Sisters In Liberty
About the Event
The event was created to celebrate the Sisters in Liberty exhibit at the Ellis Island Museum of Immigration. This two-day event will include an evening reception at Pier A Harbor House, Battery Park on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 5:30 p.m. and on Sunday, Nov. 10, event attendees will board the ferry at 10 a.m. to journey to Ellis Island where they will enjoy a detailed tour of the exhibit and interactive poetry wall, and then sit down to a private brunch with new Kent State University President, Todd Diacon.
Following the morning events, attendees will be free to experience the museum on their own, including the option to take the ferry back to Liberty Island to view the Statue of Liberty along with the newly opened Liberty Museum.
| About the Exhibit | Sponsors | Purchase Tickets | Hotel Information | General Information and Questions |
About the Exhibit
Created by Kent State University and the Opera di Santa Croce of Florence, Italy, the Sisters in Liberty exhibit explores the long-standing cultural ties between Italy and the Unites States through themes of art, architecture, liberty, poetry and the human condition.
The focal points are two statues which captured the dream of self-determination, democracy and liberty that flourished around the world after the American Revolution: Pio Fedi’s 1883 Liberty of Poetry, which stands in the church of Santa Croce in Florence, Italy, and Frédéric Bartholdi’s Statue of Liberty, which was inaugurated in New York in 1886.
Kent State is supporting the themes of this exhibit in several ways, including producing a nearly life-size, 3D reproduction of the Liberty of Poetry that faithfully conveys its size and beauty, which guests will be able to view up-close. Kent State is also providing a Wick Poetry Center Listening Wall, which will allow users to view historical documents, oral histories and multimedia stories which center on the themes of the exhibit, and then create and share their own poetic reflections.
Much more is in store for guests as in total, the exhibit will occupy six rooms of the museum. Guests will also enjoy an immersive video recreating the experience of visiting the church of Santa Croce and other grand Italian locations, and an audio tour of the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration, which chronicles Ellis Island as the official first port of contact for millions of people as they entered America in pursuit of the American Dream. More information about the exhibit can be found on the Listening to Liberty webpage. (Return to top of page.)
Sponsors
The weekend is presented by the following supporters:
Tickets
Tickets are $100 per person and include Saturday's evening reception, and Sunday's ferry transportation, exhibit admission and brunch with President Diacon. All proceeds are tax deductible and will support Kent State student research initiatives and scholarships. Ticket pick up will be on Saturday, Nov. 9 during the reception or Sunday, Nov. 10 from 8 – 9 a.m. in the lobby of the Wagner Hotel.
Ticket Purchase Deadline: Monday, October 28, 2019.
If you are unable to attend, please consider supporting our outstanding students by making a donation.
Hotel Information
A block of rooms has been reserved at the Wagner Hotel in the Financial District, directly across the street from the Ellis Island Ferry. The Kent State discounted rate is $349 per night, plus taxes. To reserve a room, call the hotel at 888-909-2918 and reference Kent State University, or visit the hotel's Kent State University booking page, and use the access code KENTG. All reservations must be made before Friday, October 18, 2019 to receive the discounted rate. Space is limited.
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General Information
Ferry to Ellis Island
It is recommended that you arrive approximately 30 minutes before your scheduled reserve time. The time on the reserve ticket allows entry into the screening facility, not an actual vessel departure. You will be going through a mandatory airport grade security screening prior to boarding the vessel.
Your departure point is The Battery, at the southern tip of Manhattan in New York.
Guests will be on their feet for the majority of their visit. They will also be traveling by boat which will include boat decks and boarding gangplanks, both of which can sometimes be wet. As such, guests should consider appropriate footwear during their visit to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Guests should also dress according to the weather to ensure a comfortable experience. This experience is both indoor and outdoor.
Questions
Should you have questions, please contact us via email at events@kent.edu or by calling us at 330-672-2899.