The New Bedford Whaling Museum is sending on tour an international exhibit which features the history of Azorean whaling and its role in the development of the American whaling industry in the 19th century. Consisting of fifteen large modular color panels, the exhibit introduces the history of whaling on a global scale and journeys through the ages to focus on whaling in the Azorean Archipelago and its role in the development of American whaling, in particular from the port of New Bedford, which became the whaling capital of the world by the 1850s.
Utilizing images and documents from the museum's vast collection, the panels provide a concise overview of the industry and cultural influences that shaped multiple communities on both sides of the Atlantic, which continue to the present day.
Topics include an introduction to the New Bedford Whaling Museum; Subsistence Whaling; Early Commercial Whaling; Yankee Innovation; The Hunt; The Whaling Capital of the World; Cultural Crossroads; Whaling in the Azores; Familia Dabney; Helping Hands; Dabneys Document the Azores; and Azorean New Bedford.
Produced as part of an ongoing cultural collaborative between the New Bedford Whaling Museum, the government of the Azores, and New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, the exhibit was funded in part by a grant from the Education through Cultural and Historical Organizations (ECHO), administered by the United States Department of Education, Office of Innovation and Improvement.
After showing in the Azores, the exhibit is scheduled to travel to New London, Connecticut; Washington, D.C.; and the West Coast.
The first American venue is the Custom House Maritime Museum, in New London, Connecticut--The Whaling City. The exhibition opens on October 5, 2011, and will be on view through October 30. Special events related to the exhibition include a special dinner with New York Times food writer Molly O'Neill, scheduled for the end of the month.
The traveling exhibit is a result of the New Bedford Whaling Museum's new Azorean Whaleman Gallery, which opened in September 2010. The only permanent exhibition of its kind in the United States, it chronicles the Azorean/American cultural exchange of the 19th century through a shared whaling heritage and was made possible through a gift from the Government of Portugal - Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The New Bedford Whaling Museum is the world's most comprehensive museum devoted to the global story of whales, whaling, and the cultural history of the region. The cornerstone of New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, the Museum is located at 18 Johnny Cake Hill in the heart of the city's historic downtown and is open daily. Wheelchair accessible. For a complete calendar of events, visit the Whaling Museum online at
www.whalingmuseum.org.
nlmaritimesociety.org
