MIAMI (April 26, 2005) – For the new 110,000-ton Carnival Liberty – set to debut Carnival’s first-ever Mediterranean cruise program July 20, 2005 – the line has commissioned a group of talented artists to enhance the vessel’s striking interiors, which celebrate great artisans and their works. 

Israeli artist Calman Shemi took the Carnival Liberty’s design theme to heart and created a series of large, colorful murals that feature depictions of iron workers, glass blowers, jewelry makers, and sculptors practicing their crafts. The massive aluminum panels, which measure an impressive six feet high by nine feet wide, are positioned within the ship’s center stairways. Shemi also created 45 different motifs that were reproduced to adorn each of the Carnival Liberty’s 1,479 staterooms.

In her first commission from Carnival, California painter Marian Westall also pays homage to the artisan theme with a series of large canvases for the aft stairways. The brightly colored paintings depict pottery and ornate grillwork set against a variety of dramatic settings, including the desert, sunsets, and a lake. 

Virginia Ferrara’s large, tropical-themed pieces, which adorn Carnival Liberty’s stair landings, are inspired by the surroundings of her adopted South Florida home. Measuring up to six feet high by 15 feet wide, the huge, pastel-hued pieces offer a laid-back look at the Sunshine State, with images of palm trees, hammocks and swimming pool scenes that evoke a feeling of total relaxation. 

Adjacent to the Carnival Liberty’s swimming pools are four bronze sculptures of Susanna Holt, who has been commissioned to create artwork for six Carnival ships. For Carnival Liberty, Holt created authentic depictions of an anhinga bird drying its wings, sea lions in repose, and a stag and a doe in standing positions.

Rounding out the Carnival Liberty’s multi-million-dollar collection are colorful glass pieces of renowned Italian glass artist Luciano Vistosi, which are illuminated from behind and positioned along Carnival Liberty’s ship-long promenade, and Sara Righi’s sculpture of “Aurora,” a bronze sculpture found along the promenade bar adjacent to the Czar’s Palace Casino.

Carnival Liberty is scheduled to debut July 20, with a series of 12-day Mediterranean voyages that will run through Oct. 12, 2005. Featured ports include Naples, Italy; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Venice, Italy; Messina, Sicily; Barcelona, Spain; Cannes, France; and Livorno, Italy. 

Carnival Liberty will also operate a 16-day transatlantic voyage departing Rome (Civitavecchia) Oct. 24, and arriving at Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Nov. 9, 2005, calling at Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca and Malaga, Spain; Funchal (Madeira), Portugal; and St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles. 

Carnival Liberty will then launch the cruise industry’s only year-round six- and eight-day Bahamas/Caribbean schedule from Fort Lauderdale beginning Nov. 12, 2005.

For additional information and reservations, contact any travel agent, call 1-800-CARNIVAL or visit carnival.com.

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Carnival Cruise Lines is a proud member of the exclusive World’s Leading Cruise Lines. Our exclusive alliance also includes Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Cunard Line, Costa Cruises, Windstar Cruises and The Yachts of Seabourn. Sharing a passion to please each guest, and a commitment to quality and value, our member lines appeal to a wide range of lifestyles and budgets. Together, we offer exciting and enriching cruise vacations to the world’s most desirable destinations.