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- 2008 News Releases
23 April 2008
Contact: Leah Wilson, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or: lwilson@ncsml.org
For immediate release:
Czech Artist Makes an Impression
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA—Marek Hofman, a young artist from the Czech Republic is due to arrive in Cedar Rapids for the opening of his new exhibit at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library (NCSML) on Friday, May 2. An opening reception begins at 5:30 at the NCSML that evening and an artist talk and gallery tour is scheduled for Saturday, May 3 at 2:00 p.m.
Prints by Marek Hofman features a set of 30 colorful and fanciful woodblock prints of scenes from Mozart's operas. For each opera, Hofman illustrates a pivotal scene. The resulting body of work creates a meta-illusion of Mozart’s operative oeuvre.
Hofman is a recent graduate of the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague and considers himself an illustrator, filling in the images of classical narratives of Europe’s "golden fund" of culture.
Prints by Marek Hofman will be open from May 2-August 24, 2008. Contact Leah Wilson for details at 319-362-8500 or by email at lwilson@ncsml.org.
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 SW, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum's web site, www.NCSML.org.
15 April 2008
Contact: Gail Naughton, President/CEO, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52404. 319-362-8500 or gnaughton@NCSML.org
For immediate release
National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library Presents Current Site Options for Expansion
Current site options for the planned expansion of the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library will be presented to the public today at 5:30 p.m. in WFLA Heritage Hall at NCSML. Members, volunteers and friends of the NCSML are invited and encouraged to attend. The final community meeting is scheduled for June 17, when the public is invited to view and comment on the final design.
Questions regarding the expansion may be directed to Gail Naughton, President/CEO at 319-362-8500.
12 April 2008
Contact: Leah Wilson, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or: lwilson@ncsml.org
For immediate release:
Two upcoming programs on 1968: Twelve Volatile Months that Changed the World
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA –Forty years later, the earth-rattling events of 1968 are still producing aftershocks. Curator Stefanie Kohn, of the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, will present two programs this month that shed light on this turbulent year.
The first program, Learn at Lunch, begins at noon on Thursday, April 17. This informal program will provide a behind-the-scenes look at the museum’s newest exhibit. Kohn will provide a brief history of the events that rocked Czechoslovakia that year and will explain the significance of the artifacts and media in the exhibit. Participants are encouraged to bring a sack lunch. The event is held in WFLA Heritage Hall and is free and open to the public.
On Saturday, April 19, at 2:00 p.m., Kohn will lead a special gallery tour of 1968. Experience life under communism, the false hope of the Prague Spring and the violence of the Warsaw Pact Invasion. This multi-media exhibit contains communist-era and dissident art, audio and video footage of key events and artifacts that symbolize the times. Meets in Hruska Grand Hall. Free to members or with paid admission to the gallery.
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 SW, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum's web site, www.NCSML.org.
- 22 March 2008
- Contact: Leah Wilson, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or lwilson@ncsml.org
For immediate release:
African American, National Czech and Slovak Museums Remember King
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – Friday, April 4 marks the 40th anniversary of the assassination of the charismatic civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In remembrance, the African American Museum of Iowa (AAHMCCI) and the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library (NCSML) partner to present "Remembering Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement 40 Years Later." The program begins at 5:30 p.m. at the African American Museum of Iowa and includes a reception, gallery tours, readings from Dr. King’s famous "I Have a Dream" speech, a candlelight march, and lecture by Reverend Aaron J. McLeod, Esquire. McLeod is the Chief of Staff of the Office of the Chairman and C.E.O. and General Counsel for Gazelle Link, LLC.
Dr. King gained national prominence in 1955 as one of the leaders of the Alabama bus boycott. In 1963, Dr. King led a march attended by over 250,000 people on Washington DC where he delivered his lauded, "I Have a Dream" speech. An advocate for non-violence, he promoted agitation against racial discrimination in the forms of sit-ins and protest marches. King was awarded the Nobel peace price in 1964.
This event is included in NCSML’s Shock and Aftershock Series: Conversations about 1968. This series runs in conjunction with the Museum’s new exhibit dedicated to the tumultuous year, 1968: Twelve Volatile Months that Changed the World. More information on this exhibit can be found at www.NCSML.org.
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 SW, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the Museum's web site, www.NCSML.org.
The African American Museum of Iowa is celebrating its 5th year of preserving, promoting, publicizing, and educating the public on the heritage of African American is Iowa at their current location, 55 12th Ave SE, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information on this or other events, call (319) 862-2101, ext. 24 or visit the Museum’s web site, www.blackiowa.org. This program is free and open to the public.
Agenda:
5:30 -- at AAHMCCI -- Open House of Galleries, Reception to honor Dr. King's life and work with special guests
6:20 -- at AAHMCCI -- Candlelight memorial on the terrace, in front of the MLK memorial sculpture; reading of Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech
6:30 -- Candlelight march from AAHMCCI, across the MLK Bridge (12th Ave bridge), to C Street, down 15th Avenue to the NCSML
7:00 -- at NCSML -- Reverend Aaron J. McLeod, Esquire will discuss Dr. King and other issues and events from the year Dr. King was assassinated, 1968. Located in Heritage Hall.
7:45 -- at NCSML -- Reception
8:30 -- Marchers go back to AAHMCCI for vehicles using the Bridge of Lions (16th Ave bridge)
28 February 2008
- Contact: Jan Stoffer, Director of Operations and Education, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52404. 319-362-8500 or Jan@NCSML.org
- For immediate release:
- National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library to Host Diplomats from Czech Republic and Slovakia, March 8, 2008
- Ambassador Rastislav Kacer and Consul General Marek Skolil Return to Iowa
- CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library welcomes His Excellency Rastislav Kacer (pronounced RAS-tea-slavKAH-tcer), Ambassador from the Slovak Republic to the United States, and The Honorable Marek Skolil (pronounced MAR-ek SKO-lil), Consul General of the Czech Republic, Chicago, March 8, 2008. The two diplomats are participating in the institution’s upcoming Czech and Slovak History and Culture Conference titled Twentieth Century in Retrospect: 1968 – 1980: Prague Spring, Normalization, and Charter 77. At a formal Saturday evening dinner, they will discuss “The Effects of the Events of 1968-1980 on the Countries Today.” The dinner will be held at the Cedar Rapids Marriott Hotel and Convention Center. Advance registration required. Tickets are $40.00, with proceeds to benefit the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library. For additional information and tickets, please call (319) 362-8500.
- Ambassador Rastislav Kacer is from Nova Bana, Slovakia. He received his education from the Slovak Technical University, earning a MSc in Organic Chemistry, and from the Institute of International Relations, School of Law at Commenius University in Bratislava.
- In 1992, he became involved with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From February 2001 - June 2006, Ambassador Kacer served as the State Secretary of the Ministry of Defense. In this position, he was responsible for Slovakia’s accession to NATO. He was successful in this endeavor, and Slovakia was invited to join the Alliance at the Prague Summit in the fall of the year 2003.
- On September 8, 2003, he arrived in Washington, D.C. as the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Slovak Republic to the United States of America .
- The Honorable Marek Skolil is from Slaný, Czechoslovakia, now Czech Republic. He received his education in the philosophical faculty of Charles University in Prague. He furthered his education, receiving a masters degree in clinical psychology at the University of Paris X in Nanterre and earned a D.E.S.S. in the sociology of organizations at the University of Paris IX in Dauphine.
- He began his professional career as a journalist in Paris, France before becoming a lecturer at the Ecole Supérieure de Gestion, (E.S.G.) in Paris, France. In 1994, he was appointed to the position of Deputy Chief of Mission for the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Paris, France, later serving as the Senior Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Prague.
- In 1996, he was appointed to serve as Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Vietnam. In 2000, he returned to Prague as the Director of the Department of External Economic Relations and International Organizations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. In 1992, he was appointed to serve as Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Lebanon. Since 2005, Marek Skolil has been the Consul General of the Czech Republic to the United States, Chicago.
26 February 2008
- Contact: Gail Naughton, President/CEO, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52404. 319-362-8500 or gnaughton@NCSML.org
- Gary Rozek, Chair, Board of Directors, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 319-626-5517
For immediate release:
- National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library Plans Expansion
- Community Conversations planned to gather ideas and feedback
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library (NCSML) is beginning a multi-faceted process to plan and design an expansion of its current facilities, museum officials announced today.
As part of this process, the museum will invite community feedback. Community conversations with museum members, friends and interested members of the public will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, March 18, April 15, and June 17. All will take place in WFLA Heritage Hall at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 16th Avenue SW.
"Since the current building was dedicated in 1995, annual attendance has increased from 16,000 to more than 32,000," said NCSML Board Chair Gary Rozek. "The board is very excited about the future of the museum and library as a 21st century attraction in Cedar Rapids. Our bold vision for expansion reflects the growing importance of the museum as a cultural center."
One purpose of the expansion is to enlarge the permanent exhibit and public program space. "Our number of visitors and collections has grown substantially over the past twelve years, and we are in need of more space to provide the best possible visitor experiences," commented president/CEO Gail Naughton. "We want to expand the permanent exhibit to address why, how, and when the Czech and Slovak immigrants came, the challenges they faced, and culture they developed in America. This focus will add to the full understanding of the rich and complex heritage of Czech- and Slovak-Americans, as well as provide a window on the immigrant experience for all Americans."
The second purpose of the expansion is to build a new library to house the growing collection. The library collection has grown exponentially from 5,000 to over 30,000 items, evidence of its increasing recognition as a national depository for materials relating to Czech and Slovak history and culture. However, 75 percent of the library collection is housed in an off-site warehouse, making it an asset that is not readily accessible, and existing library space in the museum building is insufficient to meet the requirements of staff, visitors, or researchers. "We want to create a research library with a public face," said Naughton. "We plan to have public reading and meeting space while properly housing the valuable collection."
Durrant, an architectural firm headquartered in Dubuque, Iowa, has been hired to lead the concept design process after an extensive interview process. On making the announcement, Board Chair Gary Rozek said, "Durrant is the architectural firm responsible for the planning and design of the successful Mississippi River Museum in Dubuque. We are confident in their museum experience with over 20 museum projects and their knowledge in creating a visitor experience that has increased visitor levels and visibility."
A team from Durrant will lead the building concept design process, which includes analysis of the current site and operations and envisioning what is needed for the expansion of the NCSML exhibitions and programs. The generation of site plans, concept drawings, floor plans, and preliminary project budgets will complete the design process, at which time a capital campaign to raise the funds for the project will begin.
In addition, data from a 2006 market study and project feasibility by Economics Research Associates, a museum consulting firm, has contributed to the analysis of the needs of the NCSML to accommodate future visitors and add to their museum experience.
The announcement of an expansion of the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library comes as the city is focusing downtown development around the Cedar River. "The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library has been a key river-front property in the downtown area," said Naughton. "We will continue to enhance our beautiful river-front location and take an active part in the exciting vision for Cedar Rapids focusing on the river."
Doug Neumann, executive director of the Downtown District, said, "This announcement adds to the momentum we’ve seen along the riverfront throughout downtown. Community leaders are responding to the vision set out in the downtown redevelopment plan, and it appears there is good energy behind a number of projects that are likely to happen over the next several years."
NCSML board member Tim Boyle, executive director of the Cedar Rapids Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, said, "The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is recognized nationally, even globally, and is one of the largest attractions for out-of-town visitors to Cedar Rapids. An expanded museum and library will only make Cedar Rapids more appealing as a destination."
"This is a critical project for not only the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, but also the Cedar Rapids area," said president/CEO Gail Naughton. "With its successful completion, we will be an even stronger partner in attaining the city’s vision for a vibrant, active community that is competitive in providing the quality of life necessary for growth and success."
The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the foremost museum and library in the United States preserving and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The professional staff provides a full complement of exhibits, programs, events and services that attract a world-wide audience. In a recent American Association of Museums assessment review, the museum was lauded as "an engaging, enterprising, energetic and effective institution, which has attained a high level of professional development in almost all its operations and stands poised to begin another important stage in its development."
12 vFebruary 2008
- Contact: Leah Wilson, Director of Programs and Marketing, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52404. 319-362-8500 or lwilson@NCSML.org
For immediate release:
- Eulenspiegel Puppet Show Brings the River to Life
- CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library has a big fish story to tell. Saturday, February 16th, the Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre Company will entertain the young and young at heart with Sal Fink, Catfish Wrangler. This engaging puppet show celebrates our rivers and prairies with tall tales starring Iowa folk heroine, Sal Fink, legendary daughter of Mike Fink, the mighty keel boatman. Sal tames a tornado, teaches a bear to dance, and more! The production features live music, written and performed by Iowa musician Ron Hillis. With lots of sound effects and harmony singing, this performance will leave you humming! A free make-and-take puppet workshop follows. The show starts at 10:00 in Grand Hall. Sponsored by US Bank and the Iowa Arts Council.
The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading American cultural institution that collects, preserves, exhibits, and interprets Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 - 16th Avenue SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. For more information, call 319-362-8500 or visit the museum's web site, www.NCSML.org
- 23 January 2008
- Contact: Leah Wilson, Director of Programs and Marketing, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52404. 319-362-8500 or lwilson@NCSML.org
For immediate release:
Do You Remember 1968?
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – Beginning Friday, March 7th , 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 40th 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.
- 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 April 28, 2008