National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library - Media Kit for Kroje Exhibit

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library’s Life Long Learning for Sunday, April 14, 2002 will feature Helene Cincebeaux. Cincebeaux will present "Beaded Glory – Treasures from Bohemia, Moravia, and Slovakia" at 2:00 pm in the NCSML’s WFLA Heritage Hall. Cincebeaux will give a slide presentation is about the variations of beadwork found in kroje from Bohemia, Moravia, and Slovakia and lead a gallery tour. The program is free and open to the public.

Kroje – Dress for the Dance of Life!, a special original exhibition, opens Friday, April 12, 2002. Kroje (pronounced kroy-eh) are national folk costumes and symbols of ethnic pride for Czechs and Slovaks. Most of the beaded garments on display are from the collection of Helen Baine Cincebeaux and her mother, Helen Zemek Baine. The two have traveled to the Czech Republic and Slovakia since 1969. Through these trips, they have come to appreciate the region’s rich customs and folk art. One of their ongoing missions is to collect samples of Bohemian, Moravian, and Slovak textile art to share with Americans.

Cincebeaux will lead tours of Kroje – Dress for the Dance of Life! on Friday, April 12 at 2:00 pm and Saturday, April 13 at 11:00 am and 2:00 pm. These tours are free with paid admission to the galleries.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16^th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids. For more information about Kroje – Dress for the Dance of Life! or upcoming programs, please visit the web site at http://web.archive.org/web/20040428223329/http://www.ncsml.org/ or call 319.362.8500.

Media Day for Kroje – Dress for the Dance of Life! is April 11, 2002

Busy Weekend for the Opening of Kroje – Dress for the Dance of Life! Planned at the NCSML – Changes Hours to Accommodate Anticipated High Visitation

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library proudly announces the opening of their special exhibition, Kroje – Dress for the Dance of Life! April 12, 2002.

"Kroje – Dress for the Dance of Life! is probably the most anticipated exhibition we have put together since A Thousand Years of Czech Culture in 1997," commented Carmen Langel, NCSML curator. "People from all over the country are planning to visit the museum just to see this show."

The exhibition features kroje (pronounced kroy-eh), folk costumes from the Czech Republic and Slovakia. These costumes blend bold colors, fine fabrics, and detailed designs into works of wearable art. Included in the exhibition will be a collection of Joza Uprka’s paintings on loan from George Drost, Chicago’s Honorary Consul of the Czech Republic and beaded textiles and kroje on loan from the Baine/Cincebeaux Collection.

A special members’ only reception will officially open the exhibition on April 11, 2002. Helene Cincebeaux, co-owner of the Baine/Cincebeaux Collection, will conduct gallery tours of Kroje – Dress for the Dance of Life! Friday, April 12 at 2:00 p.m. and Saturday, April 13 at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. The tours are free with paid admission to the gallery.

Sunday, April 14 Helene Cincebeaux will present "Beaded Glory – Treasures from Bohemia, Moravia, and Slovakia." Cincebeaux will give a slide presentation about the variations of beadwork in kroje from Bohemia, Moravia, and Slovakia and lead a gallery tour. This free program will begin at 2:00 p.m. in WFLA Heritage Hall.

During this special exhibition, the NCSML will be open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sundays noon to 4:00 p.m. The exhibition will close October 13, 2002.

"Normally, we are only open Tuesdays through Sunday; however, with the immense interest in this exhibition, we felt it necessary to accommodate visitors who will only be in the area on Mondays," explains president/ceo Dan Baldwin.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16^th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids. For more information about this exhibition and upcoming programs, please visit the web site at www.NCSML.org or call (319) 362-8500.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA: This summer, the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library’s special exhibition, Kroje – Dress for the Dance of Live!, will reveal some very interesting stories about beautiful folk costumes from the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Kroje, pronounced kroy-eh, are powerful symbols of a Czech and Slovak’s identity. The exhibition will open to the public April 12, 2002 and runs through October 13, 2002.

Kroje – Dress for the Dance of Life! is an original exhibition prepared by the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library. The exhibit will include colorful heirloom textiles and complete kroje, elaborate embroidery, laces, and fine beaded textiles from the Baine/Cincebeaux Collection tell the enchanting tale of national and local pride in ethnic heritage. Also included are several kroje that were previously on display; but, have been ‘resting’ for several years. One such kroje is the "Fish Scale Kroj."

The Fish Scale Kroj is a complete kroj from near Trebon, Czech Republic. According to the donor, during World War II, the donor’s husband, John Vittengle, was a member of the Occupational Forces in Czechoslovakia after the war. He served as a member of the Secret Service investigating Russian activity in the country. Because he was fluent in Czech, Vittengle befriended many Czech people and let them know he was from the United States.

Russian officials confiscated valuable items from the Czech people. In order to protect some of their belongings, several such items were passed along to Vittengle with the understanding they would be sent to a Czech community in the United States. Vittengle, in return, sent them to his wife in their home city, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

The Fish Scale Kroj is said to have been made in 1813 and belonged to the wife of a head fishmaster and supervisor of a large lake near Trebon, Bohemia (now Czech Republic). It is adorned with glass beads, silver sequins, semi-precious stones, lace, and carp scales. The carp scales were cut into various designs before being sewn, with beads, into flower patterns on the blue velvet vest and brown velvet apron. The scales represent the fish and their role in the livelihood of to fishmaster’s wife while the glass beads represent the fish eggs.

This wonderful complete kroj (consisting of a cap, tie, beaded headband, bodice, beaded blouse, skirt, two aprons, underslip chemise, stockings, handkerchief, scarf, and sandals) was donated to the Czech Museum in 1981. It remained on exhibition for several years before it was temporarily taken off display. The NCSML is proud to once again display this unique and beautiful kroje.

Kroje – Dress for the Dance of Life! also includes a series of original oil paintings by Joza Uprka, one of Moravia’s most recognized artists of the early 20th century. His post-impressionist style uses bright color and texture to create remarkable imagery of village life. And, Kroje! features images adapted from a newly acquired set of World War I-era lantern slides, including hand-colored photos of men and women wearing their kroje.

The NCSML will also be featuring a series of fun programs to compliment Kroje – Dress for the Dance of Life! including: lectures, needlework classes, porcelain painting classes, workshops, and a variety of other events. The Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre is presenting The Bartered Bride (Prodaná Nevesta) by Czech composer Bedrich Smetana, June 7 and 9, 2002. The NCSML is hosting a Smetana Forum on June 2, 2002. Dokolacka, dokola: The 1^st National Bohemian, Moravian, and Slovak Dance Festival will be July 27, 2002 and a Kroje Symposium will be held September 6 and 7, 2002. Leading folk costume and kroj experts from the Czech Republic and the United States will discuss the trends and history of these unique and beautiful fashions.

Kroje – Dress for the Dance of Life! will be on exhibition for a very short time. Don’t miss your opportunity to experience the most colorful exhibition in town!

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16^th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information about Kroje – Dress for the Dance of Life! or upcoming events, please call 319.362.8500 or consult the web site at www.NCSML.org.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is pleased to announce the opening of their next temporary exhibition, Kroje – Dress for the Dance of Life! Kroje, pronounced kroy-eh, are national folk costumes, powerful symbols of a Czech and Slovak’s identity. The exhibition will open to the public April 12, 2002 and runs through October 6, 2002.

Kroje – Dress for the Dance of Life! is an original exhibition prepared by the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library. Colorful heirloom textiles, including many never-before-seen items and complete kroje, elaborate embroidery, laces, and fine beaded textiles from the Baine/Cincebeaux Collection tell the enchanting tale of national and local pride in ethnic heritage. Celebrate with us! Discover regional variations. Explore the role of kroje in local and national heritage. Appreciate the significance of folk motifs embellished on these beautiful fabrics.

Kroje highlights the NCSML’s tremendous textile collection and will only be exhibited at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library. Kroje also includes a series of original oil paintings by Joza Uprka, one of Moravia’s most recognized artists of the early 20th century. His post-impressionist style uses bright color and texture to create remarkable imagery of village life. And, Kroje features images adapted from a newly acquired set of World War I era lantern slides, including hand-colored photos of men and women wearing their kroje.

Kroje is an exciting, dynamic expression of national identity and personal pride. Are you ready for it?

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids. For more information about this exhibition and NCSML programs, please call (319) 362-8500 or consult the web site at www.NCSML.org.


Woman’s kroj from Kyjov (Moravia), Czech Republic. From the collections of the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.