For Immediate Release   June 9, 2000 Media Contact: Lea Nickless Verrecchia 305-375-5362   Master-Peace 2000 Exhibition Opens at Historical Museum of Southern Florida The public is invited to the opening of Master-Peace 2000 at The Historical Museum of Southern Florida (101 West Flagler Street, Miami) on Saturday, June 17 from 2 to 5 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Ten collaborative student murals, each representing one century of the past millennium, will provide a vivid timeline examining lessons learned through history and art. The murals will be on view through July 16, 2000 and will then be installed permanently in each school. In Master-Peace 2000, over five hundred students from ten schools worked with Miami artist Xavier Cortada to explore the past millennium through an innovative Internet-driven collaborative art process. They examined everything from The Crusades to Slavery, from Genghis Khan to Shakespeare, and from the printing press to the Exxon Valdez. Students then created drawings and essays that were posted on the Master-Peace website and used in the ten murals created in the artist’s studio. Internet technology linked students to the artist’s studio. Live webcams allowed students to observe the artist as he collaged their drawings and essays onto large panels. Students communicated with the Cortada via live chat rooms, asking questions and providing on-line feedback. Visit the interactive website at www.master-peace.org/mp2k. For additional information on the exhibition or on master-Peace 2000, call 305-375-5362. The following schools participated in Master-Peace 2000: 11th Century Shenandoah Middle School 12th Century Booker T. Washington 13th Century Ruben Dario Middle School 14th Century Coral Gables Senior High 15th Century Paul Bell Middle School 16th Century Design and Architecture Senior High (DASH) 17th Century George Washington Carver Middle School 18th Century Miami Killian Senior High 19th Century Miami Beach Senior High 20th Century MAST Academy Cuban-American artist Xavier Cortada combines his passion for art with a deep concern for social and political issues and a belief in the power of art as an agent for social change. He developed Master-Peace as a vehicle to impact students and make positive changes within schools and communities. To date, Master-Peace has completed projects in twenty-two Miami-Dade County Public Schools since beginning in 1998. A seven-minute videotape documenting the Master-Peace process is available by contacting Miami-Dade Art in Public Places at 305-375-5362. Master-Peace 2000 is a collaborative effort of Regis House, Inc., Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Division of Life Skills, and Miami-Dade Art in Public Places. Master-Peace 2000 is a continuation of the educational and community outreach programming initiated by the Art in Public Places Trust.   ### ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AT Lea Nickless Verrecchia Coordinator of Education & Community Outreach Miami-Dade Art in Public Places 305-375-5362 tel/375-5345 fax email: LN99@co.miami-dade.fl.us