February 2010 - The KMD Foundation is proud to support Slovak USA in presenting legendary Czech folk singer Lenka Filipova in Chicago

www.slovakchicago.org

http://www.ncsml.org/News/Default.aspx

The Kristyna M. Driehaus Foundation is proud to support the 2010, PHASE ONE creation of Kosek Building Room Sponsorship for The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library Capital Campaign. The Foundation is further committed to a continuing annual support for the next two years, given that sufficient progress is accomplished by The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library (NCSML) is the leading national institution dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of Czech and Slovak history and culture. As such, the NCSML cares for artifacts, books, and archival materials related to Czech and Slovak history and culture both in the Old World and the New World. While the NCSML is 33 years old, it is only since 1996 that the museum has had a national mission and professional staff to implement it. Prior to the devastating flood in June 2008, the NCSML mounted six to eight exhibitions and offered 150+ programs each year, including concerts, lectures, classes, conferences, and workshops. Until that point in time, NCSML exhibits and programs focused heavily on the Old World. The core exhibition, Homelands: The Story of the Czech and Slovak People, covered more than 1,000 years of the history and culture of the Czech and Slovak lands. Descendants of Czech and Slovak immigrants learned about the country of their origin, while others learned about a unique and rich Central European culture. Two galleries accommodated changing exhibitions that focused more in-depth on the art, culture, and history of former Czechoslovakia. Educational programs complement content in Homelands and in current temporary exhibitions. The KMDF's support will allow to create a very special classroom in newest facility (Kosek Building) in order to serve thousands of children each year. The classroom in the Kosek Building is part of a larger renovation of the building that will include a new permanent exhibit entitled “Rising Above: The Story of a People and the Flood.” This exhibit will tell the stories of the immigrant experience, the settling of the Cedar Rapids area, the flood of 2008, and the recovery/restoration process. The “Flood Map” will be a twelve-foot long topographical interactive map that will demonstrate the impact of the floods of 1929, 1993 and 2008. The “Flood House” will be a recreation of a typical Czech Village home and the indescribable effects the flood had upon the contents.

January 2010 - The KMD Foundation sponsors exhibitions: “50% Grey: Contemporary Czech Photography Reconsidered” and “Recent acquisitions of Czech photography from the Baruch Foundation”

Please join us for the opening reception on Thursday, January 28, 5pm - 7pm

50% Grey: Contemporary Czech Photography Reconsidered and Recent Acquisitions of Czech Photography from The Baruch Foundation.

At 4pm, join curators Karel Císař and Karen Irvine and exhibiting artist Markéta Othová for a tour of 50% Grey. Support for the educational programming surrounding these exhibitions was provided by The Kristyna M. Driehaus Foundation. The exhibitions were planned in cooperation with the Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Chicago and the Chicago Sister Cities International program.