News Releases
hidden treasures | evening at pma
| field museum visit
| summer ball
| paderewski recital
| poster acquisition
| capitals of poland tour
| art deco tour
| laskin book signing
For the first time in the United States—after presentations
in Poland—a spectacular exhibition will be displayed in Chicago
with 120 works on paper from 1919 to 1995 by 65 renowned Polish
artists. These extremely valuable prints are from The Polish Museum
of America permanent collection, including unique woodcuts from the
Polish Pavilion at the New York World’s Fair in 1939–1940, and a
lithograph by Stanisław Szukalski, an artist admired by Leonardo
DiCaprio. The Hollywood star published a book about his family’s
eccentric friend—an inspiration for his role in the film
Titanic.
The Polish Museum of America has prepared an exhibition in
cooperation with the National Museum in Kraków, Poland (Treasures of
Polish Culture Abroad program) and with financial support from the
Ministry of Culture and National Heritage (Warsaw, Poland).
To this day, there has not been any publication that documents the
entire collection of the Polish Museum of America. Therefore, it is
worth noting that this exhibition is accompanied by a 250 page
illustrated catalog which details not only the contents of the
exhibition, but also the background of the collections at the Polish
Museum of America.
Exhibition Patron: The Ministry of Culture and National Heritage (Warsaw, Poland)
Curator: Monika Nowak
Opening Reception: Friday, July 30, 7–9 p.m.
Admission: $10—Funds received will go toward the renovation of the Museum Art Gallery
Contact: Polish Museum of America
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Come join in the first Evening at the Polish Museum of America,
Thursday, July 22nd, from 6:00-10:00 p.m.! This is a chance to meet new
people as you experience the Museum for the first time, or see it in
a new way.
You will be able to savor Polish flavors, both food and drinks;
accompanied by good tunes. This will also be one of your last
chances to see the great exhibit, "Around the World in 36 Frames."
This exhibit culminates a 3 year project of one camera, with enough
film for 36 shots, making its way to 36 cities around the globe and
at every stop, one person takes just one shot. As a bonus, you will
be able to meet and talk one-on-one with the artist, Wojtek Gil!
The Museum is conveniently located at 984 N. Milwaukee Avenue (at
the corner of Milwaukee and Augusta - just south of Division on
Milwaukee). Entry will be just $15 ($10 for Museum members), with
one drink included (all proceeds benefit the Museum). There is
plenty of free parking; and the Museum is also close to the CTA Blue
Line (either 4 blocks southeast of the Division station on
Milwaukee; or 4 blocks northwest of the Chicago station on
Milwaukee).
You can download full version of the flyer
at
http://www.jpnetquest.com/jpnetquest/pdf/PolishMuseumNight.pdf
Location: 984 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago IL
Date and Time: Thursday, July 22, 6:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.
Admission: $15 ($10 for Museum members)
Contact: Paulina Jakubiec | tel. 773-384-3352 ext. 101 | e-mail:
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The Museum will sponsor a special visit to the field museum and facilitate a discussion July 15, 2010, 10:00 to noon.
The Museum has made arrangements with the Field Museum and the
Chicago Cultural Alliance to offer free admission to the Field
Museum at 10:00 a.m. to view the new Kip Fulbeck Exhibit, "Part Asian, 100% Hapa,"
and then participate in a discussion about ethnicity. After the
discussion, participants are free to view the rest of the exhibits at
the Field Museum.
Space is limited! (Free parking is not included.) To participate you must make reservations by
July 12! (773) 384-3352 ext 206 or ext 104 or email
. Limited to 18 and over.
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30th Annual PMA Summer Ball
Friday, June 11, 2010 at 7:00 PM
Rosemont Hotel at O’Hare
5550 River Road
Rosemont, Illinois
The evening will include a Silent Auction, Dinner & Dancing and
music by the Anthony Kawalkowski Orchestra. This marks the
celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the founding of the Polish
Museum of America.
On June 11, 2010, The Polish Museum of America will hold its
Annual Summer Ball and Silent Auction at the Rosemont Hotel at
O’Hare (formerly Hotel Sofitel) located at 5550 North River Road,
Rosemont, Illinois. This year, the Museum will honor the Ted & Alice
Przybyblo Family, owners of the White Eagle Banquet & Restaurant
which is a family run business since 1946, with the
2010 Polish
Spirit Award in recognition for their service to the Polish &
American communities, for their involvement in supporting many
Polish causes.
The Annual Summer Ball is the PMA’s major fundraising event, with
all proceeds benefiting the Museum. Established in Chicago in 1935,
The Polish Museum of America remains the nation’s only institution
of its kind, dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Polish
and Polish American culture through a wide variety of educational
programs and exhibitions. In addition, the Museum houses a library,
valuable archives and priceless artifacts, which serve all those
seeking knowledge about the distinguished heritage and history of
Poles in the United States and throughout the world. More than ever
the PMA needs your support during these challenging economic times.
For more information about the Ball, please call Joan Kosinski at
(773) 582-7252 or Maria Ciesla at (773) 384-3352 x104.
Last Chance! Reservations still being accepted! Reservations
until June 5th: Alicia Dutka (847) 382.6339. Make checks payable to the:
Polish Museum of America.
Mail to:
Alicia Dutka c/o Polish Museum of America Summer Ball
1991 Selkirk Ct.
Inverness, IL 60010
Thank You for Your Support and Thank You to the
Summer Ball Committee!
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Special Paderewski recital
The Polish Museum of America, 984 N Milwaukee
Avenue, Chicago, IL, proudly presents a reproducing piano (pianola)
concert given by Rex Lawson, founder of the Pianola Institute in London,
England.
The concert, comprised of piano rolls punched out
by Ignacy Paderewski on the works of Chopin, Liszt, and Schubert, will
be given on Sunday March 16th in the Great Hall of the Museum, beginning
at 2 pm. The concert is dedicated to the memories of the late Polish
President Lech Kaczynski and his wife, Maria.
Reserved VIP tickets, which include a guided tour
of the marvelously renovated Paderwski Room of the Museum at 12:30 pm,
are $ 25 per person and also include” up close and personal” seating to
watch the workings of the 1925 seven foot concert grand pianola during
the performance. General admission seating is $15. VIP tickets are
by reservation only. Reservations are recommended for general
seating.
For information and reservations, please call the Museum weekdays
at 773-384-3352, x 104 or 206.
For more information on this piano
click here.
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The PMA has always depended on gifts and donations to enrich its
collections. Recently, the family of the late Dr. Eugene Slotkowski
donated a part of his library and some of his art collection. Dr.
Slotkowski was very active in defending the Polish and Polish American
good name.
Among the art work we received was a large poster that increased our
military themed collection. The poster was received in time to help
commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Bolshevik invasion of Poland in
1920. Thus it became the oldest poster printed in Poland in our
holdings. The oldest poster is one of Helena Modjeska printed in Buffalo
in the 1890s. We also have Polish American posters printed during the
First World War. (1914-1918).
The poster, illustrated by Edmund Bartlomiejczyk is quite
interesting. Its message is -- “Aid Us! Everything and Everybody to the
Front”. In the forefront we have two Polish soldiers trying to prop up a
collapsing wooden fence (alluding to the Polish role of being the
“bulwark of Christendom” against the enemies from the East). In other
posters the Bolshevik enemy is shown as being the devil incarnate and
many of the figures are painted in red. Here the only red is in the
enemy’s banner, with a five-pointed star looking like a pentagram (sign
of the devil). Instead of the typical devil images, those pushing the
fence down are portrayed as semi-human, almost soulless and drained of
life. This brings to mind Nikolai Gogol’s novel Dead Souls that
was written in 1842, but in a different context.
Without sounding trite, Bartlomiejczyk has prophesized the theme of
zombie movies popular from the 1960’s through the present. In these, a
group of outnumbered people, usually in some building or structure, are
under the threat of being overrun by the Walking Dead.
We are planning to restore the NA POMOC poster and to exhibit it in
August along with some other artifacts from the Polish Bolshevik War
(including a captured Bolshevik banner) in the Paderewski Room.
—Jan M. Lorys, Director
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PRESENTED BY The Polish Museum of America / Chicago, IL USA AND Supertour DMC LTD. / Warsaw, Poland
The Capitals of Poland, from June 18–July 3, 2010, is a standard tour
offered by the PMA. It starts in Warsaw, then moves north to Malbork
Castle, the Tri City (Gdansk, Sopot and Gdynia) on the Baltic Coast;
Torun, the Home Town of Copernicus: Poznan/Gniezno (the first capital of
Poland); Czestochowa, the Religious Capital of Poland and ends in
Krakow, where we visit the Royal Castle on Wawel Hill, the Salt Mine at
Wieliczka, the birthplace of Pope John Paul II, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska
and Auschwitz; we also visit Zakopane, Poland’s winter capital.
The low, land-based cost of this trip is $1,720 per person, double
occupancy and a single supplement is priced at $600. This cost includes
hotel, bus transportation, breakfast daily and 8 dinners and admission
to all events per schedule. For further
information, please contact Jan Lorys, Director, The Polish Museum of
America, 984 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL 60642-4101; telephone (773)
384-3352 ext. 102; email
.
If you have a higher speed Internet connection,
click here for a
full-color brochure with many photos. For a faster download,
click here
for a text-only brochure that includes the itinerary, accommodations and
more.
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PRESENTED BY The Polish Museum of America / Chicago, IL USA AND Supertour DMC LTD. / Warsaw, Poland
Join the Polish Museum on an Art Deco Tour of Poland
from September 19–October 1, 2010. On this 15-day tour we
will visit Gdynia, Warsaw, Katowice, Bielsko-Biala, Krakow, Zamosc,
Baranow Sandomierski and Stalowa Wola.
We will have an English speaking tour escort
throughout the group’s stay in Poland. Enjoy sightseeing with local
English speaking guides and entrances where applicable. Transportation
for all tours and transfers is by 35-seater mini-coach (with AC) for
15-20 pax or 49-seater motor-coach (with AC, WC) for 25-30 pax, with 1st
class EX or IC train tickets from Warsaw to Katowice. Stay in modern
hotels with restaurants and other conveniences such as cafes, excercise
rooms, Internet access, elevators and air conditioning.
This two-week tour is being offered at the unbelievable price of $1,451.71
per person (land-only cost), based on double occupancy and minimum participation of 21
travelers. Single supplements are available for $600.00. For further
information, please contact Jan Lorys, Director, The Polish Museum of
America, 984 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL 60642-4101; telephone (773)
384-3352 ext. 102; email
.
If you have a higher speed Internet connection,
click here for a
full-color brochure with many photos. For a faster download,
click here
for a text-only brochure that includes the itinerary, accommodations and
more.
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In a few years we will commemorate the hundredth anniversary start of
World War I, the first devastating conflict of the 20th Century. That
conflict helped to place the United States of America as one of the
leading powers of the world and launched the many changes that still
confront us.
For the last few years we have heard of the passing of the last soldier
of that conflict in each participating country of the war. Their
children are also leaving us. The grandchildren often received
incidental reminisces. What about the rest of us?
On March 26th at 7:30 PM, the Polish Museum of America is hosting David
Laskin, author of The Long Way Home An American Journey from Ellis
Island to the Great War. Mr. Laskin relates the experiences of 12
immigrants: Irish, Italian, Jewish, Polish, Russian, Scandinavian and
Slovak in being drafted, undergoing training in boot camp, and “over
there.” This passage from immigrant to American veteran is told using
diaries, letters and the stories of family members. The archives of the
Polish Museum of America provided some material and for this reason Mr. Laskin will be having his presentation and book signing at the Museum.
David Laskin is the author of The Children’s Blizzard, a story of six
families enduring the Midwest blizzard of 1888. The book was awarded the
2006 Midwest Booksellers’ Choice Award for Nonfiction and the Washington
State Book Award. He has had articles in The New York Times, Wall Street
Journal and Smithsonian. Mr. Laskin lives in Seattle, Washington.
There is ample free parking in the lots west and south of the building.
It can be reached by the CTA 56 Milwaukee Bus and is three blocks from
both the Division and Chicago Avenue stops on the Blue Line.
$5.00 admission.
For further information, call Jan Loryś at 1 773-384-3352 or send an
e-mail to
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