(Calendar Listing) Encounter Gods, Myths, and Mortals at New National Hellenic Museum

Interactive exhibit opens with all-new museum dedicated to Greek history, culture and arts

WHAT:
Experience ancient Greece without leaving Chicago—no passports required. The family exhibit Gods, Myths And Mortals: Discover Ancient Greece transports visitors to the bedrock of western civilization. The engaging voyage back in time is the centerpiece of the all-new National Hellenic Museum, the only major museum in the U.S. dedicated to the Greek journey – from ancient times to the modern Greek American experience.

Created by the Children’s Museum of Manhattan, Gods, Myths and Mortals invites visitors on an interactive journey through the world of ancient Greece. Visitors of all ages can meet the gods, experience ancient Greek daily life and interact with the epic poem The Odyssey through more than 25 engaging interactive components, including climbing into a 13-foot tall Trojan Horse. Located in the John P. Calamos, Sr. Great Hall, this 4,000-square-foot exhibit gives children and families the opportunity to immerse themselves in some of the most exciting stories of ancient Greece. Kids play and learn as they:

• Navigate rocky caves and open seas on The Odyssey: A Hero’s Journey, and e-mail home their Hero Record;
• Make like a Greek Idol by belting tunes in the Sirens Karaoke Cave;
• Discover which Greek god they are most like;
• Match wits with Aristotle in a game of 20 questions;
• Test their arm wrestling prowess in the Gymnasium; and
• Marvel at a working replica of the Antikythera Mechanism, believed to be the world’s oldest computer.

WHEN:
Dec. 10, 2011 through summer 2012. The Museum is open Tuesdays – Fridays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday evenings 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.; and weekends 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed on Mondays.

WHERE:
National Hellenic Museum, 333 S. Halsted St., Chicago

TICKETS:
Admission to Gods, Myths and Mortals is included with Museum general admission: $10/adults, $8/seniors and students, and $7 for kids ages 3-12. Members and children under the age of 3 are always free.

TRANSIT:
Walking distance from the CTA Blue Line’s UIC-Halsted station, and the CTA Bus Route 8 – Halsted.

PARKING:
Privately managed parking lots are available within walking distance of the Museum.

SUPPORT:
Gods, Myths and Mortals: Discover Ancient Greece was produced by the Children’s Museum of Manhattan and supported by major grants from The John P. Calamos Foundation, The J.F. Costopoulos Foundation, Hellenic Ministry of Culture, The History Channel, The Jaharis Family Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities: great ideas brought to life, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs through the office of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Stavros S. Niarchos Foundation.

The National Hellenic Museum’s mission is to preserve and explore Hellenism and to chronicle the Greek American journey through exhibitions, oral histories, archival collections and education programs. Our purpose is to inspire in people of all backgrounds a curiosity for their own story through a greater connection to Greek history, culture and the arts. Located at the corner of Halsted and Van Buren in the heart of Chicago’s famed Greektown, the Museum celebrates its grand opening in December 2011. For more information, visit nationalhellenicmuseum.org or call 312-655-1234.

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Media Contacts:
Veronica Jackson
PCI
312/558-1770, ext. 128
vjackson@pcipr.com