June 14, 2022
Translator Alex Zucker was in conversation with photographer, curator, and project manager of the Czech National Trust, Eva Heyd, on the occasion of the new publication, Ticket to the New World, and an exhibition of the same name.
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The book, edited by Heyd, follows the fates of numerous prominent figures of the First Czechoslovak Republic’s cultural scene including Bohuslav Martinu, Alexander Hammid, and Jiri Voskovec who decided to leave the country at the beginning of World War II. Some emigrated out of fear of persecution, while others refused to live under a totalitarian regime.
The bilingual publication aims to document their unusual life stories and fates, introduce their American activities and work, and map their lasting contributions.
Ticket to the New World (2018), edited by Eva Heyd, illustrated by Hans Lichtenwagner was published for a 2018 exhibition organized by Czech National Trust.
The conversation was followed by an opening of the exhibition Ticket to the New World curated by Eva Heyd, featuring works by Alex Hammid and Bedrich Grunzweig, images by graphic designer Ladislav Sutnar, caricatures by Adolf Hoffmeister and Antonin Pelc.
A special presentation Jarmila Novotna: Transatlantic Opera, Screen, and Czech Cultural Presence, featuring selections from the George Daubek Collection of Novotna memorabilia, curated with biographical notes by Majda Kallab Whitaker of the Dvorak American Heritage Association, was presented in the Dvorak Room.
Project partners: Czech National Trust, Dvorak American Heritage Association, Embassy of the United States of America in Prague, and Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.
The festival Rehearsal for Truth is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.