Pirate exhibit runs until October 28 in Delray Beach

“Ahoy Maitz! Pirates & Treasures” washes ashore

SouthFloridaSunrise.com Staff report

July 10--The Cornell Museum of Art & American Culture at Old School Square in Delray Beach will have a special Blue Bell Pirate Weekend on July 14 & 15, presented in partnership with Blue Bell Ice Cream.

The event features its current “Ahoy Maitz! Pirates & Treasures” exhibit. This unique exhibition celebrates pirates, myths and legends through the remarkable and imaginative paintings of national, award-winning artist, Don Maitz, who also created the original Captain Morgan Spiced Rum character.

The exhibit also includes fascinating treasures on loan from Mel Fisher's treasures; guess how many gold doubloons cover the pirate ship; take an art inspired treasure hunt; and learn some pirate fun facts.

Exhibit details: the first floor galleries include pirate art by Don Maitz and pirate surprises designed and built by Old School Square staff; the second floor galleries feature magical fantasy art depicting wizards, kings and princesses, and the children’s gallery, a celebration of color with visually exciting components and activities; and an entire upstairs gallery will be dedicated to an exciting “walk-through” book, entitled “How I Became a Pirate,” by Melinda Long and David Shannon.  The text of the book will be in English, Spanish and Creole.

Blue Bell Pirate Weekend with activities fit for pirates and princesses.  “Pirates & PJs” on Saturday evening and “Pirate/Princess Funday” on Sunday afternoon. Saturday, 7-9 p.m.; Sunday, 1-4 p.m.; $10 adults; kids free with adult paid admission.

“Ahoy Maitz! Pirates & Treasures” runs through October 28th. The museum is located at Old School Square, 51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach.  Museum hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Sunday, 1-4:30 p.m.  Admission is $10 general; $6 seniors; $4 students (13-21); $2 ages 4-12; free for ages 3 and under.

About Don Maitz

Over a 30-year career, Don Maitz has produced imaginative paintings that have amazed a worldwide audience.  The iconic pirate character he created for Captain Morgan Spiced Rum is his most widely recognized work.  Most Maitz paintings are painted with oil colors, in the painting techniques used by the old masters, and present a story to viewers, who respond to the enticement and allure of the image.  Sometimes, experimentation and innovation give rise to unique applications of traditional media.
 
Past clients have included the National Geographic Society, Bantam Doubleday Dell, Random House Publishers, Harper Collins Publishers, Watson Guptill, Warner Books, Sony Online Entertainment, Penguin USA, Joseph Seagrams and Sons, TV Guide, Paramount Pictures, and Warner Brothers pictures.
 
Maitz has twice won science fiction's Hugo award for best artist, a special Hugo for best artwork. He has received a Howard award, ten Chesley awards from his peers in the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists (ASFA), an Inkpot award, a Silver Medal and certificates of merit from New York City's Society of Illustrators. Paintings have been exhibited at NASA's 25 Anniversary Show, in Cleveland OH, the Park Avenue Atrium, the Hayden Planetarium and the Society of Illustrators in New York City, NY, the New Britain Museum of American Art, CT, the Delaware Art Museum, DE, the Canton Art Museum, OH, the Florida International Museum and the South Florida Museum, FL.
 
Maitz artwork has enhanced products world-wide, extending to books, magazines, jigsaw puzzles, mural wallpaper, limited edition prints, posters, calendars, screen savers, cards, and other merchandise. Two published books of his collected art work have sold out: First Maitz, and Dreamquests the Art of Don Maitz.
 
His images have appeared in the Spectrum annual publications, in Fantasy Art Masters (volume one), Infinite Worlds, and The Chesley Awards for Science Fiction and Fantasy Art: A Retrospective. Maitz has illustrated books by Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, C. J. Cherryh, Raymond Feist, Alan Dean Foster, Stephen King, Michael Moorcock, and occasionally, his wife artist and author, Janny Wurts.
 
Maitz recently worked as a conceptual artist on two feature films: Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius, and as a concept and production artist for Ant Bully.  His work has been featured on the History Channel, Dateline NBC, the Today Show, Ripley’s Believe It or Not and others and was also featured on the cover of “Best of America Oil Artists,” Volume III.