and archaeological sites, including the Acropolis, Mycenae, Delphi and Sounion, and use your observations to create original ceramic work.
You will enroll in ART 151, Visual Theory and Practice, a 3-unit general education course that transfers to UC and CSU.
Your Athens Experience
Experience Greek language, culture and daily life while studying ceramics with Professor Kathy Kearns.
Create and Learn
- Create ceramic art: You will develop original work inspired by your observations, with guidance from Professor Kearns. Your ceramics studio classroom includes clay, tools, wheels and kilns for coursework.
- Meet local ceramicists: Visit contemporary artists’ studios.
- Explore ancient ceramics: Attend a guest lecture or workshop with a University of West Attica professor.
- Get an introduction to Greece: Take a Greek language and culture crash course.
- Cook Greek dishes: Join a market walk and cooking class, then share a meal featuring the dishes you prepare.
Explore Athens
- Take an orientation walking tour, meet AIFS staff and learn about safety and security.
- Join guided sightseeing tours, including the Acropolis, and visit the Acropolis Museum, the Changing of the Guard and the Ancient Agora.
- Use your ICOMOS student membership card to enter many archaeological sites and museums, including the Acropolis and Acropolis Museum.
- Travel throughout Athens with an Athena Card that provides unlimited metro and bus rides during the program.
Visit Historic Sites
- Mycenae: Take a full-day excursion to this UNESCO World Heritage site and major center of ancient Greek civilization. Join a guided archaeological site tour and stop at the Corinth Canal and the historic port town of Nafplio.
- Delphi: Explore this UNESCO World Heritage site, which ancient Greeks considered the center of the world. Your full-day excursion includes a guided tour of the archaeological site and museum, plus a stop in Arachova.
- Sounion: Travel by private bus for a half-day excursion and guided tour of the Temple of Poseidon.
Live in Athens
- Stay in a twin-bedded room in a shared apartment. Your accommodations include linens, towels, kitchen supplies, facilities to prepare your own meals, and free Wi-Fi.
- Share occasional group meals, including a light arrival-day meal, a welcome meal and a farewell meal.
- Enjoy free weekends to rest, explore independently or take an optional three-island cruise.
Travel and Support
- Use scheduled group transfers by private bus between Athens International Airport (ATH) and your housing on the program’s arrival and departure dates. The group will agree on transfer times in advance.
- Receive information, personal advising and 24-hour emergency support from AIFS staff.
- Receive student medical insurance coverage.
Program Dates and Costs
- March 9, 2027: Apply and pay the $450 deposit.
- April 8, 2027: Pay your remaining balance.
- June 2, 2027: Depart the U.S.
- June 3, 2027: Arrive in Athens.
- June 24, 2027: Depart Athens.
The program costs $3,995 per participant, based on enrollment of 20 or more participants.
The fee covers lodging, museum and excursion entrance fees, medical insurance and AIFS services described above.
You will pay separately for airfare, class tuition, passport fees and daily expenses such as food.
Information Sessions
We will offer Zoom and in-person information sessions in February 2027. Check back for dates and times.
Scholarships
We want to help you join us in Athens. Explore the opportunities below, and contact us for help finding additional funding.
Ceramics Department Scholarships
The DVC ceramics department offers several partial scholarships.
- February 15, 2027: Apply for a ceramics department scholarship.
- March 1, 2027: The department will notify scholarship recipients.
We will also offer a scholarship workshop on Zoom with our study abroad partner, AIFS. Check back for the date.
For application information, contact Kathryn Kearns at kkearns@dvc.edu.
Scholarship application coming soon.
Additional Scholarship Opportunities
- Explore the Gilman Scholarship.
- Contact your college’s scholarship office:
For additional scholarship information, contact Sonya Castro in the DVC Financial Aid Office at scastro@dvc.edu.
Minimum Qualifications
You must be 18 or older when you board the plane for the program.
Registration
Priority registration runs through December 15, 2026.
About Professor Kathy Kearns
Kathy Kearns holds a master’s degree in ceramic art from the University of Colorado. Her pottery and sculptures are used and enjoyed in homes and collections worldwide. A ceramic educator in the Bay Area for 30 years, she currently serves as an adjunct art faculty member at DVC.
As the granddaughter of Greek immigrants, Professor Kearns has a deep connection and love for Greece and its people. She has developed this connection over the last 10 years, traveling throughout Greece to explore museums and archaeological sites. She is excited to now share her passions for Greece and for ceramics with students through this study abroad experience.
Meet Our Faculty
