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

Today

  • 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?

  • Proteanna: Susan Heideman

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

    Artist Susan Heideman (b. 1950) has explored bio-morphic shapes of the ocean’s “in-between entities” for nearly twenty years in her Proteanna series and beyond. The real and imagined floating, aqueous shapes of her work evoke the forms of invertebrate creatures that often remind us of primordial beings living in the depths of the sea. The colorful hand embroidered large scale works that define the Proteanna series are “hybrid” in nature and include a mix of older works combined with newer paintings and constructions. The texture and layering create an almost three-dimensional experience that transport the visitor into a wondrous underwater world of possibility. Artist Statement: In 2006 the Proteanna Series began with an experiment. For the first time, using black embroidery thread, I tried stitching imagery into an existing watercolor I’d always felt lacking. The piece seemed to come alive. Suddenly the idea of combining stitching, watercolor and other aqueous media on larger sheets of thick watercolor paper had become entrancing. I began tearing up random, ragged fragments of my old monotypes and stitching them onto the paper. I continued stitching, painting, and layering, attaching collaged pieces strictly through stitching. This was the beginning of the ongoing Proteanna Series. I […]

  • Sailors’ Valentines: Maritime Art from the Heart

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

    Shellwork mosaics, known as sailor’s valentines, consist of colorful shells in intricate arrangements housed in octagonal wooden boxes. Created primarily between 1830 and 1890, their designs incorporate hearts, flowers, and nautical symbols like anchors and compass roses. Sometimes they carry romantic messages written out in tiny shells. Despite their name, sailor’s valentines were not made by sailors at sea. Instead, they were produced for the tourist trade by Barbadian women from locally sourced shells. In the 1800s, Barbados, located at the easternmost part of the Caribbean, was a center of maritime supply and distribution. US ships often stopped at the small island, where sailors purchased keepsakes, like valentines, for loved ones at home. This cottage industry for locally made goods provided crucial economic opportunities for women of a color under British colonial occupation. The Slavery Abolition Act came into effect in Barbados in 1834, and previously enslaved Barbadians needed work. While Barbadian men traveled and labored off island, women provided for their families. Shellwork craft production was a lifeline. The popularity of sailor’s valentines emerged concurrent with the rise of a new scientific discipline – conchology, or the study of shells, the popular pastime of amateur shell collecting, and the […]

  • Summer at NBWM

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

    Visit the New Bedford Whaling Museum this summer for activities, crafts, and stories between 10:30 am-2:30 pm. Activities are free with Museum admission. See descriptions and schedule below. Mondays: Revolutionary Moments Commemorate America’s 250th Anniversary on alternating Mondays, June 29; July 13 and 27; August 10 and 24. Tuesdays: Lagoda Days Explore above and below deck on the Lagoda whaling ship on alternating Tuesdays, July 7 and 21; August 4 and 18. Wednesdays: Whale Wednesdays Climb inside the inflatable whale and create whale crafts every Wednesday, July 1-August 26. Thursdays: STEM Days & Squid Dissections Participate in hands-on STEM activities on alternating Thursdays, July 2, 16, and 30; August 13 and 27. Add a squid dissection at 11:00 AM. Tickets are $7. Pre-registration recommended; spaces are limited. Fridays: Photo Fridays Explore photography and the exhibit "Look pleasant, please" on alternating Fridays, July 10 and 24; August 7 and 21. Saturdays: Aquarium Activities Watch an aquarium feeding at 10:00 am. Aquarium craft activities start at 10:30, every Saturday, July 4-August 29. Sundays: Art Adventures Create art inspired by works in the Museum, every Sunday, June 28-August 30.

  • LIFELONG LEARNING: Short-course in the History of Photography, 1839-1900

    LIFELONG LEARNING: Short-course in the History of Photography, 1839-1900
    New Bedford Whaling Museum 18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford, MA, United States

    Co-Led by Naomi Slipp, Douglas and Cynthia Crocker Endowed Chair for the Chief Curator & Director of Museum Learning; Marina Dawn Wells, Assistant Curator of History & Culture This unique virtual course combines six weekly 80-minute sessions of lecture and discussion, with a culminating hands-on workshop at the Museum. Learn what photography is and how it transformed the world directly from experts in the field using the vast resources of the NBWM photography collection as your study materials. Everyone walks around today with a camera in our pocket. But that was not always the case. Our world is saturated with photographic images – from magazine covers and Facebook feeds to Instagram and billboards–but have you ever stopped to wonder how these images work, what they are trying to say to you, or what histories they may connect with? This course introduces life-long learners to the history of photography, from the invention of the medium in 1839 to the birth of Kodak and snapshot photography in 1900. Photographs will be studied as art objects and historical artifacts. Themes include technological innovations; debates between art photography, commercial photography, and documentary photography; government and private patronage; individual or collective endeavors; original and published […]

  • Author Book Talk: Francesca Du Brock

    New Bedford Whaling Museum 18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford, MA, United States +1 more

    About the Author: As Chief Curator at the Anchorage Museum, Francesca Du Brock’s curatorial practice is informed by her background as an artist and educator and is grounded in social engagement, place-based storytelling, environmental justice, and experimental museum practice. Recent projects including Dog Show (2025), How to Survive (2023), Black Lives in Alaska: Journey, Justice Joy (2021), and Extra Tough: Women of the North (2020), focus on topics of care and climate, interdependence, representation, Northern feminisms, and immigration. In 2020, she established the Museum’s Virtual Artist Residency program, which continues to provide unrestricted support to artists, sharing process and behind-the-scenes insights into their lives and practices. Born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska on Dena'ina Ełnena, she holds a BA in Art History from Bowdoin College, an MFA from the San Francisco Arts Institute, and an M.Ed from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. She is a current fellow at the Center for Curatorial Leadership and was awarded the 2025 Marica Vilcek Prize in Art History for her community-centered approach to curation. She is the editor of the recently published anthology, How to Survive: Practicing Care in a Changing Climate. About the Book: In a warming Arctic, Alaskans are leading efforts to […]

  • LIFELONG LEARNING: Short-course in the History of Photography, 1839-1900

    LIFELONG LEARNING: Short-course in the History of Photography, 1839-1900
    New Bedford Whaling Museum 18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford, MA, United States

    Co-Led by Naomi Slipp, Douglas and Cynthia Crocker Endowed Chair for the Chief Curator & Director of Museum Learning; Marina Dawn Wells, Assistant Curator of History & Culture This unique virtual course combines six weekly 80-minute sessions of lecture and discussion, with a culminating hands-on workshop at the Museum. Learn what photography is and how it transformed the world directly from experts in the field using the vast resources of the NBWM photography collection as your study materials. Everyone walks around today with a camera in our pocket. But that was not always the case. Our world is saturated with photographic images – from magazine covers and Facebook feeds to Instagram and billboards–but have you ever stopped to wonder how these images work, what they are trying to say to you, or what histories they may connect with? This course introduces life-long learners to the history of photography, from the invention of the medium in 1839 to the birth of Kodak and snapshot photography in 1900. Photographs will be studied as art objects and historical artifacts. Themes include technological innovations; debates between art photography, commercial photography, and documentary photography; government and private patronage; individual or collective endeavors; original and published […]

  • Sailing into Oblivion: 271 Days Alone at Sea

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

    A Sailors’ Series Program at the New Bedford Whaling Museum Thursday, August 6 | Doors Open 5:30 PM | Lecture 6:00–7:00 PM | Reception to Follow Embark on an unforgettable evening of endurance, seamanship, and solitude on the open ocean at this Sailors’ Series program at the Whaling Museum. Captain Jerome Rand will share the gripping story of his solo, non-stop circumnavigation of the globe aboard the 1975 Westsail 32 Mighty Sparrow — a 271-day voyage covering 29,805 miles without setting foot on land. Departing from Gloucester, Massachusetts, Jerome sailed east across the North Atlantic nearly to the Azores before turning south, passing the Cape Verde Islands and crossing the Equator. From there, he continued toward Cape Town, into the vast Indian Ocean, and down into the fierce gales of the Southern Ocean. He sailed below Australia and New Zealand, rounded Cape Horn, and crossed both the South and North Atlantic Oceans before finally returning home. Alone and beyond the reach of rescue, Jerome faced equipment failures, dwindling provisions, violent storms, and profound isolation. The Westsail 32 Mighty Sparrow—an American-built cruising vessel designed to withstand the world’s harshest waters—became the only boat of its class to complete a non-stop circumnavigation, […]

  • LIFELONG LEARNING: Short-course in the History of Photography, 1839-1900

    LIFELONG LEARNING: Short-course in the History of Photography, 1839-1900
    New Bedford Whaling Museum 18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford, MA, United States

    Co-Led by Naomi Slipp, Douglas and Cynthia Crocker Endowed Chair for the Chief Curator & Director of Museum Learning; Marina Dawn Wells, Assistant Curator of History & Culture This unique virtual course combines six weekly 80-minute sessions of lecture and discussion, with a culminating hands-on workshop at the Museum. Learn what photography is and how it transformed the world directly from experts in the field using the vast resources of the NBWM photography collection as your study materials. Everyone walks around today with a camera in our pocket. But that was not always the case. Our world is saturated with photographic images – from magazine covers and Facebook feeds to Instagram and billboards–but have you ever stopped to wonder how these images work, what they are trying to say to you, or what histories they may connect with? This course introduces life-long learners to the history of photography, from the invention of the medium in 1839 to the birth of Kodak and snapshot photography in 1900. Photographs will be studied as art objects and historical artifacts. Themes include technological innovations; debates between art photography, commercial photography, and documentary photography; government and private patronage; individual or collective endeavors; original and published […]

  • CUFFE: TAXED — Film Premiere and Discussion

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

    Thursday, August 13, 2026 | Doors at 5:00 PM | Program begins at 5:30 PM CUFFE: TAXED is a new short film inspired by the remarkable true story of Paul Cuffe, a Black and Wampanoag mariner, entrepreneur, abolitionist, and visionary from the South Coast. Set during the American Revolution, the film follows 19-year-old Cuffe and his Wampanoag brother-in-law, Michael Wainer, as they run food through the British blockade to help feed the people of Nantucket — while delivering a very expensive grandfather clock for prominent Quaker merchant William Rotch Sr. Irreverent, cinematic, and full of heart, CUFFE: TAXED brings a bold new energy to a local hero whose legacy helped shape New Bedford and beyond. The program will begin with PAUL CUFFE IS ME, a powerful, high-energy music video that pulls late-1700s Black and Wampanoag mariner Paul Cuffe out of the shadows of history. Performed by Boston-based rapper Daniel Laurent, with music by Roy Studmire and featuring dancers from Brickhouse NYC, the piece mixes hip-hop and history to celebrate Cuffe’s enduring legacy. Following the screening of CUFFE: TAXED — approximate runtime 14 minutes — audiences are invited to stay for a conversation moderated by Lee Blake of the New Bedford […]

  • LIFELONG LEARNING: Short-course in the History of Photography, 1839-1900

    LIFELONG LEARNING: Short-course in the History of Photography, 1839-1900
    New Bedford Whaling Museum 18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford, MA, United States

    Co-Led by Naomi Slipp, Douglas and Cynthia Crocker Endowed Chair for the Chief Curator & Director of Museum Learning; Marina Dawn Wells, Assistant Curator of History & Culture This unique virtual course combines six weekly 80-minute sessions of lecture and discussion, with a culminating hands-on workshop at the Museum. Learn what photography is and how it transformed the world directly from experts in the field using the vast resources of the NBWM photography collection as your study materials. Everyone walks around today with a camera in our pocket. But that was not always the case. Our world is saturated with photographic images – from magazine covers and Facebook feeds to Instagram and billboards–but have you ever stopped to wonder how these images work, what they are trying to say to you, or what histories they may connect with? This course introduces life-long learners to the history of photography, from the invention of the medium in 1839 to the birth of Kodak and snapshot photography in 1900. Photographs will be studied as art objects and historical artifacts. Themes include technological innovations; debates between art photography, commercial photography, and documentary photography; government and private patronage; individual or collective endeavors; original and published […]

  • LIFELONG LEARNING: Short-course in the History of Photography, 1839-1900

    LIFELONG LEARNING: Short-course in the History of Photography, 1839-1900
    New Bedford Whaling Museum 18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford, MA, United States

    Co-Led by Naomi Slipp, Douglas and Cynthia Crocker Endowed Chair for the Chief Curator & Director of Museum Learning; Marina Dawn Wells, Assistant Curator of History & Culture This unique virtual course combines six weekly 80-minute sessions of lecture and discussion, with a culminating hands-on workshop at the Museum. Learn what photography is and how it transformed the world directly from experts in the field using the vast resources of the NBWM photography collection as your study materials. Everyone walks around today with a camera in our pocket. But that was not always the case. Our world is saturated with photographic images – from magazine covers and Facebook feeds to Instagram and billboards–but have you ever stopped to wonder how these images work, what they are trying to say to you, or what histories they may connect with? This course introduces life-long learners to the history of photography, from the invention of the medium in 1839 to the birth of Kodak and snapshot photography in 1900. Photographs will be studied as art objects and historical artifacts. Themes include technological innovations; debates between art photography, commercial photography, and documentary photography; government and private patronage; individual or collective endeavors; original and published […]