Alex Tagliani Meets with Students During King Tut School Visits

Conquest Racing driver Alex Tagliani took advantage of a day off-track to pay a visit to a couple of elementary schools on Wednesday. The visit was part of a school tour program designed to raise awareness about the “Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs” exhibition that will be at the Indianapolis Children’s Museum from June to October of this year.

Tagliani, along with King Tut Exhibition organizers, gave students the chance to see his King Tut liveried Indy car up close as well as give them a preview of the exhibit.

The driver of the #34 Rexall Edmonton Indy car spoke about how he started in racing, shared his fascination for the Egyptian King with the kids who listened in awe to his every word and answered their questions. Tag also posed for pictures with the kids and teachers from both Lost Creek Elementary in Terre Haute, Ind. and Amelia Earhart Elementary in Lafayette, Ind.

“I had a great time doing the school visits on Wednesday,” expressed Tagliani. “I enjoy seeing the kids’ faces light up when you talk about racing or when they get to see a racecar up close. It always reminds me of how lucky I am to be doing this. Obviously being in Indiana these kids know a lot about racing and they asked some pretty good questions.
 
“I think it’s fantastic that the exhibit is coming to Indianapolis at the Children’s Museum and that these students will get the chance to see the King Tut Exhibit and learn about ancient Egyptian history. I would have loved to be able to see such an exhibit when I was a kid and learning about Egypt. I will definitely go to the exhibit when it comes to Indianapolis.”

Exhibition organizers and the King Tut show car will be visiting more schools in the Lafayette, Indianapolis and Fort Wayne areas next week.

“Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs,” is a touring exhibition, organized by National Geographic, Arts and Exhibitions International and AEG Exhibitions featuring 130 authentic artifacts from the tomb of the celebrated pharaoh King Tutankhamun and other ancient Egyptian sites, which will be at the Indianapolis Children’s Museum from June 27 to October 25, 2009, its first Midwest showing following the U.S. premiere in Atlanta. Most artifacts in the exhibition had never visited the U.S. prior to this tour.

Teachers throughout the state of Indiana and beyond have an opportunity to teach a new generation about King Tut and ancient Egyptian history with financial assistance from the Lilly Endowment, Inc., which has generously provided The Children’s Museum with a grant that will enable the museum to provide nearly 98,000 free tickets for teachers and their students on a first-come, first-served basis. There are still tickets available, and school groups can register for Tutankhamun fieldtrips at www.ChildrensMuseum.org.

Arts and Exhibitions International on behalf of The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is a major associate sponsor for the Conquest Racing team for the 2009 Indianapolis 500.

- Karina Redmont -