Bell Atlantic Targets Wide Audience With Picasso Exhibition Sponsorship

Bell Atlantic Targets Wide Audience With Picasso Exhibition Sponsorship

Technology, Outreach Program will Present Modern Master's Early Works to Net Surfers, Schools as well as
National Gallery Visitors

October 28, 1996

NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Bell Atlantic Corp., which today
announced its
sponsorship of a major exhibition of the early works of Pablo Picasso
at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., will deliver the
modern master's works to as wide an audience as technology and
outreach programs can touch.

"We want to make this exhibit an experience people across the
country
and around the world can share," said Eric Rabe, assistant vice
president-corporate communications, "and today the technologies
exist
to make that possible even for those who cannot travel to the National
Gallery in Washington, D.C., to see the Picasso show in person.

"We're still in the early stages," Rabe said, "but we
plan
to share
the essence of the exhibition with the public via the Internet and
with school children using interactive distance learning networks --
technologies that have never been available before."

Picasso: The Early Years, 1892-1906, will feature more than
125
works
from Picasso's Blue and Rose periods when his distinctive style was
emerging. The paintings, drawings, prints, pastels and sculpture that
make up this unique exhibit were gathered from collections worldwide,
including the National Gallery's own substantial collection.

The exhibition will run at the National Gallery from March 30 through
July 27, 1997, before moving to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston
Sept. 10, 1997 through Jan. 4, 1998. The Boston exhibition will be
sponsored by NYNEX Corp.

Bell Atlantic is working with the National Gallery staff to develop a
rich palette of opportunities for the public to experience this
exhibit. While there are some constraints on what images3 can be
distributed over public networks, Bell Atlantic intends, for example,
to establish an Internet web site for anyone interested in the
exhibition. The site will show exhibit highlights and can include
discussion groups; on-line, on-demand "lectures," and other
opportunities to explore Picasso's genius.

The National Gallery has proposed a number of educational outreach
programs and Bell Atlantic is exploring ways to hold group lectures on
the exhibition in schools connected via two-way interactive distance
learning video networks.

"Bell Atlantic has focused its philanthropy program on education,
particularly the use of technology to support pre-college math,
science and technology courses," Rabe said. "But we know
that
the
arts and humanities also have applications for educational technology,
and we hope this exhibition demonstrates that potential."

Bell Atlantic has already begun to explore the possibilities. In New
Jersey, for example, the company has sponsored performances by
ArtsPower, the state's largest professional touring theater for young
and family audiences, delivered over two-way video networks to dozens
of schools. A recent Bell Atlantic Foundation grant to ArtsPower will
result in a multi-discipline curriculum that will tie dramatic
performances and "electronic field trips" to courses in
history,
English, drama, music and social studies.

"Educators have told us that they value distance learning
curricula
as
a way of maximizing their investments in video networks, and we're
supporting various programs that will inspire curriculum development.
The Picasso exhibit gives us a unique chance to do even more using
today's powerful communications technologies," Rabe said.

The National Gallery of Art was created for the people of the United
States of America by a joint resolution of Congress accepting a gift
of financier and art collector, Andrew W. Mellon. The Gallery is one
of the world's preeminent museums. Its outstanding collection of
nearly 100,000 paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, sculpture and
decorative arts traces the development of Western art from the Middle
Ages to present.

Some fifteen to twenty special exhibitions are held annually. The
Gallery also offers a concert series, in addition to numerous
lectures, tours, film showings and various educational programs and
materials.

The National Gallery represents a partnership of federal and private
resources. The Gallery's operations and maintenance are supported
through federal appropriations. All of the Gallery's acquisitions are
made through private means. Admission to the Gallery is free.

Bell Atlantic Corp. (NYSE: BEL)
is
at the forefront of the new
communications, entertainment and information industry. In the
mid-Atlantic region, the company is the premier provider of local
telecommunications and advanced services. Globally, it is one of the
largest investors in the high-growth wireless communication
marketplace. Bell Atlantic also owns a substantial interest in
Telecom Corp. of New Zealand and is actively developing high-growth
national and international business opportunities in all phases of the
industry.