Held Over by Popular Demand, Vatican Splendors Exhibition at Museum of Art I Fort Lauderdale Granted Special Permission from the Vatican to Extend Through May 8, 2011

Due to Its Popularity & High Attendance, Vatican Splendors to Remain On View at Museum Through Mother’s Day in Rare Touring Extension of the Objects on Display from the Vatican

Exhibition Presented by Holy Cross Hospital in Association with PNC Bank and AutoNation

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – Since its opening on Jan. 29, 2011 at the Museum of Art I Fort Lauderdale – Nova Southeastern University, the major exhibition Vatican Splendors: A Journey through Faith and Art, presented by Holy Cross Hospital in association with PNC Bank and AutoNation, has attracted record-breaking numbers of visitors and critical acclaim. Due to its tremendous popularity and high attendance levels, Vatican Splendors has been granted special permission from the Vatican to extend its tour at the Museum to allow even more families and individuals to enjoy the exhibition. The final day the exhibition will be on view is now Mother’s Day, May 8, 2011 – two weeks after the original close date of April 24. After May 8, all of the precious objects must return to Italy.

The special exhibition extension permitted by the Vatican will also allow visitors to be in the presence of personal items of Pope John Paul II and objects representing his likeness after his Beatification on May 1, 2011.  Visitors will even be able to put their hand on the bronze cast of the Blessed Pope John Paul II’s hand.

Presented by Holy Cross Hospital in association with PNC Bank and AutoNation, Vatican Splendors is one of the largest collections of art, documents and historically significant objects from the Vatican ever to tour North America.

Irvin Lippman, the Museum’s Executive Director, said, “We anticipated that Vatican Splendors would be extremely popular, but the high attendance numbers have far exceeded our expectations. We’re very pleased that the exhibition’s time on view at the Museum has been extended with special permission from the Vatican by two weeks. It’s uniquely intriguing to a large number of people because it is highly uplifting, whether for religious, political, cultural, or historical reasons.”

Tickets are on sale at the Museum Box Office and online at ticketmaster.com as well as by phone at 1-877-2VATICAN (1-877-282-8422).

Vatican Splendors: A Journey through Faith and Art presents spectacular paintings by artists such as Giotto and Il Guercino and sculpture by Baroque master Gian Lorenzo Bernini, along with unique objects illustrating the Catholic Church’s impact on history and culture.  The exhibition’s nearly 200 objects, many of which have never been on public view, are presented in the Museum’s galleries and in specially-created environments that enhance the visitor’s understanding of both the historical as well as the artistic significance of each work.  Objects include paintings, mosaics, sculpture, jewels, intricately embroidered silk vestments, uniforms of the Papal Swiss Guard, as well as an elaborately decorated gold and silver reliquary containing bone fragments of Saint Peter and Saint Paul.

Organized and circulated in conjunction with the Congregazione per l’Evangelizzazione dei Popoli of the Vatican City State, Vatican Splendors is produced by Evergreen Exhibitions in association with the Museum of Art I Fort Lauderdale.  The exhibition is designed to take visitors on a journey into the heart of Vatican City – one of the world’s smallest states, but also one of the richest in history, tradition and culture.  The collections are organized to provide a window to the Vatican’s role in the world, with objects marking events throughout 2,000 years of history and tradition.  The Vatican has played a central role in creating and preserving Western art and the exhibition includes major works created specifically for the Church. Collectively, they illustrate the evolution of the Church and its papacy beginning with Saint Peter, with special emphasis on art and historical objects reflecting significant events and periods relating to Christianity.

Tickets to Vatican Splendors: A Journey through Faith and Art, which include general admission to the Museum, are priced at $20 for adults, $17 for seniors, and $13 for children.  Museum members are able to purchase ANYTIME tickets at the special rate of $15 for adults and $11 for children age 6 through 12.  Members at the Reciprocal ($150) level and above receive two free ANYTIME admissions to the exhibition.  To purchase tickets, please call 877-2Vatican.  For Museum membership information, please call Membership Development Associate Shelley Edwards at (954) 262-0221.

Group tickets (for groups of 15 or more) are available for $17 per adult group ticket and $8 for a student who is part of a school group.  To arrange a group tour, please contact our helpful Group Sales Office at moagroupsales@moafl.org or by phone at (954) 262-0202. To arrange a group event please contact Special Events Manager Gail Vilone at 954-262-0249 or gvilone@moafl.org.

Hours for Vatican Splendors: A Journey through Faith and Art are daily from 11 am until 6 pm, with extended hours on Thursday evenings until 8 pm. Special early pre-opening hours are available for group and school tours by prior arrangement by calling the Group Sales Office at (954) 262-0202. Descriptive labels throughout the exhibition are bilingual in both English and Spanish, as is an audio tour, which is available for an additional fee.

ABOUT VATICAN SPLENDORS

Funding for the exhibition in Fort Lauderdale has been provided by Presenting Sponsor Holy Cross Hospital, and Associate Sponsors PNC Bank and AutoNation. Additional support is provided by the Amaturo Family Foundation.  In-kind support is provided by the Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six, RoboVault and Castronovo Vineyards.  Media support is being provided by the Sun-Sentinel and Clear Channel.  Additional marketing support is provided through partnerships with the Riverwalk A & E and the Greater Fort Lauderdale Visitors and Convention Bureau.

Funding for the Museum of Art is provided, in part, by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward Cultural Council, the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.

Organized and circulated in conjunction with the Congregazione per l’Evangelizzazione dei Popoli of the Vatican City State, the exhibition is produced by Evergreen Exhibitions in association with the Museum of Art I Fort Lauderdale, Nova Southeastern University.

ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF ART I FORT LAUDERDALE

Since its founding in 1958, the Museum of Art I Fort Lauderdale has served our growing community as a gathering place for friends and neighbors, a lifelong learning center for children and adults, and as a dynamic hub for the cultural life of Broward County. Housed since 1986 in a distinguished modernist building designed by Edward Larrabee Barnes, the Museum is South Florida’s premier destination for quality exhibitions and programs that encompass every facet of civilization’s visual history. During the past five years, more than 1½ million visitors have enjoyed remarkable exhibitions like Cradle of Christianity, Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs, and American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell. In 2008, the Museum became part of Nova Southeastern University, the seventh-largest not-for-profit independent institution in the nation, to form an expanded arts campus that joins the school’s Davie location with the Museum’s downtown Fort Lauderdale address.

The Museum of Art is located at One East Las Olas Boulevard at Andrews Avenue and is always open at www.moafl.org.

Media Contact:
Emily McCrater, Museum of Art I Fort Lauderdale
954-262-0236 (office) emccrater@moafl.org

Duree Ross, Duree & Company, Inc.
954-723-9350 (office) duree@dureeandcompany.com

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