4/16/03
Maze of Illusions and Puzzles Opens at Florida International Museum
Interactive Exhibit Kicks Off Summer Fun at FIM
May 16 - August 10, 2003

St. Petersburg, FL (April 16, 2003) Florida International Museum (FIM) announces a new interactive exhibit for children of all ages, Maze of Illusions and Puzzles. This 4,000-square-foot exhibit offers visitors the fun and science of optical illusions with over 30 different optical effects hidden around every corner of the maze. The challenge will be to negotiate the maze and experience the puzzles and illusions, all the while moving toward the goal of finding the way out.

“ Visitors will experience rainbow prisms, spinning illusions, colored shadows, multiple reflections, and distorted images,” said Mary Anna Murphy, FIM Exhibition Director. “The exhibit’s lesson is about perceptions: what we see is not always as it seems.” For many years, Maze of Illusions has pleased crowds across the country. For the first time, two separate mazes - one of optical illusions and one of puzzles - have been combined to create Maze of Illusions and Puzzles, a display that will involve and amuse the entire family.

The exhibit opens with a media preview on Friday, May 16th and with FAMILY FUN DAY, Saturday, May 17th from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. During the event, admission to the museum, including all exhibits, is $10 for adults and children ages 10 and under are admitted free.

FAMILY FUN DAY will feature the following:
A visit to the new Maze of Illusions and Puzzles exhibit (and other FIM exhibits) Free hot dog and soda with each admission. Interactive fun with a clown/magician Activities for children presented by: *American Stage *Largo Cultural Center *The Arts Center *The Science Center *And More.

For more information, call the Florida International Museum at 727-822-3693. For information about the Maze of Illusions and Puzzles, dial extension 258; for Family Fun Day details, dial extension 295.

Florida International Museum is the permanent home of the John F. Kennedy Collection and through Fall 2003, The Cuban Missile Crisis: When The Cold War Got Hot. Through April 30th , FIM is hosting Art for the People: Soviet Realism, portraits and genre paintings from the former USSR republics. Through May 4, 2003 FIM is hosting the North American debut of Mystique of the Motorcycle, a display of 83 rare and classic motorcycles from the world-class Trev Deeley Motorcycle collection, and Women of Our Time, a collection of photographs from the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery depicting 75 of the most notable American women of the 20th century.

Regular admission for all exhibits is $12 for adults, $11 for college students and seniors 65+, $6 for students. Children under 6 are free. The museum is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. Last entry to the museum is at 4 p.m. daily. For more information please contact the Florida International Museum at 727-822-3693 or visit www.floridamuseum.org.

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The Florida International Museum is a non-profit educational institution supported, in part, by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, Florida Arts Council, State of Florida, Division of Cultural Affairs, and the City of St. Petersburg. Other major sponsors include Progress Energy, Renaissance Vinoy Resort & Golf Club, and St. Petersburg Times.