National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library - 2000 News Releases
National
Czech & Slovak
Museum & Library
Cedar Rapids, Iowa

2000 News Releases

 
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 18, 2000
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer Tursi at 319-362-8500 or jan@ncsml.org

National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library Holiday Hours

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library will be closed Sunday, December 24 and Monday, December 25. The NCSML will be open New Year’s Eve from noon to 4 p.m. and closed on Monday, January 1, 2001.

Regular hours are 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays. Museum members are admitted free. Regular admission is $5 for adults, $4 for senior (65 and over), $2 for children ages 5-16. Children under 5 are free with an adult companion. Children and teenagers are admitted free on Sundays. For more information, call (319) 362-8500.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 15, 2000
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer Tursi at 319-362-8500 or jan@ncsml.org

National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library to Host History Conference in March

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA - The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library will host their second history and culture conference on March 2 and 3, 2001. The conference title is The Czech & Slovak 20th Century in Retrospect: 1900 – 1938. The first conference, held in October 1999, drew registrants from eight states. Sessions and related events will be held at the museum.

Scholars and community-based researchers from across the United States will address topics including the arts and culture, industrial development, and political challenges of Czechoslovakia’s First Republic. Conference speakers will also include individuals closely associated with historical, cultural, and industrial figures and events from the First Republic. Confirmed speakers include Gregory Ference, Martin Votruba, Charlotta Kotik, Pavel Cernoch, Thomas Hasler, James Felak, Dusan Neuman, Paul LeBloch, among others.

The conference includes an Ambassadors Forum centering on Slovakia’s initiative to join NATO. The recent NATO process experienced by the Czech Republic will be a starting point for discussion. His Excellency Alexandr Vondra (Ambassador from the Czech Republic to the United States) and His Excellency Martin Butora (Ambassador from Slovakia to the United States) will be moderated by renowned scholar and author Michael Novak.

Evening events and special lodging arrangements will be included in the preliminary programs and registration forms, available in January.

To receive more information about the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, the conference schedule, registration fees, or local lodging, contact Jan Stoffer Tursi at (319) 362-8500.

Major support for The Czech and Slovak 20th Century in Retrospect: 1900-1938 and the Ambassador’s Forum is provided by Humanities Iowa (the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities) and the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 28, 2000
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer Tursi at 319-362-8500 or jan@ncsml.org

Physical Poet to Perform at Legion Arts CSPS Dec. 10

Petr Vasa shook the art scene of Czechoslovakia in the 1980’s. Now, on December 10, Vasa is coming to Cedar Rapids. He will perform at 7:00 p.m. in the CSPS Legion Arts building located at 1103 3rd Street SE, Cedar Rapids. Tickets are $8.00.

Vasa will perform his most recently adopted art form, something he describes at "physical poetry," an ambitious unification of poetry, theater, singing, dancing, and music. In this unique blend, the instrument is his body, the lyrics cross the language barrier, and together they form something generally understood and much more universal.

Vasa explains, "I just abandoned the external form of music for awhile and moved the electric guitar inside of me."

While celebrating his success with his audience for the last eight years, it seems that "physical poetry" finds his fans on opposite camps, one side claiming it to be "theater" and the other side "concert." Regardless of the classification, Vasa’s creativity and ingenuity leave the audience astonished and energized.

Vasa’s audience vary as much as his talents. Never on to be an elitist, he has granted concerts to various species, including an experimental concert for animals at the zoo, where he says a llama stood, mesmerized, for a half an hour, and a parrot listened with his ear pressed to the cage. He proudly acknowledges that he would be content as an entertainer for animals. Nevertheless, he has been successful in pleasing humans, as well.

Originally from Brno, Czech Republic, Vasa began his career in music, first with the rock band Z kopce, and then with Osklid. He recognizes Anton Artaud as a spiritual godfather and influence, but also finds inspiration from the Czech Avant Garde Theater, as well as the sounds of animals.

Vasa proudly states, "If you would misspell ‘physical poetry’ and say ‘psychial pottery,’ it would also be a valid description."

The performance is co-sponsored by CSPS Legion Arts and the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library. For more information, call 364-1580 or 362-8500.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 28, 2000
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer Tursi at 319-362-8500 or jan@ncsml.org

Roosevelt Middle School Orchestras to Perform at Czech & Slovak Museum

The third installment of the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library’s program, Muzika Muzika (Music Music), will feature the 7th and 8th grade orchestras from Roosevelt Middle School. The free performance will by Sunday, December 3 at 2:00 p.m. in the museum’s WFLA Heritage Hall.

The museum is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids. There is a fee to tour the museum galleries. Museum members are admitted free. Admission for non-members is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors (65 and over), and $2 for children ages 5-16. Children under 5 with an adult companion are free. Children and teenagers are admitted free on Sundays with a paying adult. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. For more information, call (319) 362-8500.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 28, 2000
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer Tursi at 319-362-8500 or jan@ncsml.org

Lunch Series to Focus on Czech & Slovak Holiday Traditions

Andrea Siebenmann, a native of Slovakia, will present a discussion titled "Kapr" (Carp) Wednesday, December 6 at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library. The presentation will be at noon in the museum’s WFLA Heritage Hall. Attendees are invited to bring a sack lunch and enjoy this free program.

Czechs and Slovaks have many Christmas traditions; the role the carp plays is one of several. Siebenmann will encourage participants to compare their own customs to those of her homeland.

The museum is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids. For more information, call (319) 362-8500.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 21, 2000
CONTACT: Shirley Rosencrans at 319-362-8500

Master Folk Artist Personalizes Czech Glass Ornaments

Master folk artist Marj Nejdl will be at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library to personalize Czech glass ornaments Friday November 24, Saturday November 25, Saturday December 2, and Saturday December 9 from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. The cost for personalization starts at $1.00. Nejdl will also take ornament personalization orders through the NCSML Museum Store from now until December 15.

December 2, NCSML will be celebrating Svatý Mikuláš Day. The purchase of each ornament with a value of $5 or more will include a free pass to the museum galleries. The passes are good until January 14, 2001.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids. Museum members are free. Admission for nonmembers is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors (65 and over), and $2 for children ages 5-16. Children under 5 with an adult companion are free. Children and teenagers are admitted free on Sundays with a paying adult. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sunday noon to 4:00. For more information, contact Shirley Rosencrans, Museum Store Manager, at (319) 362-8500.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 21, 2000
CONTACT: Shirley Rosencrans at 319-362-8500
 
NCSML Sponsors Motor Coach Trip to Chicago Opera

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is sponsoring a motor coach trip to Chicago to see the opera ‘The Good Soldier Svejk" on Sunday March 25, 2001. Reservations are required by December 10, 2000. The cost of the trip is $80.00.

Adapted from Jaroslav Hasek’s satirical anti-war novel from the 1920s, The Good Soldier Svejk is an unusual comedy following the misadventures of a naďve, happy-go-lucky Czech soldier caught up in the Austro-Hungarian war machine of World War I. The Chicago Opera Theater is proud to produce Cicero-native Robert Kurka’s masterpiece, which premiered in Chicago in 1981. The new production, directed by Harry Silverstein and conducted by Alexander Platt, will provide a long-awaited opportunity to reassess the work of this colossally gifted composer. The opera is in English.

This is a wonderful opportunity to see the opera inspired by one of Europe’s literary masterworks, currently being translated and reinterpreted by NCSML’s Fall Dinner keynote speakers, Zenny Sadlon and Mike Joyce.

The motor coach will depart from Tri-State Tours office, 144 32nd St. Dr. SE, at 8:00 a.m. A planned stop for lunch scheduled. The opera is scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m. and is 2 hours long. For $80.00, travelers will receive safe transport to Chicago and back, a ticket to the opera, and dinner at a sit-down restaurant. A full refund is guaranteed if less than 30 people sign up for the trip by December 10. For more information, contact Shirley Rosencrans at (319) 362-8500.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 21, 2000
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer Tursi at 319-362-8500 or jan@ncsml.org

National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library Hosts Holiday Activities

Veselé Vánoce! The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library’s 16th Annual Svatý Mikuláš (St. Nicholas) Celebration is Saturday, December 2. The day begins at 9:45 a.m. with the Czech Plus Brass Ensemble welcoming visitors to the Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre Company’s performance of "The Cat, the Ram, and the Wolf," an Eastern European folktale. Because puppetry is a cherished tradition in many European countries, including the Czech and Slovak Republics, visitors will be treated to a second act. "Puppet Potpourri" will introduce the audience to the different types of puppets. Admission to the puppet show is $2.00 for adults and $1.00 for children.

Svatý Mikuláš, the Angel, and the Devil will be in the audience and will distribute cookies to the good little boys and girls following the performances. The Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre will then offer children an opportunity to make their own puppets for their own show. Please register your child for this event by calling Jan Stoffer Tursi at 362-8500. Re/Max Associates Realtors of Cedar Rapids is sponsoring the Sv. Mikuláš activities this year.

Master folk artist Marj Nejdl will be personalizing Czech hand-blown glass ornaments from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. in the museum’s Grand Hall. Shoppers will receive a free pass to the museum galleries with the purchase of each ornament with a value of $5 or more (passes are good through January 14). In the galleries, museum visitors will be treated to the Doris Southard Lace Guild members demonstrating how to make delicate bobbin lace from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. The bobbin lace demonstration is free with paid admission to the museum galleries. The Czech Heritage Singers will entertain audiences with a sing-a-long from 2:00-2:30p.m. in the museum’s Grand Hall. Visitors can hear and sing traditional Czech and Slovak Christmas carols in both Czech and English.

On December 6th, the museum’s Learn at Lunch program will feature Andrea Siebenmann with a program titled "Kapr" (Carp). She will be discussing the important role the carp plays in Czech and Slovak Christmas traditions. This free program will be in the WFLA’s Heritage Hall at noon.

The holiday activities continue on December 9th with the Museum Guild’s 2nd Annual Cookie Walk from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., or until everything is gone. Very tasty, homemade candies and cookies including kopecky, bublanina, sugar cookies and gingerbread cookies decorated in the traditional Czech manner will be available for purchase. Participants are provided a plastic container to fill with cookies to their hearts content. The goodies sell for $6.00 per pound.

Kids, while your parents are selecting their goodies, you are invited to hear the story "The Christmas Carp." Just image what it would be like to have a carp in your bathtub! The story will be read at 10:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. in the museum’s Grand Hall.

Demonstrators on December 9th will include: peroutky (goose feather pastry brush) maker Pauline Jasa from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.; wheat weaver Robin Buckallew from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.; porcelain painter JoAnne Neff from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.; and master folk artist Marj Nejdl from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

On December 16, egg decorator Frank Novotny will be demonstrating in the gallery from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. and wood carver Lumear Netolicky will be showing his craft from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids. Museum members are admitted free to the museum exhibits. Admission for nonmembers is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors (65 and over), and $2 for children ages 5-16. Children under 5 with an adult companion are free. Children and teenagers are admitted free on Sundays with a paying adult. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. For more information, call (319) 362-8500.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 23, 2000
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer Tursi at 319-362-8500 or jan@ncsml.org

Czech & Slovak Museum Offers Porcelain Painting Class

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library will hold a porcelain painting class complimenting the temporary exhibition Formal Settings: Decorated Porcelain of Bohemia. The class is offered to adults, ages 15 and up. Reservations are required and the class size is limited to 15 students. The two-part class will meet Tuesday, November 28 and Thursday, November 30 from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. in the museum’s WFLA Heritage Hall. Local porcelain artist JoAnne Neff is the instructor. The cost is $10.00 per student. Students will learn how to paint on porcelain and will be able to take their creations home with them. For more information or to enroll in the class, contact Jan Stoffer Tursi, Program Coordinator, at (319) 362-8500.

Formal Settings: Decorated Porcelain of Bohemia will showcase a wide variety of functional and decorative porcelain. While porcelain factories commonly employed decorators, visitors will learn how decorating porcelain became an acceptable way for women to creatively express themselves. This medium not only offered women the means to earn money on their own in the late-1800s but also gave them another way to socialize. For example, porcelain painting clubs were formed throughout the United States in order to promote artistic standards and the art of decorating porcelain.

Admission to Formal Settings: Decorated Porcelain of Bohemia will be included in the museum’s regular admission price. Museum members are admitted free. Admission for nonmembers is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors (65 and over), and $2 for children ages 5-16. Children under 5 with an adult companion are free. Children and teenagers are admitted free on Sundays with a paying adult. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. For more information, call (319) 362-8500.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 18, 2000
CONTACT: Carmen Langel at 319-362-8500 or clangel@ncsml.org

Exquisite Porcelain Collection Comes to National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Formal Settings: Decorated Porcelain of Bohemia is an exhibition featuring exquisite hand-painted porcelain from the extensive collection of Dr. James Henderson. The exhibit opens November 2, 2000 at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library and runs through January 14, 2001.

The first Bohemian porcelain factory opened in 1792. However, it wasn’t until the early 1800s, when geologists confirmed the existence of kaolin, an ideal clay for porcelain, that the Austrian Empire encouraged the construction of Bohemian porcelain factories. Thirty pottery factories were established by 1850, many located in the Karlovy Vary region of Bohemia.

Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic, has since developed a reputation for fine porcelain. The kaolin deposits allow Czech factories to produce some of the highest quality products in Europe. Skilled Bohemian artisans painted original art or embellished transfers on the porcelain to reflect the most current art trends. Unpainted white pieces were also exported to the United States and other countries for embellishment.

Henderson started his collection over 20 years ago when his wife received a Ranson pattern dinnerware set, including 15 place settings, from a relative. The set has been in the family for nearly a century. What started as a simple quest to reveal the history of these pieces has turned in to a 20-year adventure ultimately leading him to the porcelain factories of Bohemia.

An avid collector and researcher, Dr. Henderson recently published Bohemian Decorated Porcelain, one of the most comprehensive books on Czech porcelain. The history of many significant porcelain factories and their makers’ marks are included in the book Bohemian Decorated Porcelain will serve as the exhibition catalog.

The exhibition will showcase a wide variety of functional and decorative porcelain. All types of plates, salt and peppers, cups and saucers, dresser sets, perfume bottles, salt dips, and vases will be displayed. The exhibit also includes a toast holder, orange bowl, and a lidded condensed milk jar with underplate. And, visitors can learn the difference between tea, coffee, and chocolate pots. The pieces may be gilded, hand-painted, transfer ware, or any combination. Pieces have been adorned with Art Deco Egyptian motifs, birds, flowers, or, of all things, fish!

Admission to Formal Settings: Decorated Porcelain of Bohemia will be included in the museum’s regular admission price. Museum members are admitted free. Admission for nonmembers is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors (65 and over), and $2 for children ages 5-16. Children under 5 with an adult companion are free. Children and teenagers are admitted free on Sundays with a paying adult. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. For more information, call (319) 362-8500.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 12, 2000
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer Tursi at 319-362-8500 or jan@ncsml.org

NCSML Recognizes Dedication Anniversary

On October 21, 1995, three presidents met to dedicate the new National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library. President Bill Clinton, Czech Republic President Václav Havel and Slovak Republic President Michal Kovác spoke to an audience of 7,000. Following the dedication, President Clinton met separately with Presidents Havel and Kovác in the museum library.

The setting for these meetings has been recreated in the museum’s Grand Hall in recognition of that memorable day. Ethan Allen of Cedar Rapids donated the furniture to the museum. President Havel also donated a lead crystal cut-glass vase, made especially for the museum in the Czech Republic, and President Kovác donated a book for the museum library. Both gifts are currently being exhibited with the Presidential Suite.

This special exhibition will be on display through the end of October. The next temporary exhibition, Formal Settings: Decorated Porcelain of Bohemia, featuring exquisite porcelain from the private collection of Dr. James D. Henderson, will run from November 2, 2000 to January 14, 2001.

The permanent exhibition, Homelands: The Story of the Czech & Slovak People, tells the story of the Czech and Slovak people from the days of Slavic tribes wandering into Central Europe, through the Velvet Divorce in 1993. Homelands features art, a 1969 Czech-made motorcycle, folk costumes, and military artifacts. A tour of a restored 19th century Immigrant home completes the visit.

Admission to this temporary exhibition is included in the museum’s regular admission price. Museum members are admitted free. Admission for nonmembers is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors (65 and older), and $2 for children ages 5-16. Children under 5 with an adult companion are free. Children and teenagers are admitted free on Sundays with a paying adult. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays noon to 4 p.m. For more information, call (319) 362-8500.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 5, 2000
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer Tursi at 319-362-8500 or jan@ncsml.org
 
Muzika Muzika program at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library unveils a new program Sunday, September 10, 2000 at 2:00 p.m. in the museum’s WFLA Heritage Hall. Muzika Muzika will showcase area vocal, orchestral, ensemble, and concert talent. Muzika Muzika’s premiere will feature a performance by Novak and Friends. The concert is free and open to the public.

The Bb clarinet quartet is comprised of Kyle Novak, Roger Fedelleck, Lisa Marner, and Peggy White. The group formed this past April in the interest of exploring Bb clarinet quartet music, both original and transcribed. Sunday’s program will include pieces by Mendelssohn, Desportes, Waterson, and Czech composer Johann Wenth.

Johann Wenth was born in Divice, near Louny, Bohemia in 1745. He was a musician at the castle of Count Arnost Karl Pachda in Citolby. Later in his career, Wenth was an oboe player for Prince Schwarzenberg of Vienna. Wenth was respected for his knowledge about woodwinds and worked with other composers on arrangements for woodwinds. Wenth died in Vienna in 1801.

Musika Musika is a new free program offered by the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library. Future installments of the series will include a performance by the Roosevelt Middle School’s 7th & 8th grade orchestra.

The museum is located at 30 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. There is a fee to tour the museum galleries. Museum members are admitted free. Admission for nonmembers is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors (65 and over), and $2 for children ages 5-16. Children under 5 with an adult companion are free. Children and teenagers are admitted free on Sundays with a paying adult. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. For more information, call (319) 362-8500.

For additional information about press releases, contact
Jan Stoffer Tursi, Museum Educator & Program Coordinator, at 319-362-8500 or jan@ncsml.org
 
 
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The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library
30 - 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52404-5904
Phone: 319-362-8500 · Fax: 319-363-2209
 
This page was updated May 05, 2005