April and May 2004 issue
Contents:
Letter From Lindy
Titantic The Artifact Exhibit
Stephanie Beerling
Discovery Ports Arriving
Plan a TITANTIC Soiree
Letter From Lindy
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Titantic The Artifact
Exhibit
Limited engagement begins May 15
On April 10, 1912, the largest,
most expensive ship ever constructed began its maiden voyage
from Southampton, England en route to New York. Four days
into the voyage, the ship’s hull was pierced by an
iceberg at 11:45 p.m. Passengers were loaded onto lifeboats,
women and children first. By 2:20 a.m., the ship had sunk.
Of the 2,228 people on board, only 705 survived. More than
70 years later, the wreckage was discovered, and the story
of the Titanic began to be told once more.
From May 15th through September
6, 2004, Omaha Children’s Museum will feature “Titanic:
The Artifact Exhibit.” This exhibit has been shown
in only 20 museums worldwide in cities such as Seattle,
Chicago, Los Angeles, Paris, Moscow and London. This special
occasion will mark the first time the Titanic exhibit has
been displayed in a children’s museum and in an area
as small as greater Omaha.
“Nothing was bigger than
the Titanic,” said Lindy Hoyer, executive director
of Omaha Children’s Museum, “and nothing bigger
has ever come to the museum.”
The Titanic’s story comes
alive with artifacts recovered from the ocean’s floor.
“Titanic: The Artifact Exhibit” features full-scale
scenic environments and re-creations of actual rooms from
the ship that allow visitors to experience drama as it unfolded,
share personal stories of those aboard and marvel at the
unprecedented magnificence that made the Titanic a marvel
of human ingenuity.
For more than seven decades,
the stories of the survivors formed the only account of
the ship’s first and last voyage. When an international
team of scientists discovered the wreck in 1985, the story
of the Titanic came alive once more. Two years later, research
and recovery expeditions began. A complete picture of what
happened to the ship and its sinking came into focus. Perhaps
more importantly, the stories of the lives lost became known
in greater detail.
Visitors to the museum will
relive the optimism and excitement of the Titanic’s
passengers. As they enter the exhibit, they will receive
a boarding pass with the name and biographical information
of one passenger aboard, allowing them to assume the identity
of that person. At the end of the exhibit, visitors will
discover the fate of their passenger.
Titanic: The Artifact Exhibit
is recommended for children ages 5 and older. Admission
for non-members will cost $13.50 for adults, $10 for seniors
age 55 and over, $10 for children ages 5 - 16, $4 for children
ages 2 - 5, and free for children under 2. Admission for
members will cost $7 for adults, $6 for seniors, $4 for
children ages 2 - 16, and free for children under 2.
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Stephanie Beerling
Project Director, Titanic: The
Artifact Exhibit
Titanic: The Artifact Exhibit
is so big that Omaha Children’s Museum had to hire
someone to oversee the project.
Stephanie Beerling is the project director for Titanic:
The Artifact Exhibit, overseeing all aspects of the exhibition.
From marketing to sponsor cultivation, load in to load out,
Stephanie will be doing it all.
"The opportunity to work
with the extraordinary staff at Omaha Children’s Museum
and on Titanic: The Artifact Exhibit is a real gift,”
said Stephanie. “I love the exhibit and am excited
for the community to see it. (Plus my four year old thinks
this is the coolest workplace ever!)”
Stephanie comes to the museum
from three years as executive director of Arts on the Green,
so she is accustomed to being a one-woman show. Before that,
she worked in Chicago as assistant director of The Dance
Center—Columbia College. Other professional experience
includes work as a performing art coordinator for the John
Michael Kohler Arts Center in Wisconsin and company manager
for the Wagon Train Project in Lincoln, Neb.
Stephanie can also be seen
on stage in Omaha at Brigit St. Brigit Theatre. She also
serves on the board of directors for The Dance COLEctive
and has been a member of the Chicago Dance Coalition and
on committees of the Chicago Music & Dance Theater and
Jan Erkert & Dancers.
Stephanie trained as both violinist
and actor at the North Carolina School for the Arts, completing
her final year of college and receiving a B.A. in theater
from UN-Lincoln.
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Discovery
Ports Arriving
Titanic outreach program docking
at a school near you
Omaha Children’s Museum
prides itself on being the place with hands-on exhibits
and experiences. Sometimes, however, traveling exhibits
do not lend themselves to the curious hands of children.
In the case of Titanic: The Artifact Exhibit, featuring
glass-enclosed artifacts nearly a hundred years old and
recovered from the bottom of the ocean, that is especially
true.
To complement the artifact exhibit,
therefore, the museum envisioned six hands-on pieces called
“Discovery Ports.” Discovery Ports will examine
more thoroughly the science, art and cultural pieces of
the Titanic. Developed and designed exclusively by the museum’s
staff in collaboration with Boss Display (the creators of
the museum’s Super Gravitron), Discovery Ports will
be displayed during the Titanic exhibition. After the traveling
exhibit leaves, Discovery Ports will serve as an educational
outreach program to local schools during the school year.
"Titanic: The Artifact
Exhibit has provided the museum an exciting opportunity
to capitalize on the excitement that the exhibit produces,”
said Tom Simons, director of education and public programs.
“Discovery Ports give the museum some very cool programs
that we can bring to area schools.”
Discovery Ports will offer
experience-based activities to encourage child and adult
participation in various factors that affected the Titanic
and its passengers. Discovery Ports targets children in
the first through eighth grade level. Each port is designed
with a multi-age concept, allowing for children at different
ages and levels to gain the most beneficial learning skills
from each activity. Each port is designed to allow for the
addition of education initiated programs from Museum staff
in order to enhance the specific activity.
Discovery Ports were made possible
by the Peter Kiewit Foundation, which gave Omaha Children’s
Museum a matching grant to create them.
"The Peter Kiewit Foundation
is always interested in learning experiences for children
in traditional and non-traditional settings,” said
Lyn Ziegenbein, executive director of the Peter Kiewit Foundation. ”The
Discovery Ports element of the Titanic exhibit will significantly
expand the learning opportunities and curiosity of all the
children who climb aboard for this adventure.”
"Discovery Ports”
will offer a comprehensive package of educational activities
designed for elementary and middle schools. Each outreach
program will include a presentation for the entire student
body about the Titanic, a portion of a dramatic theater/play
presentation and opportunities for each individual classroom
to work each activity of the six discovery ports.
The ports will include: What
Makes Things Float? Understanding Density (A Science and
Math Activity), Plotting A Course (A Geography Activity),
Recovery, Conservation & Restoration (A Science Activity),
The Marconi Wireless: Communication Aboard the Titanic (A
Science & Communications Activity), Uniting the Classes:
An Understanding of How People Lived in 1912 (A History
& Cultural Activity); Building the Titanic (An Activity
in Engineering, Architecture & Design).
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Plan
a TITANTIC Soiree
Looking for a new and exciting location for
a summer party or event? Look no further! This
summer, plan your evening soirée at the Omaha Children’s
Museum.
Plan an evening event that
includes cocktails and hors d’oeuvres or even dinner,
along with a private and exclusive tour of the RMS Titanic: The
Artifact Exhibit. Rental space and price varies, offering
accommodations that range from small intimate groups of
ten to large groups of 400.
The Museum is a fabulous location
to host an event, not only will the Titanic exhibit be an
enjoyable experience to visitors of all ages, the facility
itself offers an ambience not found elsewhere.
For more detailed information
or questions, please contact Hillary Nather, Director of
Development at (402) 342-6164, X418 or hnather@ocm.org.
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