New Bedford Whaling Museum

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18 Johnny Cake Hill
New Bedford, MA 02740 United States Get Directions
Phone (508) 997-0046
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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.

Claridade: Cape Verdean Identity in Contemporary Art at New Bedford Whaling Museum

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

In 2025, communities across the world will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Cape Verdean independence from Portugal. New Bedford and the greater South Coast area of New England are home to one of the largest and longest-standing Cape Verdean communities outside of Cabo Verde. In marking this occasion, the New Bedford Whaling Museum presents the Contemporary Cape Verdean 2025 project, which explores the Cape Verdean American and Cape Verdean experience through the lens of contemporary art and community storytelling. The exhibition Claridade: Cape Verdean Identity in Contemporary Art, hosted in the Wattles Family Gallery, weaves together work by contemporary Cape Verdean and Cape Verdean American visual artists and filmmakers. The title of the exhibition is inspired from the Cape Verdean literary review Claridade that ran intermittently from 1936 to 1960. Portuguese for “clarity” or “light,” the publication served as a platform for discussion and analysis around Cape Verdean identity. Working as a space for similar reflections and consideration, the exhibition will include sculpture, fiber arts, mixed media works on paper, paintings, poetry, and video installation and include artists who were born on Cape Verde, those who emigrated to the United States, and those born in the United States and the […]

New Bedford Whaling Museum Premieres CETACEAN (The Whale)

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

The New Bedford Whaling Museum invites guests to experience CETACEAN (The Whale), a haunting and immersive audiovisual performance created by multidisciplinary artist and storyteller Deke Weaver. This event is part of The Unreliable Bestiary, a lifelong performance project with one piece for each letter of the alphabet, each focused on an endangered species or habitat. CETACEAN serves as the sixth installment, shining a spotlight on the cultural and ecological significance of whales. This condensed version of the acclaimed 2023 production blends original video, lo-fi theatrical effects, sound design, movement, and storytelling to create a layered meditation on whales, oceans, and the human condition in the age of climate change. Described as a “mesmerizing, operatic memorial” and a “waking dream,” the performance offers a powerful interdisciplinary experience in the historic setting of the Museum’s Harbor View Gallery. Created and performed by Deke Weaver (writer, performer, producer), the piece also features Jennifer Allen as director, choreographer, and performer, and Latrelle Bright as performer. The production includes contributions from original collaborators Susan Becker (costumes), John Boesche (video), James Lo (sound), and Jayne Wenger (dramaturgy), bringing together a visionary team to deliver this emotionally resonant and thought-provoking work. This limited engagement aligns with the […]

$20

Homeschool Day at the New Bedford Whaling Museum

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

Homeschool Day Friday, September 26, 2025 from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm Learn about art, history, science, and culture with activities designed for homeschool families. Explore the new Kid’s Corner and the Interactive Topographic Sand Table or come for favorite activities like the Inflatable Whale. And look for scavenger hunt whales that recently migrated to new hiding spots! Homeschoolers (ages 4-18) can visit at a discounted rate of $10.00 per student and $12.00 per adult for general admission. Children under 3 are free. On Homeschool Days, general admission includes the Inflatable Whale, Lagoda Below Deck, and other activity stations around the museum. Add tickets for the 3D Movie for $4.00 per person. Sea Lions is a 25-minute 3D Movie with showings at 10:30 am, 11:30 am, 12:30 pm, 1:30 pm, and 2:30 pm. Recommended for all ages. Schedule of ActivitieS 🔹 Squid Dissection Workshop Use dissecting tools to discover the unusual adaptations of squid by investigating their external and internal anatomy. This 60-minute hands-on Squid Dissection workshop is available at 9:45 am; 11:30 am; or 1:15 pm. $7.00 for participating students; no charge for accompanying adults. Pre-registration is recommended and space is limited to 16 students per session. Recommended for […]

$10 – $20

Cape Verdean Independence and the Making of a Nation

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

On the 50th anniversary of Cape Verde’s independence from Portugal, join leading experts to learn more about the independence movement in Cabo Verde in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, explore acts of revolution under the PAIGC, and consider the legacies of Cape Verdean independence from Portugal today, in the island nation, our region, and globally. Moderated by Naomi Slipp, Douglas & Cynthia Crocker Endowed Chair for Chief Curator and Director of Museum Learning at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, this free, online program is a unique opportunity to learn more about this important historic event, and is offered as a companion to the Museum’s Cape Verdean Contemporary project. About the speakers: Dr. Carlos A. Almeida is a Professor of Portuguese, the Director of LusoCentro, and Coordinator of the Portuguese / English Community Interpreting Certificate at Bristol Community College, in Fall River, Massachusetts and a Visiting Lecturer in the Department of Portuguese at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. He received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, a Master of Arts in Hispanic Literatures and Linguistics and a Doctorate in Lusophone Literatures and Cultures from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He specializes in Portuguese and Cabo Verdean Languages, […]

Free
Moby-Dick Virtual Book Club

Moby-Dick Virtual Book Club

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

Join the Moby-Dick Book Club, a virtual three-part series exploring Herman Melville’s iconic American novel. Whether you're reading it for the first time or returning to it with fresh eyes, all are welcome to take part in engaging, thought-provoking conversations led by some of the world’s leading Melville scholars. Marina Wells, Assistant Curator of History & Culture, will moderate the series, which meets virtually on the third Tuesday of the month in September, October, and November 2025 from 5:30 to 6:30pm. These sessions will prepare readers for the 30th Moby-Dick Marathon at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, taking place on January 3, 2026. Each session centers on a guiding theme and includes a suggested reading schedule—but participants are encouraged to read at their own pace and join when they can. Bring your thoughts, questions, and interpretations to share with fellow readers and Melville experts alike. Virtual Session Schedule: Tuesday, September 16, at 5:30pm Extracts to Chapter 47 Theme: Making Meaning in Moby-Dick Featured Guests: Professors Tony McGowan & Tim Marr Tuesday, October 21 at 5:30pm Chapter 48 to Chapter 95 Theme: Race, Nation, and Representation Featured Guests: Professors Bob Wallace & Wyn Kelley Tuesday, November 18 at 5:30pm Chapter 96 […]

Moby-Dick Virtual Book Club

Moby-Dick Virtual Book Club

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

Join the Moby-Dick Book Club, a virtual three-part series exploring Herman Melville’s iconic American novel. Whether you're reading it for the first time or returning to it with fresh eyes, all are welcome to take part in engaging, thought-provoking conversations led by some of the world’s leading Melville scholars. Marina Wells, Assistant Curator of History & Culture, will moderate the series, which meets virtually on the third Tuesday of the month in September, October, and November 2025 from 5:30 to 6:30pm. These sessions will prepare readers for the 30th Moby-Dick Marathon at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, taking place on January 3, 2026. Each session centers on a guiding theme and includes a suggested reading schedule—but participants are encouraged to read at their own pace and join when they can. Bring your thoughts, questions, and interpretations to share with fellow readers and Melville experts alike. Virtual Session Schedule: Tuesday, September 16, at 5:30pm Extracts to Chapter 47 Theme: Making Meaning in Moby-Dick Featured Guests: Professors Tony McGowan & Tim Marr Tuesday, October 21 at 5:30pm Chapter 48 to Chapter 95 Theme: Race, Nation, and Representation Featured Guests: Professors Bob Wallace & Wyn Kelley Tuesday, November 18 at 5:30pm Chapter 96 […]

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Photo Credit: Josh Souza