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Contact: Publicist,
305-375-1492, pr@historical-museum.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Historical Museum of Southern Florida Hosts
13th Annual Miami International Map Fair
Miami, FL--November 23, 2005-- Major map collectors wouldn't miss it,
and first-timers will cure their curiosity at the Historical Museum
of Southern Florida's Thirteenth Annual Miami International Map Fair
to be held Saturday, February 4, and Sunday, February 5, 2006. Considered
the premier map fair in the world, the Miami International Map Fair will
unite map dealers, collectors, hobbyists and aficionados from all four
corners of the world for a weekend of buying, selling, and browsing. Map
Fair proceeds will benefit the Historical Museum's exhibitions, educational
programs and general advancement.
Over fifty prominent antique map dealers from England, Holland, Belgium,
Spain, Germany, France, Australia, Argentina, Canada and the United States
will participate in this year's fair. Maps from the fifteenth century
to the present, ranging from the inexpensive to the high-priced, will
be displayed and available for sale. Those who are curious about the origin
and historical value of their own maps are encouraged to bring one to
the fair for an expert opinion from a professional map dealer.
"Many maps will draw many people for different reasons, everyone
from scholars interested in their cartographic significance to interior
designers looking to bring interest into their clients' homes," says
Historical Museum Map Fair Manager Marcia J. Kanner.
Miami is one of only five cities in the world to host a map fair; others
are London, Paris, Breda (Holland) and Denver. "We are proud that
this event is known and respected all over the world and that many new
people have started collections because they visited the Historical Museum's
Miami International Map Fair and liked what they saw," adds Kanner.
Samplings of this year's maps for sale include early 1600s hand-colored
maps and several 1800s railroad maps from Lake Worth, Florida dealer New
World Maps, Inc. Barry Lawrence Ruderman, Antique Maps, Inc. of La Jolla,
California, will have an important 1772 map of Southern Florida, several
rare Spanish sea charts of Florida, a Palm Beach map, and an antique map
offering land for sale a few blocks east of the Historical Museum.
The Philadelphia Print Shop, Ltd. will be exhibiting an extensive selection
of blueback and official sea charts of the coasts of the United States,
the West Indies and other parts of the world, dating from the eighteenth
through the early twentieth century. Martayan Lan of New York will be
showing an extraordinary lithographic view of the Florida peninsula as
if from the perspective of a satellite, despite having been published
at the beginning of the Civil War in 1861.
Dr. Matthew Edney, Director of the History of Cartography Project at
the University of Wisconsin, will deliver the keynote address "The
History of Cartography: A New Era, a New Vista," on Saturday, February
4. Map scholar and dealer Thomas Suarez will give a lecture on the Solomon
Islands, and James Flatness of the Geography and Map Division of the Library
of Congress, will talk about resources available to the map collector.
General admission to the Map Fair is $10 for adults, $2 for children
6-12, free for children under 6 and museum members, and includes entrance
to the international dealer's marketplace, access to an expert opinion
on your own map and the opportunity to win door prizes. Participant registration
includes all lectures, a box lunch on Saturday and Sunday, and a cocktail
reception Saturday evening. A Friday evening cocktail reception and dinner
is also planned. Register early as space is limited.
"Maps provide a sense of identity, of time and place," says
Miami International Map Fair founder and chairman Dr. Joseph H. Fitzgerald.
In 1990, an anonymous donor established a trust in Dr. Fitzgerald's name
as part of the museum's endowment. The Fitzgerald & Kanner Trust For
Historic Maps, as it is now known, aims to support future Map Fairs, increase
the museum's map collection, and foster an appreciation of historic maps
through exhibitions, publications and educational programming.
To make a contribution to the trust or for more information on the Map
Fair, please contact the Historical Museum of Southern Florida at 305.375.1492
or visit www.historical-museum.org.
The Historical Museum of Southern Florida is dedicated to telling the
story of South Florida and the Caribbean, in order to enhance the community's
quality of life by understanding the past, linking it to the present and
building a better future. The Historical Museum hosts a permanent exhibition
gallery and a special gallery with several changing exhibitions each year.
In addition, the museum houses the Research Center, a non-circulating
library and archives open to museum visitors, and The Indies Company,
the museum's store, which offers a unique array of Florida-themed books
and gifts. The Historical Museum is located in downtown Miami in the Miami-Dade
Cultural Center, across the street from Metrorail's Government Center
Station at 101 West Flagler Street, Miami, Florida 33130. Hours are Mon.-Sat.
10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Sun. noon - 5 p.m. Admission for adults is $5, children
(ages 6-12) is $2, and children under 6 are free. Saturday is free admission,
and Sunday is contribution day.
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