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Aug 26, 2011 - Join the Irving Arts Center for these FREE family September events celebrating Genghis Khan: The Exhibition. Admission to the exhibit is separate. All events take place at the Irving Arts Center, 3333 N. MacArthur Blvd.
Irving, TX 75062
(972) 252-7558. Visit www.KhanIrving.com
Saturday, September 10
Family KhanDay
September 10 - Khan Coins
2-4 PM | Carpenter Lobby l FREE
Join the Mongol Hordes and make your own Khan change using know how, paint and clay supplied by the Arts Center. Chill Bubble Tea will provide free bubble tea samples, and offer regular-sized drinks for sale at a discounted price to all visitors from 1 to 5 PM in Carpenter Lobby. Suitable for all ages.
Saturday, September 10
Khan Lecture Series: Genghis Khan: Then and Today
2 PM | Dupree Theater l FREE
Dr. William Fitzhugh – curatorial consultant for Genghis Khan: The Exhibition – speaks on the topic, Genghis Khan: Then and Today. Fitzhugh is Director of the Arctic Studies Center and Curator in the Anthropology Department at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History.
Saturday, September 17
Khan Lecture Series: Mongol Military Tactics
2 PM | Meeting Rooms l FREE
Dr. Harold Tanner, professor within the Department of History and Military History Center at the University of North Texas, presents a lecture on "Genghis Khan and the Mongol Way of War."
Saturday, September 24
Celebrate Smithsonian Museum Day
9 AM to 6 PM l FREE
Visit the Irving Arts Center – an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution for Smithsonian Museum Day. In the spirit of Smithsonian Museums, who offer free admission every day, Museum Day is an annual event in which participating museums across the country open their doors to anyone presenting a Museum Day Ticket...for free. The Irving Arts Center will offer FREE admission to Genghis Khan: The Exhibition from 9 AM to 11 AM. Capacity is limited and a special Museum Day ticket must be presented for enter. To print a ticket, visit the Smithsonian Museum Day website at In addition to free exhibition admission, there is a full schedule of other free activities scheduled that do not require a special ticket.
Khan Film Screenings
Carpenter Hall l FREE l Free popcorn as long as it lasts.
11 AM - The Conqueror (1956). This historic epic of Genghis Khan stars none other than John “Duke” Wayne as Khan and Susan Hayward as his redheaded wife, Borte. A kitschy Hollywood classic, the film was produced by Howard Hughes and directed by Dick Powell. The Conqueror was a critical and commercial failure (often ranked as one of the worst films of the 1950s) despite the stature of the cast. Wayne, who was at the height of his career, lobbied for the role after seeing the script, and was widely believed to have been grossly miscast. See for yourself!
4 PM - Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth and Sea (2007) not rated. Genghis Khan: the name a legend. The man…near myth. A soul obscured by his own achievements; Son, husband, father, conqueror. Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth and Sea weaves the saga of one exalted man’s march toward immortality and the battle to unite the tribes of Mongol under one rule. Directed by Shinichiro Sawai, starring Takashi Sorimachi, Rei Kikukawa, Mayumi Wakamura and Ken'ichi Matsuyama, the film was 27 years in the planning and is said to be a landmark achievement of Japanese cinema.
Family KhanDay
2-4 PM | Carpenter Lobby l FREE
Create a brush painting using the Chinese techniques passed down through the ages. Supplies and instruction provided by the Arts Center.
About Genghis Khan: The Exhibition
The world tour of Genghis Khan: The Exhibition captures the essence of Genghis Khan’s empire, his military prowess, cultural influence, mysterious burial and lasting legacy on modern-day culture. The exhibition, the largest collection of 13th century Mongolian artifacts ever gathered in a single showing, includes gold jewelry, weaponry, tomb treasures, silk robes, religious relics, and porcelain vases. Video screens, handicraft and weaponry activity stations, a life size ger (traditional Mongolian home) and role-playing kiosks create a highly interactive, educational and historical experience that is fun for the whole family.
Tickets
Genghis Khan: The Exhibition runs through Sept. 30, 2011. Exhibit hours are Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 1-8 p.m. Admission is timed and the last entry time is at 6:30 p.m. daily. Tickets are $8 for children, groups and seniors (ages 55 years and above); and $12 for adults. Children under 2 years old are free. To purchase tickets contact the box office at (972) 252-2787 or visit www.KhanIrving.com. Strollers are permitted inside the exhibition.
About Genghis Khan: History’s Greatest Conqueror
An epic tale, the transformation of Temüjin – a poor, illiterate child – into Genghis Khan – one of history’s greatest conquers – is filled with brutality, cunning and intrigue. Born in 1162 AD, Genghis Khan’s early hardships included the untimely death of his father, the controversial execution of his half-brother, his imprisonment and torture at the hands of a warring tribe, the kidnapping of his young wife, Borte, and the violent and deadly rivalry between him and his sworn blood brother, Jamuka. These challenges shaped him into a brutal, yet visionary leader.
In 1206 AD he successfully united the Mongol clans and was given the title of Genghis Khan – Fierce or Oceanic Ruler. He solidified this unification by establishing a code of law or Yasa which brought order to the Mongolian steppes, and prepared his people to wage war with civilizations beyond Mongolian borders.
Balancing the rule of law with the superior power of his military, Genghis Khan was able to take a part of northern China in 1215 AD. Then, he took his armies to the west and conquered a part of the Middle East in 1220 AD. He died in 1227 AD, after leaving each of his four sons a part of his empire and selecting his son Ogodei as Khan of the Mongols. Genghis Khan’s grandson, Kublai Khan, initiated 89 years of Mongol rule over China under the support of the Yuan dynasty. Genghis Khan’s burial site remains one of history’s great mysteries.
About The Irving Arts Center
The Irving Arts Center is a department of the City of Irving. The Arts Center became an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution in 2007 and is one of only 160 institutions nationwide to earn the honor. More than 135,000 visitors representing 28 states and 205 cities attend Arts Center events each year. For more information please contact the Arts Center at (972) 252-7558 or visit www.irvingartscenter.com.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Contact: Lisa Taylor
(214) 914-1099
lisa@trizcom.com
