Contact: Brenda Maysonet
CKPR
(407) 541-0807
bmaysone@ckpr.biz
or
Nancy Knight
Peabody Place Museum
(901) 523-ARTS

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PEABODY PLACE MUSEUM HONORS DRAGONS
IN CHINESE ART WITH “FINDING DRAGONS”
EXHIBIT AND “ROAM CHINA” GIVEAWAY

Museum Loans Out Exhibit, Gives Away Trip to China

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (July 28, 2005) - In celebration of “Finding Dragons in Chinese Art,” a temporary exhibit on display at the Pink Palace Museum, which features selected works from the Peabody Place Museum and the Belz Collection, Peabody Place Museum is giving away a trip for two to China in the “Roam China Just Like the Dinosaurs Did” giveaway.

For at least 3,500 years many Chinese have believed that dinosaur fossils are the bones of dragons. In cementing that possible relationship, Finding Dragons is presented at the Pink Palace in conjunction with “Chinasaurs: Dinosaur Discoveries from China,” an interactive traveling exhibition of Chinese dinosaur fossils from Dino Don Inc. Additionally, a life-sized Velociraptor dinosaur from the 1993 blockbuster movie Jurassic Park is on display at Peabody Place Entertainment and Retail Center.

“In creating an exhibit as visually interesting as Chinasaurs, we chose bold, colorful works of art that spark the imagination”, said Nancy Knight, director of the Peabody Place Museum. “We know that many of the visitors to the exhibit will be children, and with the selected objects we hope to amaze both young and old alike.”

Visitors may explore amazing dinosaurs from China in Chinasaurs, and discover fascinating dragons in Finding Dragons, both at the Pink Palace Museum, then stop by Peabody Place Museum to register for the “Roam China Just Like the Dinosaurs Did” trip for two to the winner’s choice of Beijing, Shanghai and Xian, roundtrip airfare to the chosen destination and 4-nights’ accommodations. To enter, participants can complete and deposit an official entry form at Peabody Place Museum from now through Saturday, October 15, 2005. Visit Peabody Place Museum for a complete list of official entry rules. The “Roam China Just Like the Dinosaurs Did” grand prize trip for two is sponsored by Peabody Place Museum, The McCarty Group, the Pink Palace Museum, WRIGHT and NWA World Vacations.

About Peabody Place Museum

Opened in 1998, the Museum is home to one of the largest collections of 19th century Chinese art. The permanent exhibit at the Museum includes objects created for Chinese nobility during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The collections include intricately carved jade sculptures, crafted enamelware pieces and rare objects carved in ivory. The Museum also has smaller collections of fossils and minerals, contemporary European art glass, Russian lacquer boxes, Judaica art and more. Additionally, the Museum recently added an interpretive jade exhibit to its permanent collection of Chinese art and Judaica. Consisting of five permanent “information stations,” the exhibit can help visitors gain a greater understanding and appreciation of jade’s material and symbolic significance in Chinese culture.

Peabody Place Museum is open from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from noon until 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For information on special group rates, guided tours, educational programs, teachers’ packets and special event room rental, contact the Museum at (901) 523-ARTS