|
2001
NEW SHIPWRECK ADVENTURE
EXHIBIT TO OPEN
“Montana Smith and A Voyage Through Time”
is a new shipwreck adventure exhibit set to open at the
Mel Fisher maritime Museum on Tuesday, August 28,2001. A
reception from 5:30-7:30 p.m. will mark the exhibit's
grand opening.
The exhibition, designed to educate and entertain, takes viewers through “The Age of Sail” from 16th century galleon precursors to the clippers of the 1800s. Noted archeologist of the Museum of Maritime Mysteries, Dr. Montana Smith (portrayed by local journalist Mandy Bolen) seeks to solve the puzzle created by retired philanthropist Griffen Reynolds, Jr. (portrayed by local philanthropist Joe Liszka). Reynolds plans to give the Museum his collection of artifacts from one of the shipwrecks he visited when he was a pioneer scuba diver in the 1950s and 60s if Montana Smith can select from six ships the exact origin of the artifacts. Visitors to the exhibit help Montana Smith solve the puzzle.
Visitors encounter Reynolds’ Trophy Room, Montana Smith’s office, a conservation lab, collections storage room, the Museum, and the Archives and Library along the way as they are provided a field notebook to record clues en route to identifying the correct ship of origin of the treasures. Once the visitor has made his or her way through the exhibit, the visitor moves to a “dive station” to cast a vote on the ship of origin. A correct answer leads the Visitor through a [Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society and Museum in Key West, Florida Montana Smith Exhibit] door to the “main pile” where silver bars and precious objects are kept. An incorrect answer leads the visitor to the bottom of the Key West Harbor, an unattractive area filled with junk.
The exhibit, complete with videos, artifact replicas, photographs, research notebooks, and the opportunity to hold and examine artifacts, gives the visitor the chance to be exposed to different kinds of ships of that “Age of Sail” era. Only one of the ships is
authentic. The other five are works of historical fiction that give the viewer a “typical” ship of the period. Suitable for all ages, the exhibit can be a fun family outing.
This new offering is the original creation of the local Mel Fisher Museum staff, led by Executive Director Madeleine Burnside. Other locals appearing as characters in the exhibit include Pauline Guzek, Edward Cabrera, Brian Blanco, Jennifer Lemming, Gina Ferris, and Jeff Stotts. The exhibit is open 9:30a.m. – 5p.m. daily at 200 Greene Street.
This exhibition is funded in part by the State of Florida, Bureau of Historical Resources; The Monroe County Tourist Development Council; and The Mel Fisher Maritime Museum. |
