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BISHOP MUSEUM PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 30, 2007


Free Admission for Residents and Military December 19

HMC and Bishop Museum Honor Princess Pauahi

Bishop Museum and Hawaii Maritime Center will both offer FREE ADMISSION for Hawaii residents with proof of residency and Active and Retired Military with ID on December 19, 2007. Bishop Museum is offering the free admission program in celebration of the birthday of Hawaiian Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, whose estate made possible the founding of Bishop Museum and Kamehameha Schools.

According to new Director Tim Johns, the free admission policy on Princess Bernice Pauahi¹s birthday is to become an annual event. The founding of Bishop Museum was the result of an unconventional love story between a häole man and a Hawaiian Princess. Charles Reed Bishop fell in love with Bernice Pauahi Päkï when she was only 16. In 1847, he met her for the first time and began calling on her nearly every night thereafter. They fell deeply in love. But, Pauahi¹s parents heatedly opposed the match. They had already betrothed her as a child to Lot, who later became Kamehameha V. She was in line to be Queen and yet, she rejected it all for love. Despite the objections by family and friends, they were married in a small private ceremony in 1850.

Their relationship stood the test of time and eventually won the respect and admiration of Pauahi¹s parents and that of the greater Hawaiian community.
They were married for nearly 35 years until Pauahi¹s untimely death separated them. Bishop was at her side when she died October 16, 1884. He was devastated, mourning Pauahi¹s loss deeply and profoundly. The founding of Bishop Museum in 1889 was an act of love by Charles Reed Bishop in honor of his beloved wife. From 1898 to 1903, he built the Hawaiian Hall Complex to house Pauahi¹s personal collections. It was Charles Reed Bishop¹s intention that Bishop Museum study, preserve, and tell the stories of Hawaii and the Pacific, a mission that is still being carried into the next century.

Currently on view at Bishop Museum is Pauahi: A Legacy for Hawaii, an exhibition featuring personal legacies and bequests from the collection of Princess Bernice Pauahi Päkï Bishop and includes treasures from others that may not have survived without the founding of Bishop Museum. Also on view in the Castle Memorial Building is Brain: The World Inside Your Head. This exhibition was made possible by Pfizer Inc and produced by Evergreen Exhibitions, in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In Honolulu, BRAIN is sponsored in Hawaii by The Queen¹s Medical Center, Bank of Hawaii, HMSA and Straub. The hands-on exhibit provides a close-up look at the human body¹s most essential and fascinating organ by exploring its development, geography, and function.

On view at the Hawaii Maritime Center is The Canoe: An Alaskan and Hawaiian Tradition. This exhibit, produced in cooperation with the Alaskan Native Heritage Center, presents a comparison and contrast of Hawaiian and Alaskan canoe voyaging traditions. Both Museums will be open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.

For more information about Free Admission at Bishop Museum and Hawaii Maritime Center on December 19, 2007, call (808) 847-3511 or visit ww.bishopmuseum.org.

Bishop Museum Information: (808) 847-3511;
Location: 1525 Bernice Street in Honolulu, HI 96817-2704;
Hours: 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. daily.
Closed Christmas Day;
Admission: Adults - $15.95;
Youth (4-12) and Seniors (65+) - $12.95:
Kama¹äina and Military with ID ­ Adult $7.95;
Youth (4-12) and Seniors (65+) $6.95; (non-resident visitors accompanied by Military or Kama¹äina with ID - $9.95)
Members and Children 3 and under are always free.
Children 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult.
Archives: (808) 848-4182;
Library: (808) 848-4148;
Planetarium: (808) 848-4136;
Shop Pacifica: (808) 848-4158 - There is no admission fee for those who wish only to shop at Shop Pacifica;
Paeaina Café: 848-4137;
Facility Rentals: (808) 848-4131;
Web site: www.bishopmuseum.org