National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library

Contact: Leah Wilson, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16^th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or lwilson@ncsml.org

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA –Beginning Friday, March 7^th , the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library turns back the clock to remember 1968: Twelve Volatile Months that Changed the World. This original exhibition is the only one of its kind in the U.S. commemorating the 40^th anniversary of 1968.

1968 was a year of worldwide turmoil. Vietnam War protests sent shock waves through the U.S., Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy were assassinated, student revolts rocked France, and the riots outside the Democratic Party National Convention in Chicago were brutally subdued. In Czechoslovakia, unarmed students faced down Soviet tanks marking the beginning of the end of the Cold War.

Set in the global chronology of these turbulent events, this original, multimedia exhibit explores life in a communist country and the Prague Spring, Czechoslovakia’s failed attempt at "socialism with a human face." Visitors will experience controversial politics, daily shortages, dissident art, rampant propaganda, blatant censorship, and the suspicion that comes with living in a controlled society.

Former Secretary of State, Dr. Madeleine Albright, endorses the exhibit: "The Prague Spring was one of the key events in the history of Czechoslovakia. It is very appropriate that the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library – this wonderful museum that represents the spirit of the Czechs and Slovaks through history – should be honoring this historic period."

A Gallery Tour led by exhibit curator Stefanie Kohn will be given on Saturday, March 8 at 11:00 a.m. and is included with the price of admission. Programs and events, including the Czech and Slovak History and Culture Conference, guest lectures, and concerts, will occur during the run of the exhibition and are listed at www.NCSML.org. 1968 closes January 25, 2009.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 - 16th Avenue SE, Cedar Rapids.

Don your groovy rags, grab your steady, and become one with your inner flower child. Come on down to the NCSML for a far out celebration of the 1960s. Groove to your favorites from the 60s, dig the choice eats, and share in the hippy-happy feeling of Prague Spring.

Saturday, July 19

Parents and kids, come be part of the 1960s Space Race for a day. Get engineering tips and build a champion paper airplane with the help of a Rockwell Collins expert. Then, put your design to the test in a Paper Airplane Flight Contest. Afterwards, enjoy refreshments as we fire off rockets! Fun for the whole family. Wings and Rockets is brought to you in partnership with Rockwell Collins, who is proud to offer educational outreach activities through their Engineering Experiences program, designed to engage and motivate students to explore engineering.

Thursday, August 21

On August 21, 1968, Czechoslovaks awoke to a surreal scene. Tanks thundered down the streets of their once quiet villages and cities, where vast swarms of civilians assembled and clashed with Soviet soldiers. Join the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library as we remember the Warsaw Pact Invasion that crushed the freedoms of the Prague Spring and tightened restrictions in this Soviet-dominated nation. Reflect on the poignant difference between living in a democracy, as evidenced by our free U.S. presidential elections, and life under communism, where Soviet military exercises brutally imposed the will of the communist party on a people who struggled, on a daily basis, to mend and maintain the fabric of their culture.

Saturday, November 15

Bells of Liberty: The Music of Jindrich Feld

1968 was a turning point year in the history of Czechoslovakia, filled with the emotional twists and turns of a people struggling for freedom. Providing us with a musical interpretation of this volatile time in history is virtuoso Dr. Kenneth Tse. Tse is recognized as one of the world’s leading saxophonists, who debuted in Carnegie Hall in 1996 and has since brought his singular talent to dozens of international stages. In this special lecture and performance at NCSML, Tse will perform piano and saxophone music from Contemporary Czechoslovak composer Jindrich Feld, who experienced and was musically inspired by the turmoil of 1968.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

On January 16, 1969, Jan Palach, a promising student at Charles University in Prague, doused his body with gasoline and set himself on fire. Palach’s self-immolation was a sacrificial protest of the continued occupation of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet communist government. It was also a desperate call for Czechoslovaks to stand strong in the face of oppression. His dying words encouraged us all to remember the events of 1968.

A Forum Series of Presentations and Discussions on the Events and Effects of 1968

Friday, April 4	Remembering Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement 40 Years Later In partnership with the African American Heritage Museum and Cultural Center of Iowa
Thursday, May 22	Perspectives on the Crisis in Vietnam
Thursday, June 5	The Loss of Robert F. Kennedy - SORRY, CANCELED!
Thursday, July 17	Shoot for the Moon: The Space Race
Thursday, September 4	The Women's Movement for Equal Rights
Thursday, October 9	The Role of Student Activism in 1968
Tuesday, November 18	Dying for Democracy: Lessons from Czechoslovakia, China and Burma

Join Curator Stefanie Kohn as she immerses you in the world of 1968. When you enter, you will receive your identity card and have it stamped for admission. This is your entry to life under communism. Experience living in a controlled society.

High-resolution version of this image	Soviet tank in Wenceslaus Square in front of the National Museum, Prague, Czechoslovakia. Source: CTK.
High-resolution version of this image	Bloodied protester holding Czechoslovak flag. Source: CTK.
High-resolution version of this image	Soviet uniform.
High-resolution verion of this image	Surveillance equipment. Of particular interest is the microphone pen. The device looks like an ordinary fountain pen. The agent would wear it in his shirt pocket and speak discretely into it. There are also night vision goggles worn by Soviet forces in Prague during the August 1968 invasion. All surveillance equipment is on loan from the Wende Museum, Los Angeles, California.
High-resolution version of this image	Bronze sculpture. The sculpture represents the Socialist Realism style of art. This type of art venerates the working class and was approved by the communist government.
High-resolution version of this image	Courting Couple by Zdenek Vodicka. The cubist style of this sculpture deviates from the government-approved Socialist Realism art form. On loan from George and Beth Drost.
High-resolution version of this image	1968 exhibit logo.