New Bedford Whaling Museum

Address
18 Johnny Cake Hill
New Bedford, MA 02740 United States Get Directions
Phone (508) 997-0046
Events at this venue
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  • Morabeza: Cape Verdean Community in the South Coast at New Bedford Whaling Museum

    New Bedford Whaling Museum 18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford, MA, United States

    The temporary exhibition Morabeza: Cape Verdean Community in the South Coast is hosted in the San Francisco galleries, adjoining the permanent gallery devoted to Cape Verdean culture that opened in 2011. It features personal stories, oral histories, music, photographs, and belongings from individuals and community organizations to tell the story of the Cape Verdean diaspora across the region, spanning the South Coast, Rhode Island, and Cape Cod.

  • Forging Independence | Building a Nation

    New Bedford Whaling Museum 18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford, MA, United States

    In celebration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, NBWM will open a new suite of conjoined galleries in that explore stories of independence, struggle, and citizenship in the region during the late colonial and early Republican period (1760-1830). Forging Independence | Building a Nation introduces connections between historical events and pressing issues of today, asking visitors to consider what ideas are embodied in the terms and ideas of Independence and Nationhood. Words like patriotism, freedom, taxation, citizenship, liberty, equality, justice, tolerance, and independence serve as keystones within the installation to encourage thoughtful engagement with concepts that transcend the past and directly connect with our present. Associations forged between objects, concepts, and individuals broach insightful civic-minded questions about what it means to be “American.” What did colonial citizens think America should or would be, and how do we today continue to ask those questions and shape that outcome today?

  • Ahab’s Head: American Vengeance

    New Bedford Whaling Museum 18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford, MA, United States

    In Ahab’s Head: American Vengeance, a new installation work created for the New Bedford Whaling Museum, Whitman seeks to capture Ahab’s madness and the ominous feeling of dread and inevitable violence that pervades the novel. In this work, Whitman encourages visitors to reflect on how these themes are also mirrored in American society. Hanging sculptural forms made from rope and fabric cast shadows on wall-drawn charts depicting fictitious whaling voyages. Two giant assemblages, one inspired by Ahab and Moby-Dick and the other of the destruction of the ship, the Pequod. Together with a newly created soundscape and weaponry from the Museum collection, Ahab’s Head will place visitors at the center of Ahab’s obsession and offer a meditation on violence in the world of Moby-Dick and beyond.

  • An Unfinished Project: Reflections on the Promises of Revolution at the Nation’s 250th

    New Bedford Whaling Museum 18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford, MA, United States

    Join the New Bedford Whaling Museum for a special program marking the opening of Forging Independence | Building a Nation, a new semi-permanent exhibition developed in recognition of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. The exhibition explores the diverse regional experiences that shaped the struggle for independence and the new nation that emerged. The evening begins with welcome remarks from Jon Mitchell, Mayor of New Bedford, followed by a 30-minute screening of excerpts from Ken Burns’s The American Revolution that highlight the many individuals whose beliefs, identities, and courage propelled the nation toward independence. After the screening, a panel discussion will examine how the Revolution reshaped people’s lives across the region, how ideas about nationhood, abolition, citizenship, and racial identity evolved in its aftermath, and how the legacies of these questions are with us in the present. Naomi Slipp will introduce the project and discuss some of the key individuals, including women and people of color, who are highlighted in the exhibition; Lee Blake will consider the roles of free people of color in the fight for Independence, the limitations of citizenship in this period, and the importance of freedom seekers and free Black citizens in the work of […]

    Free

  • 76 Days Adrift – Film Screening & Q&A with Executive Producer Robert Sennott

    New Bedford Whaling Museum 18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford, MA, United States

    From Academy Award–winning Executive Producer Ang Lee comes 76 Days Adrift—a gripping, immersive documentary that tells the extraordinary survival story of Steven Callahan, author of the New York Times bestseller Adrift: 76 Days Lost at Sea. On the night of February 4, 1982, Callahan’s small vessel collided with a whale in the Atlantic Ocean. With only moments to react, he escaped into a life raft with a basic survival kit—plunging into what would become 76 harrowing days alone at sea. Battling storms, dwindling supplies, and the vast, unforgiving ocean, Callahan was forced to confront both nature’s fury and his own deepest fears. Directed by Joe Wein with a haunting score by Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boy), 76 Days Adrift is not only a survival story but also a meditation on human resilience and our profound connection to the sea. Film Run Time: 95 minutes. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Executive Producer Robert Sennott, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the making of this powerful documentary.

  • FIRST FRIDAY | Down to the Sea in Ships

    New Bedford Whaling Museum 18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford, MA, United States

    Experience the film just as audiences did in the silent era—with live music. Down to the Sea in Ships (1922), directed by Elmer Clifton and filmed in New Bedford, is a full-length silent feature presented in the Harbor View Gallery at the Whaling Museum with a live musical score performed on grand piano by Grammy-nominated concert pianist Dr. Jennifer A. Maxwell. About the Film A major hit in its day, Down to the Sea in Ships is both a dramatic whaling story and an extraordinary record of local maritime history. The film includes the only legally filmed whale hunt in cinema history and features semi-documentary footage of whalers at work, shot on historic New Bedford–area locations such as the Quaker Meeting House, Seamen’s Bethel, and the whaling ship Charles W. Morgan, now on view at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut. Title cards incorporate quotations from Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick and Alexander Starbuck’s History of the American Whale Fishery. Its opening credits praise the courage of cameramen A. G. Penrod and Paul H. Allen, who filmed whaling scenes from small boats at great personal risk. The film is also notable for introducing flapper-era icon Clara Bow in her screen debut. About the Score […]

  • Latin Jazz Night: Salsa & Social Dance

    New Bedford Whaling Museum 18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford, MA, United States

    Experience the infectious rhythms of Latin Jazz at the New Bedford Whaling Museum! On this First Friday, Jesús Andujar y Su Grupo Sazón bring a high-energy, six-piece orchestra performing Salsa, Cha Cha, Merengue, and Latin Jazz that will keep you moving all night. The evening begins with Museum doors opening at 5:00 PM, followed by live music at 6:00 PM in the Harbor View Gallery. While the focus is on the music, an ample open dance floor with a dance leader will give guests the chance to learn basic steps and move to the beat. Come for the music, stay for the energy, and immerse yourself in the vibrant world of Latin Jazz! ABOUT THE BAND Jesús Andujar, born in the Dominican Republic, developed his extraordinary sense of rhythm and percussion while working on farms, where he honed his timing, tempo, and ear for music through everyday work with percussive tools. His natural talent led him to perform with bands across the Dominican Republic, where he became recognized as a master percussionist. Jesús later moved to New York City to study at the prestigious New York Collective Drumming School, learning from renowned artists including Bobby Sanabria, Ricky Sebastian, and Mike […]

  • Navy Day at the New Bedford Whaling Museum

    New Bedford Whaling Museum 18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford, MA, United States

    Join us for Navy Day, hosted in partnership with the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport! This exciting day of hands-on exploration highlights the Navy’s vital role in marine research, environmental preservation, and marine mammal protection while showcasing the Museum’s rich maritime history. 🔹 Engage with NUWC scientists and discover cutting-edge underwater research. 🔹 Explore whale ecology and see our massive whale skeletons up close. 🔹 Board the world’s largest ship model and embark on a scavenger hunt. 🔹 Experience stunning underwater worlds with 3D film screenings in the Cook Memorial Theater. 🔹 Participate in various hands-on activities with the program partners. Free admission for all valid Department of Defense (DoD) ID card holders, veterans, and their families. Don't miss this unique opportunity to connect with science, history, and the sea!

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Photo Credit: Josh Souza