ORLANDO ARTS SEASON PREVIEW 2020-21: Three to see
A trio of education-based cultural highlights selected by Orlando Sentinel arts writer Matthew J. Palm.
A VISIT TO POMPEII: The ancient city of Pompeii, destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, looms large in culture’s imagination. Once buried under 13 to 20 feet of volcanic ash, today the ruins remain a popular tourist spot in what is now Italy.
More than 100 artifacts from the doomed community are coming to the Orlando Science Center Oct. 26-Jan. 24, 2021 as part of “Pompeii: The Immortal City,” a touring exhibition making only three stops in the U.S. Displays, including artwork, jewelry, statues and architecture of Pompeii, will allow guests to contemplate the tragedy.
More ominously, the Science Center says that “spectacular immersive moments allow the visitor to experience the destruction of the city and to identify with the inhabitants of that time, immobilized by the volcano’s ashes.” How immersive are we talking?
In conjunction with the exhibit, the Central Florida Watercolor Society will display “Images of Pompeii” at the center. The University of Central Florida will host an online symposium, “Life and Death in Pompeii,” at noon Nov. 6 with historians of art, archaeology, classical languages and literature. Register at bit.ly/PompeiiSym.
“Pompeii: The Immortal City” was developed and produced by Tempora in collaboration with Civita and Filmmaster, based on scientific research by Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli and Museo Galileo Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza.
“Pompeii” tickets, available online only, are $26 for adults ($18 for ages 2-11) and also include access to the rest of the center. More information: osc.org/pompeii.
HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS: As World War II recedes further into the past, the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Florida is keeping alive the memory of what can happen when hatred and bigotry go unchecked. In an online discussion series, survivors of the Holocaust will share their stories.
As a child, Renee Kann Silver was separated from her little sister, but managed to reunite her family and with fake documents escape occupied France.
“I would not be here if not for the righteous Gentiles. These were people who did not hesitate for one second about what would happen to them if they were discovered hiding Jewish children,” says Silver. “Nobody had to tell them what to do; they were just human beings doing the right thing.”
Other speakers were helped by a Catholic cleric and Protestant pastors in these stories of resilience — and how individuals can change the lives of strangers in need.
To register for any of the talks, go to holocaustedu.org.
OCOEE MASSACRE REVISITED: Mose Norman went to vote in Ocoee on Election Day 1920. But white men turned the Black citizen away from the polls.
Later that evening, a mob looking for Norman came to the home of his friend, July Perry. Shooting ensued, Perry was captured and lynched, an unknown number of other Black citizens were murdered, and their homes and community were burned to the ground. Most of the black population of Ocoee fled, never to return.
In “Yesterday, This Was Home: The Ocoee Massacre of 1920,” which opens Oct. 3, the Orange County Regional History Center will look back at the largest incident of voting-day violence in the U.S. a century after the fact.
The exhibit will explore not only that horrific time in our community’s history but also look at historical and recent incidents of racism, hatred and terror. It also will consider the power of social transformation, the importance of voting and ask how history can inspire us to move forward.
The Orange County Regional History Center is at 65 E. Central Blvd. in Orlando. It’s open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $8 ($7 seniors, students and military; $6 children 5-12; free for children younger than 5). For more information, go to thehistorycenter.org or call 407-836-8500.