GREAT MUSEUMS® GOES GLOBAL 2008:
“THE SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL ZOO: WILD THING!”
And “GREAT MUSEUMS OF HAVANA: CURIOUS ABOUT CUBA”
Great Museums® Steps Outside the Museum Walls to Showcase
Global Stories of Preservation and Restoration
With Two Trailblazing Specials for Fall 2008
(Atlanta, GA – July 14, 2008) – What do the colonial squares of Havana, Cuba, and the
endangered species of the world have in common? Both are examples of important preservation
efforts of global significance - one cultural, one scientific - explored in GREAT MUSEUMS®
two newest one-hour prime time specials. Presented in High Definition, “THE
SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL ZOO: WILD THING!” and “GREAT MUSEUMS OF
HAVANA: CURIOUS ABOUT CUBA” will be available to public television stations in late
Fall 2008.
“GREAT MUSEUMS: THE SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL ZOO: WILD THING!” –
available October 5, 2008 -- is a window to the animal kingdoms of the world, showcasing the
global leadership role of our nation’s zoo in preserving endangered species on the edge of
extinction. Interviews with scientists, curators, animal keepers, veterinarians and volunteers at
this living museum reveal the National Zoo’s mighty mission: the preservation of all life on
earth. Beautifully shot and showcased in high definition, the stars of the program are the
animals themselves, each representing a worldwide conservation effort that stretches from
Bolivia to Namibia.
“GREAT MUSEUMS OF HAVANA: CURIOUS ABOUT CUBA” -- available December 1,
2008 -- takes public television fans to a world largely unseen by U.S. viewers. GREAT
MUSEUMS® producers Marc and Chesney Doyle worked with both the United States and the
Cuban governments for nearly a year to gain access to the cultural treasures of Havana.
Museums abound in Havana amid 500 years of architectural history. There are museums devoted
to cigars, cars, rum, and revolution, but that’s not all. Be prepared for a stunning presentation of
Cuban Art through the centuries at the National Museum of Fine Arts; a spellbinding exploration
of Ernest Hemingway’s life at the Hemingway House Museum, Finca Vigia, his home from 1940
to 1960; and a revealing insider’s tour of the on-going restoration of the colonial district, Old
Havana City, a “living museum without walls” and a UNESCO “World Heritage Site” since
1982.
Distributed and presented nationally by American Public Television
“These two specials take the viewer outside the museum walls in very different ways,”
commented GREAT MUSEUMS’® executive producer Marc Doyle, “but they both address the
role that museums play in the preservation of life on earth – whether it be the natural world, as
represented by our nation’s zoo or the cultural world, as represented by the colonial city of Old
Havana and the many museums in Cuba’s capital city.”
“GREAT MUSEUMS: THE SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL ZOO: WILD THING!” (Available
October 5, 2008)
It’s true that the National Zoo is a park full of wild animals. But it’s also a reminder that we
don’t rule the earth. We share it. The National Zoo’s Giant Pandas: cub, Tai Shan, and mother
Mei Xiang, are famous throughout the world, but to simply view these cute and cuddly creatures
from China is to scratch the surface of the story. Along with the Giant Pandas, Orangutans,
Cheetahs and Wolves are literally “ambassadors” to the U.S. public for their dwindling species in
the wild, their native habitats and the ecosystems that depend on those habitats.
This GREAT MUSEUMS® special tracks the heroic efforts of scientists, field researchers, zoo
veterinarians, curators, keepers and volunteers, all of whom contribute to the global management
and preservation of the world’s biodiversity.
Researcher Jennifer Mickelberg, who manages an endangered species of monkeys, Golden Lion
Tamarins, at the National Zoo and in Brazil, explains that the number one problem is habitat
loss: “And this is true for animals all over the world. In the area where the tamarins are from,
right outside of Rio de Janeiro, less than 2% of their habitat remains.”
Behind the scenes, through globally managed “captive breeding programs,” the National Zoo
works with other zoos and scientists using the tools of high technology to breed populations of
endangered species in captivity for the purpose of re-introducing them to the wild. For instance,
around 30 years ago there were perhaps less than 200 Golden Lion Tamarins in the wild.
According to Mickelberg, “This is simply not a large enough population to maintain a long-term
viability, but now we’re looking at around 1500 Golden Lion Tamarins in the wild, due to our
conservation efforts, working with the Brazilian locals and reintroduction program that National
Zoo had a big role in.”
Don Moore, Head of Animal Care at the National Zoo plainly states the challenge: “As humans,
we have a responsibility to these animals. They’re not going extinct just because the world is
changing for no reason. They’re going extinct because humans are modifying and taking habitat
from the wild animals.” One of Moore’s goals “is that everybody who comes through the
National Zoo is inspired to take conservation action by the animals.”
This same goal was the impetus behind the establishment of the National Zoo in the late 19th
century, when founder William Hornaday envisioned a facility that would breed endangered
animals in captivity, such as the American Buffalo, and educate the public about conservation. In
1892, the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, designed by America’s premier landscape
architect, Frederick Law Olmsted, opened in Washington, D.C.’s Rock Creek Park.
The National Zoo’s Conservation Research Center (CRC), a satellite location set in the Blue
Ridge Mountains, serves as an international training site for current and future generations of
conservation professionals. It is also a breeding ground for the Zoo’s most endangered species,
like the world’s only undomesticated species of horse, the Mongolian P-Horse (Przewalski’s
Horse). At one time, the world’s P-Horse population was down to a mere 14 horses. All PHorses in existence today are descended from those 14 survivors.
As part of the Smithsonian Institution, the National Zoo is truly a “global zoo,” comments the
CRC’s Steve Monfort, Head of Conservation and Science: “We have a worldwide network, a
vast array of field sites and scientific collaborations around the world.” Today, the nation’s Zoo
is not only free to the public, but via special “webcams” placed throughout the grounds, animals,
such as the Zoo’s famous pandas, can be watched 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
“GREAT MUSEUMS OF HAVANA: CURIOUS ABOUT CUBA” (Available December 1,
2008)
U.S. viewers will be spellbound by GREAT MUSEUMS® special on the museums of Havana,
in which the whole Cuban story is preserved. GREAT MUSEUMS’® exclusive presentation
also reveals a little-known part of the contemporary Cuban story: The surprising and dramatic
effort to preserve and protect four centuries of colonial architectural and cultural history in Old
Havana City, which was designated a “World Heritage Site” in 1982 by UNESCO.
An insiders’ tour through the streets of the Old City of Havana with architect Ayleen Robainas of
the City Historian’s Office reveals a massive restoration project in the works, designed to bring
back the glory of Havana’s most important colonial squares, streets, and buildings, many the
former homes of colonial aristocrats and some dating back to the 15th century. Remarkably, the
centerpiece of the preservation effort is the restoration of “life” to the old city, by creating
restaurants, hotels, museums, schools and even social housing in the meticulously renovated
buildings. The idea is to keep people living, working and playing in the colonial district. As a
result, the sights and sounds of Cuba are everywhere. Cuban music pours from a sidewalk café,
while a few blocks away, a ritualistic Santeria dance is performed for tourists at the Africa
House. Mid-afternoon, school children in their uniforms squeal and scramble on foot and
bicycles through Plaza Vieja as the school bell tolls and classes let out for the day. Meanwhile,
visitors and locals are drawn to a large book fair in Plaza de Armas, a sprawling outdoor market
near the harbor, or the famous bayside strip, the Malecon, to watch the tide breaking over the
rocks as the sun sets.
Eusebio Leal Spengler, Official Historian of the City of Havana, leads the restoration effort of
the colonial district: “Our country has a mass of cultural work, a history, a past. It also has a
dream of the future,” he says. “I would say that the most important thing that could come of out
this Great Museums special would be a sincere message of friendship from Cuba to the people of
the United States on the basis of culture, which is what brings us together.” Highlights of
“GREAT MUSEUMS OF HAVANA: CURIOUS ABOUT CUBA” include the following
stories:

After Columbus landed in Cuba in 1492, thus “discovering America,” the island was
a Spanish Colony for the next 400 years. In Plaza de Armas near Havana Bay, the
Museum of the City (formerly the Captains General Palace) was the government seat
and residence of the Spanish colonial rulers. Beautifully restored, the Museum of the
City exemplifies the opulent lives of the upper classes during the Spanish colonial
period.

At the Museum of Rum, the Tobacco Museum, and Africa House Museum,
visitors get a different perspective: the lives of the working class and the enslaved
natives and Africans whose labor made the island rich during four centuries of
Spanish rule.

The story of Cuba’s War for Independence from Spain is told in part at the Jose
Martí Birthplace, a house museum dedicated to Cuba’s national hero, Jose Martí
(1853-1895). Martí’s revolutionary ideas matured during his early adulthood in the
United States, but his impatience to start the revolution was affected by his growing
fear that the U.S. would succeed in annexing Cuba before the revolution could
liberate the island from Spain. In 1892, Martí dedicated himself exclusively to
planning and organizing what became Cuba's second War of Independence, which
began in 1895. Today, Martí is known in Cuba as the father of the Cuban Revolution
and is studied by every Cuban schoolchild.

An exploration of Ernest Hemingway’s life and loves in Cuba is presented at the
Hemingway House Museum (Finca Vigia), his home from 1940 until 1960. The
house is preserved as Hemingway left it: his books; his phonograph (which still
works), record collection, and radio; his hunting and bullfighting trophies and
souvenirs; his typewriter; his bar; his closet and clothes; dishes and furniture;
photographs of family and friends. Footage includes the original manuscript for the
Old Man and the Sea; the on-going restoration of his fishing boat, the Pilar; and
scenes from the nearby fishing village, Cojimar, where Hemingway is still revered by
local fishermen today.

At the National Museum of Fine Arts, the Cuban art collection features stunning
examples of works from all artistic periods by Cuban artists, beginning in the Spanish
era and continuing to modern times, including the world-famous Wifredo Lam, Jorge
Arche, Carlos Enriquez, Amelia Pelaez and others largely unknown to U.S. audiences
today. The museum represents not only an exploration of great art, but also an
expression of Cuban national pride.

The National Decorative Arts Museum in Vedado is the former home of Maria
Luisa Gómez Mena, Countess of Revilla Camargo, who owned several sugar mills in
Cuba. The foundation of the current collection was her private collection. The house
itself, built between 1924 and 1927, represents a French palace from the 18th century.
After Castro’s 1959 revolution, Maria Luisa left Cuba, never to return. Using metal
detectors, government investigators found valuable silver and other collections hidden
and plastered over in the walls. Eventually, her house, her possessions and her
collections were nationalized and formed the basis for the National Decorative Arts
Museum. Today, the museum houses permanent and temporary exhibitions of
European and Asian applied arts, ceramics, chinaware, furniture, paintings and
sculptures of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Other museums explored in this special include The Revolution Museum (former Presidential
Palace), the National Museum of Literacy, and the Museum of Natural History.
ABOUT GREAT MUSEUMS®
GREAT MUSEUMS® is an award-winning television series celebrating America’s museum
world, airing coast to coast on public television stations representing more than 85% of US
households. The series opens the doors of America’s museums to millions of Americans through
public television, new media and community outreach with the goal of “curating a community of
learners.” The compelling, educational series has won more than 3 dozen television awards over
the past five years, including Telly Awards, Aurora Excellence Awards and seven Cine Golden
Eagles. GreatMuseums.org (www.greatmuseums.org) is a unique and informative portal to the
museum world with easy access links to the vast network of museums throughout the country.
GreatMuseums.org is a valuable resource tool for community outreach and teachers, complete
with guidelines on how to use the series in the classroom.
Executive produced by Marc and Chesney Doyle, GREAT MUSEUMS® is underwritten by the
Eureka Foundation, a private 501(c)(3) operating foundation established to promote the
educational power of television and new media. GREAT MUSEUMS® is distributed by
American Public Television (APT).
ABOUT AMERICAN PUBLIC TELEVISION
With more than 10,000 hours of programming in its library, American Public Television (APT)
has been a prime source of programming for the nation’s public television stations for 47 years,
distributing more than 300 new program titles per year. APT milestones include distribution of
the first HD series on public television and the 2006 launch of Create™ — the TV channel
featuring the best of public television's lifestyle programming. Known for its leadership in
identifying innovative, worthwhile and viewer-friendly programming, APT has established a
tradition of providing public television stations with program choices that strengthen and
customize their schedules, such as Carreras Domingo Pavarotti in Concert, Winged Migration,
Battlefield Britain, Globe Trekker, Rick Steves' Europe, Great Museums, Jacques Pépin: Fast
Food My Way, America's Test Kitchen From Cook’s Illustrated, Broadway: The Golden Age,
Lidia's Family Table, California Dreamin’ – The Songs of The Mamas & the Papas, Rosemary
and Thyme, P. Allen Smith's Garden Home, The Big Comfy Couch, Monarchy With David
Starkey, and other prominent documentaries, dramatic series, how-to programs, children’s series
and classic movies. For more information about APT’s programs and services, visit
APTonline.org.
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