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Museum Receives Mellon Foundation Grant

Brown University, Williams College and Mystic Seaport Museum scholars will use maritime history as a basis for studying the relationship between European colonization, dispossession of Native American land, and racial slavery.

A $4.9 million grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to Brown University’s Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice will fund a partnership with Mystic Seaport Museum, and Williams College that will use maritime history as a basis for studying historical injustices and generating new insights on the relationship between European colonization in North America, the dispossession of Native American land, and racial slavery in New England.

The collaborative project, titled “Reimagining New England Histories: Historical Injustice, Sovereignty and Freedom,” will create new work and study opportunities at all three institutions, particularly for scholars, curators, and students from underrepresented groups. It will result in a new Mystic Seaport Museum exhibition on race, subjugation, and power, and a “decolonial archive” spotlighting a diverse collection of stories from several New England communities.

The grant was awarded by the Mellon Foundation as part of its Just Futures Initiative, a by-invitation competition that invited 38 colleges and universities to submit project proposals that would address the “long-existing fault lines” of racism, inequality, and injustice that challenge ideas of democracy and civil society.

“Mystic Seaport Museum is proud to collaborate with our esteemed partners in implementing an institution-wide reframing of the traditional narratives around the American maritime experience as it relates to African, African-American, and Indigenous peoples. As America’s leading maritime museum, we are uniquely positioned to be the venue for a monumental exhibition in 2023, which marks an imperative, transformative, and inclusive reflection on how America’s activities on the world’s oceans have and continue to play a part in our country’s society from the position of race and slavery,” said Christina Connett Brophy, senior director of museum galleries and senior vice president of curatorial affairs. “Working with our partners, and through the fresh lens of ships and the sea, we are excited to engage new audiences in critical conversations that have long remained unfinished.”

Tinted portrait of Antoine DeSant (c. 1816-1886), who was born at Boa Vista, Cape Verde Islands. DeSant went on whaling voyages out of New London in years 1832-1848,including several voyages aboard the whale ship Tuscarora. He later became a successful businessman in the city. ©Mystic Seaport Museum, 1992.119.1
Tinted portrait of Antoine DeSant (c. 1816-1886), who was born at Boa Vista, Cape Verde Islands. DeSant went on whaling voyages out of New London in years 1832-1848,including several voyages aboard the whale ship Tuscarora. He later became a successful businessman in the city. ©Mystic Seaport Museum, 1992.119.1

The planned exhibition at Mystic Seaport Museum will run from Fall 2023 to Summer 2024 and will juxtapose traditional narratives about early New England with engaging artifacts that tell a different story about the past — from archaeological materials to documents and literature to music and oral histories

“A myth in the founding narrative of the United States is the idea of New England as a ‘city on the hill,’ a place founded on the idea of liberty for all,” said Anthony Bogues, director of Brown’s Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice. “But it is important to consider that this site of America’s founding was also a site of Native dispossession as well as racial slavery. Brown and Williams have told stories about both of those histories, but rarely have we explored the relationship between the two.”

Since its founding in 2012, the CSSJ has explored the history and legacies of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and racial slavery through research, study, public conversations, exhibitions and more. The groundbreaking work of the center’s researchers has catalyzed international scholarly conversations and inspired similar work at colleges and universities across the country.

But Bogues, who will oversee the grant-funded project, said that in recent months, he and his colleagues felt their mission must expand to include the investigation of New England’s role in displacing Native Americans — something he believes is as foundational a part of American history as racial slavery.

To help draw connections between racial slavery and Native American dispossession, Brown reached out to scholars at Williams College in Massachusetts — a growing group of whom focus on Indigenous peoples and racial slavery in early America — and Mystic Seaport Museum, which for more than 40 years has worked with Williams to offer the program Williams-Mystic, a unique liberal arts-focused semester at sea for undergraduates on its museum campus. The Museum also conducts the Frank C. Munson Institute for American Maritime History, a graduate-level program accredited by the University of Connecticut. Together, the three institutions devised a plan for a three-year partnership that will draw on each institution’s strengths to generate new scholarship, student experiences, public events, and more. Some K-12 educational programs will also be developed with support from other sources.

“We chose Williams as a partner because they have some very fine young historians who are thinking critically about Indigenous dispossession,” Bogues said. “The college has made it very clear that they sit on Indigenous land, and they are convening courses and programs that reckon with that. As well, we have wanted to partner with Mystic Seaport Museum on an exhibit that touches on racial slavery and the sea for quite some time. This is an opportunity for our three institutions to come together and think hard about the links between two major historical injustices in our country.”

The project has four major components: a new research cluster at the CSSJ, an online “decolonial archive,” a major exhibition at Mystic Seaport Museum, and expanded courses on historical injustice in early America for students at Williams, Brown, and Mystic Seaport Museum.

Aquatint of the Rotch Fleet vessels Enterprise, Houqua, Pocahontas, and William Rotch are pictured among a school of sperm whales off the coast of Hawaii. Circa 1833. ©Mystic Seaport Museum, 1955.491
Aquatint of the Rotch Fleet vessels Enterprise, Houqua, Pocahontas, and William Rotch are pictured among a school of sperm whales off the coast of Hawaii. Circa 1833. The project will use maritime history as a basis for studying the relationship between European colonization, dispossession of Native American land, and racial slavery. ©Mystic Seaport Museum, 1955.491

The new research cluster, housed at the CSSJ, will focus on how societies founded on historical forms of injustice can become more inclusive and just. Faculty, staff and students from Brown and Williams will collaborate on scholarly projects, sometimes engaging in research work as part of joint Brown-Williams courses.

To create an online “decolonial archive,” the three partners will work with leaders in New England’s Black and Indigenous communities, Brown’s Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative, the John Carter Brown Library and staff at the John Hay Library to gather oral histories of New Englanders who have experienced the effects of centuries of institutional racism and dispossession. Part of the archive will consist of recorded community conversations organized by Brown and Williams, which will help ensure stories are gathered and shared in ways that reflect community desires, rather than in an exploitative, extractive manner.

The large exhibition at Mystic Seaport Museum will draw upon its vast collections of maritime artifacts as well as those of other lending museums, library, and archival collections. The exhibition will map a more complex historical framework engaging with questions of race and sovereignty, weaving a new narrative with a creative juxtaposition of visual and material culture, archaeology, oral traditions, and songs and performance.  The exhibition will be accompanied by a series of interactive interpretive programs – both virtual and in-person at the Museum’s riverside campus – to engage the general public and underserved communities.

Over the next three years, all three partners will also offer a wide variety of learning opportunities for students of all ages. Brown and Williams will develop several cross-disciplinary courses focused on colonialism and historical injustices. Mystic Seaport Museum will develop a new curriculum for its Munson Institute and conduct a summer museum-studies internship for upper-level undergraduates and graduate students with an emphasis on issues of race and inequality in the museum profession.

The research undertaken at the Museum by the exhibition curators, Munson fellows, and summer interns will not only add greatly to the body of knowledge about the African American and Native American facets of the Museum’s permanent collection, but also influence the scope and tenor of future museum collecting by identifying gaps to fill. It will allow the Museum to address critical histories that reflect the history of the region and the sea.

“This is just the beginning of what we hope will become a sustained conversation about the inequities of the nation’s founding,” said Brophy. “It is only by facing the past with an honest and truthful understanding of the forces that shaped the development of our nation that we can hope to become a truly just society.”

Lead photo: This whaleman, shown onboard an unknown vessel, has been identified by family members as Charles W. Morgan crewmember Joe Gomez, a Cape Verdean-born man who later settled in New London, CT. ©Mystic Seaport Museum, 2009.22.84

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Winter Fun and Activities at Mystic Seaport Museum

Mystic Seaport Museum will be open all winter with a robust offering of indoor exhibits, family and children educational activities, as well as virtual programming. If you haven’t visited Mystic Seaport Museum during winter, we hope you take the opportunity to do so this year and participate in our cold-weather activities!

The core of our winter experience are the indoor exhibits, exhibitions, and activities. All of our galleries are open to visitors with some new offerings that opened in the latter part of 2020.

  • Figureheads & Shipcarvings is a new exhibit in the Wendell Building.  This is a reimagination and new installation of part of our ship figureheads collection that presents the artifacts in a new light — literally and figuratively — with an emphasis on the purpose and artistry of figureheads set in the context of 19th-century wood carving.
  • Sailor Made: Folk Art of the Sea is an exhibition that opened last fall in the C.D. Mallory Building. Featuring more than 200 artifacts from our collections, the exhibition explores the art that emerged from the world of the working sailor, reflecting their connections to shipboard life, their thoughts about culture on shore, and the souvenirs they created to remember and share the experiences of their travels.
  • A Way with Wood: Celebrating Craft is open in the Thompson Building’s Collins Gallery. The show introduces visitors to the many ways people transform one of nature’s most malleable materials to objects of utility, art, and beauty. At its center, shipwrights are restoring Museum watercraft in a constant live demonstration.
  • Mary Mattingly’s Open Ocean is the work of one of Brooklyn’s leading contemporary artists, Mary Mattingly. For several months, Mattingly immersed herself in the Museum’s collections vault, poring over artworks, opening drawer after drawer of artifacts, in search of “evidence of how the sea has always challenged the rigidity of modern, terrestrial life; how its very nature permits a different tenor of creativity.” This exhibition shows what she found.
  • Voyaging in the Wake of the Whalers in the Stillman Building is a comprehensive exploration of America’s historic and contemporary relationship with whales and whaling.
  • View the remarkable beauty and craftsmanship of the cabin from the 244-foot square-rigged sailing ship Benjamin F. Packard.

The Treworgy Planetarium will be offering two shows daily: “Winter Stars and the Mariner” and “Polar Night, Artic Light.” In addition, a “full-dome” movie will be projected on the Planetarium’s domed ceiling on weekends. Planetarium programs are free with admission.

The Greenmanville Meeting House will show two movies: the Irving Johnson classic “Around Cape Horn” and “Unfurling the Wind.”

The Home Port children’s activity center reopens for 2021. Set in a warm and inviting room that harkens back to the Victorian Era, Home Port invites families and children to come and spend quality time together with a variety of activities and arts and crafts. Home Port is limited to two families at a time, so please ask for tickets at the entrance gate.

For a look at 19th-century domestic life and open-hearth cooking, stop by the Buckingham-Hall house.

But not everything is indoors this winter. We also have exciting outdoor activities as well. The children’s playscape is open for the kids to work off some energy and the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan is open to board and learn about life at sea on a 19th-century whaler.

Please check our  calendar for our schedule of events. New this year are guided shipyard tours on select days and our Membership Department has a full schedule of exclusive member programs.

If you can’t make it to the Museum, don’t worry. We have an expanded offering of virtual programs this Winter to bring the Museum to you. Please visit our new Virtual Programs page to see the full schedule.

The Museum is open to the public 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Thursday-Sunday. Visitors are required to wear a mask and practice social distancing. For a complete list of our COVID-19 policies, please visit our COVID-19 page.

We look forward to seeing you this winter! And don’t forget to stop by Social, our new coffee shop, on your way in and enjoy a hot beverage to warm you up.

 

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Jupiter and Saturn’s Great Conjunction

If you have been watching the night sky over the course of the autumn and early winter, you may have noticed a pair of bright dots in the southwestern sky. Appearing brighter than all of the stars overhead, these are the two largest planets in our solar system: Jupiter and Saturn. Over the past weeks, the gap between these two bodies has been shrinking, and next week the night sky will display a rare event that has not been seen in nearly 400 years. On Monday, December 21, there will be a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, meaning that from our viewpoint on Earth, the two bright dots will appear to merge into one extremely large object. Conjunctions can happen between any two planets, or possibly between a planet and a bright star. However, when the event involves the two biggest planets in our solar system it is called a “Great Conjunction.”

Diagram showing the alignment of the Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn
Diagram showing the alignment of the Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn. Image courtesy of timeanddate.com.

In order for a Great Conjunction to occur, this means that three planets — Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn — need to be lined up almost perfectly in a row. Since these three objects are orbiting the Sun at different speeds, this alignment only happens every 20 years. The precise proximity of Jupiter and Saturn to each other in our field of view can vary among Great Conjunctions, and the 2020 event is special because they have not been this close together in our sky since the year 1623. Historically, the rarity of conjunctions led many cultures to see the events as significant omens; some saw them as good signs, others as bad ones. There is speculation among some people around the world that a Great Conjunction may have caused the “Christmas Star,” the special object that was said to have appeared to the Wise Men, leading them to Bethlehem in the well-known story of Christmas.

You can prepare for the Great Conjunction this week by practicing finding Jupiter and Saturn in your backyard sky. At 5 p.m. EST, the sun will have set, but the sky will be in a stage of twilight. The two planets will be in the direction of southwest, and they will appear brighter than all of the visible stars. By 6 p.m., the twilight will be fading but the planets will be lower in the sky. By 7 p.m., the planets will be so low on the horizon that many of us will not have a clear view of them. Try to note what time this week the planets disappear below your line of sight. You’ll want to go out at least 15 minutes earlier than that on the night of December 21 to ensure that you can witness the Great Conjunction.

To learn more about the Great Conjunction and its possible religious connections, join us at the Treworgy Planetarium for our “Star of Bethlehem” show at 3 p.m., Thursday-Sunday. The show will run through Sunday, December 27.

This post was written by Brian Koehler, supervisor of the Treworgy Planetarium at the Museum.

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A Rare Chance to View the Aurora Borealis in Connecticut

You may have heard on the news that there is a possibility for the Northern Lights, or the Aurora Borealis, to be visible here in Connecticut over the next few nights. It’s true! There’s something really interesting going on between the Sun and Earth right now, and it might make for a fantastic display over the next couple of evenings.

The creation of the Aurora Borealis begins with sunspots, little brown freckles on the surface of the Sun. These spots are caused when loops of electromagnetic energy get twisted and burst through the surface of our “mother star.” When a sunspot is visible, the electromagnetic energy is still under the control of the Sun’s gravity. But the Sun cannot hold onto it forever, so a sunspot can sometimes turn into a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME), at which point the Sun ejects the energy and sends it hurling out into the solar system. Many times, these CMEs can steer clear of Earth, but when they head our way, they can collide and interact with the electromagnetic field of our home planet. This collision will cause the shimmering curtains of green, blue, and sometimes purple light that we call the Aurora Borealis!

NOAA Aurora Borealis Map
Image courtesy NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center.

Since Earth’s electromagnetic energy is concentrated at our poles, the Aurora is always most likely to appear at the highest of latitudes. The larger the CME, the more likely it is that the Aurora could be visible at lower latitudes. Well, this CME is definitely on the bigger side, meaning there is a possibility that the Northern Lights could be dazzling across our night sky tonight and/or tomorrow night!

The best time of night to view the Aurora Borealis in Connecticut will be between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m. on both nights, December 9-10. It is best viewed if you can reach an area without many artificial lights, so its is best to avoid street lights and parking lots if you can. You’ll want to look North towards Polaris, the North Star, since this event will be forming in the polar region. Weather will also play a role in the next few nights. Today (Wednesday) we are looking at clouds clearing hopefully between 10-11 p.m.. Tomorrow night looks very clear right now. For more information on this event and on solar activity in general, here is a great online resource: https://www.spaceweather.com/

This news post was written by Brian Koehler, supervisor of the Museum’s Treworgy Planetarium.

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Mystic Seaport Museum Magazine: Fall/Winter 2020

The Fall/Winter 2020 issue of the Museum’s magazine features articles on navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, the new figureheads exhibit, the restoration of the Friendship sloop Estella A., a farewell to Executive Vice President Susan Funk after 40 years of service, and an opportunity to meet the new president, Peter Armstrong, and the new senior vice president, Dr. Christina Connett Brophy.

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Museum Names Peter Armstrong President

Peter Armstrong (Image Courtesy Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation)

Museum Appoints Christina Connett Brophy as Senior Vice President of Curatorial Affairs and Senior Director of Museum Galleries

Peter Armstrong is appointed the next president of Mystic Seaport Museum, the organization’s board of trustees announced today. An accomplished museum professional with more than 25 years of experience on two continents, Armstrong joins the Museum from the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, where he is Senior Director of Museum Operations and Education. The board also announced the appointment of Dr. Christina Connett Brophy as Senior Vice President of Curatorial Affairs and Senior Director of Museum Galleries.

“We are excited about the appointments of Peter and Christina as they bring well-honed, complementary talents to MSM. Peter has extensive management skills and experience as director of operations of a large and complex museum organization combined with great marketing knowhow. Christina brings outstanding maritime museum curatorial experience and demonstrated success in innovative programming and exhibitions development,” said Michael S. Hudner, Chair of the Mystic Seaport Museum Board of Trustees. “Both Peter and Christina have had exceptional achievements in broadening and diversifying more traditional audiences with new approaches to increase the appeal of well-known institutions to a changing world.”

In his position of Senior Director at the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Armstrong oversees education, collections, exhibitions, and interpretation as well as directing two major museums and their living history sites. He led the transition from the Yorktown Victory Center—a small museum with some living history areas—to the new, $50-million, state-of-the-art American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, which opened in April 2017. Most recently in 2019, he oversaw the creation of the special exhibition TENACITY, which focused on the arrival of the first women to Jamestown, and Forgotten Soldier, which features the personal stories of enslaved and free African Americans who fought on both sides of the Revolutionary War.

Armstrong came to the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation from the United Kingdom’s National Museum of Arms and Armour, also known as the Royal Armouries. The Royal Armouries has three museums, the most famous of which is the Tower of London. During his tenure, Armstrong developed and promoted several major exhibitions, including Henry VIII: Dressed to Kill at the Tower of London.

“Mystic Seaport Museum has a worldwide reputation for excellence, quality and good old-fashioned fun. As the Museum heads towards its centenary, I am excited to be able to play a role in continuing the legacy of the retiring president, and to work with the board and the Mystic team to deliver a modern, relevant, diverse, and community-focused future,” said Armstrong.

Dr. Christina Connett Brophy
Dr. Christina Connett Brophy

Dr. Christina Connett Brophy is currently the Douglas and Cynthia Crocker Endowed Chair for the Chief Curator at the New Bedford Whaling Museum (NBWM), where she has been a senior executive for seven years. While there she demonstrated systemic strategic leadership, successful fundraising, increased branding and outreach, partnership development, and path-breaking initiatives that have impacted NBWM towards a unified vision, national and international media recognition, an increase in visitation, greater connectivity with a diverse community, and a stronger and more sustainable financial position. She has curated more than 30 exhibitions, notably A Spectacle in Motion: The Grand Panorama of a Whaling Voyage ‘Round the World and A Wild Note of Longing: Albert Pinkham Ryder and a Century of American Art, which will open in June 2021.

“There is a magic to Mystic Seaport Museum that is unique and rare, a tribute to its committed Board, staff and volunteers, its exquisite collections, and an historic and beautiful working waterfront. I am thrillled to be given the opportunity to streamline the Museum’s offerings towards a focused and 21st century global model, while remaining true to our nation’s rich maritime heritage,” said Connett Brophy. “There is extraordinary potential here to increase relevancy to a broader audience, particularly in addressing critical social and environmental issues facing the world today.”

Hudner expressed gratitude for retiring President and CEO Steve White, who is working to ensure a smooth transition of leadership as the Museum navigates the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over White’s 12 years at the helm, the Museum was recognized for the ambition of its initiatives, notably the restoration and 38th Voyage of the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan and the fundraising and construction of the $15 million McGraw Gallery Quadrangle project anchored by the award-winning Thompson Exhibition Building.

I am very pleased to hand over the reins to two such exemplary people,” said White. “Their experience, energy, and broad perspective will serve the Museum well as the institution continues to demonstrate and explain the continuing relevance of the sea and maritime heritage to contemporary audiences.”

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Whidden Receives America and the Sea Award

Mystic Seaport Museum honored Hall of Fame sailor Thomas A. Whidden with the 2020 America and the Sea Award. The prestigious award recognizes those individuals and organizations whose extraordinary achievements in the world of maritime exploration, competition, scholarship, and design best exemplify the American character. The award was presented at a virtual gala fundraiser on Friday, October 23.

Tom Whidden is the President and CEO of North Technology Group and a 2017 inductee into the National Sailing Hall of Fame. He was elected to the America’s Cup Hall of Fame in 2004.

Fellow Hall of Fame Sailor and the 8th America and the Sea Award recipient Gary Jobson presented the award to Whidden at a small gathering of Whidden’s family and friends at the Museum in Mystic, Connecticut, from where the event was livestreamed for an audience around the country and overseas. Jobson shared a brief history of the America’s Cup, followed by the award presentation, commenting that Whidden has contributed two important things to the sport of sailing, ”As an industry leader, he has made sailing more efficient, with better sails that last longer and go faster… and he’s been outstanding on the race course.”

Whidden, who grew up in Connecticut and learned to sail on Long Island Sound, has had an extraordinary career both on and off the water as an accomplished tactician for Dennis Conner in eight America’s Cup campaigns — winning three, and as a revolutionary sailmaker, bringing sail making from the manufacturing of paneled sails in a vast network of sail lofts to the current centrally managed, technologically driven, manufacturing system. Thanks to the remarkable vision of Whidden, North Sails has become a leader in the industry, with every America’s Cup winner and every Volvo Ocean Race winner choosing to race with North Sails since 1992 and 1993, respectively.

“Tom is a perfect fit for this award. Not only does he have a distinguished record as a competitive sailor, but he has also served as an important ambassador for the sport and the maritime community. For young sailors across the country and beyond, he has been a positive role model and mentor,” said Steve White, president of Mystic Seaport Museum.

In his wonderfully modest, graceful demeanor, Whidden remarked, “What a wonderful honor it is to be this year’s Mystic Seaport Museum America and the Sea Award recipient. I join an amazing group of previous recipients who have made incredible contributions in so many different aspects of maritime, sailing, and ocean life. I have spent my life racing sailboats and making products that make those boats perform their best. For me to be recognized alongside other abundantly accomplished previous honorees, for doing what I most love, by the most prominent maritime museum in the United States, is a dream come true.”

The virtual event was joined by friends and supporters from Nantucket to New York to Florida to Los Angeles, and Whidden was congratulated from around the world with remarks from Jimmy Buffett; New York Yacht Club’s American Magic skipper Terry Hutchinson in New Zealand; Sir Lindsay Owens-Jones, L’Oréal Honorary Chairman and owner of Magic Carpet 3; Peter Dubens, Managing Partner of Oakley Capital and Chairman of North Sails Technology; Christopher J. Culver, Vice Commodore, New York Yacht Club; and Jes Staley, CEO, Barclays.

The virtual event generated $520,284 through sponsorships, single tickets, live and silent auctions, and a virtual paddle-raise appeal. The Museum would like to express a sincere thank you to the gala committee, Board of Trustees, and the myriad supporters who gave in honor of Tom Whidden and to further the mission of Mystic Seaport Museum.

Past recipients of the America and the Sea Award include American businesswoman and philanthropist Wendy Schmidt; groundbreaking America’s Cup sailor Dawn Riley, philanthropist and environmentalist David Rockefeller, Jr.; boat designers Rod and Bob Johnstone and their company J/Boats; author and historian Nathaniel Philbrick; maritime industrialist Charles A. Robertson; Hall of Fame sailor and author Gary Jobson; WoodenBoat Publications founder Jon Wilson; former Secretary of the Navy John Lehman; oceanographer and explorer Sylvia Earle; America’s Cup sailor William Koch; President and CEO of Crowley Maritime Corporation, Thomas Crowley; historian David McCullough; and legendary yacht designer Olin J. Stephens, II.

In the photo: (from left) Museum president Steve White, America and the Sea Award honoree Tom Whidden, and Hall of Fame sailor Gary Jobson at the gala on October 23, 2020.

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Museum to Honor Tom Whidden

Mystic Seaport Museum will present its 2020 America and the Sea Award to Tom Whidden, one of the most applauded sailors of all time, member of both the America’s Cup Hall of Fame and the National Sailing Hall of Fame, and president and CEO of North Technology Group, parent company of North Sails. The prestigious award recognizes those individuals and organizations whose extraordinary achievements in the world of maritime exploration, competition, scholarship, and design best exemplify the American character.

Tom WhiddenIn announcing the honor, Mystic Seaport Museum President Steve White said, “Tom is a perfect fit for this award. Not only does he have a distinguished record as a competitive sailor, but he has also served as an important ambassador for the sport and the maritime community. For young sailors across the country and beyond, he has been a positive role model and mentor.”

Whidden will be honored for his remarkable accomplishments in competitive sailing and his leadership in the design and manufacturing of technologically advanced sails at North Sails.

“I have spent my life racing sailboats and making products that make those boats perform their best. For me to be recognized by the most prominent maritime museum in the United States, for doing what I love most, is a dream come true,” said Whidden.

Whidden’s career soared in 1979 when he joined Dennis Conner for what would become a total of eight America’s Cup campaigns, racing as tactician in five series races and winning three times: 1980, 1987 (regaining the cup after Australia’s 1983 victory), and 1988. He has won the Newport-Bermuda Race five times, and had repeated wins on the European racing circuit.

Amid his racing success, Whidden joined North Sails in 1987, building it into the largest sailmaking company in the world, and later becoming CEO and co-owner of North Technology Group. He led North Sails and North Technology Group through decades of evolution from manufacturing paneled sails in a vast network of sail lofts to the current centrally managed, technologically driven, manufacturing system.

In 2004, Whidden was elected to the America’s Cup Hall of Fame “for his brilliance as a tactical advisor, his soundness as a crew organizer, and his mastery of winning in difficult boats under the most demanding conditions.” Most recently, he was inducted into the National Sailing Hall of Fame in 2017.

Mystic Seaport Museum will recognize Whidden’s exceptional career on and off the water by awarding him the America and the Sea Award on Friday, October 23, 2020. The award presentation, special toast to the honoree, auction, paddle raise, and special celebrity appearances will be livestreamed from the Museum beginning at 6:15 p.m. EST.

This affair is the premier fundraising event for Mystic Seaport Museum. Past recipients of the America and the Sea Award include: American businesswoman and philanthropist Wendy Schmidt; America’s Cup sailor and trailblazer Dawn Riley; philanthropist and environmentalist David Rockefeller Jr.; celebrated sailors and co-founders of J/Boats, Rod and Bob Johnstone; New York Times best-selling and National Book Award-winning author Nathaniel Philbrick; maritime industrialist Charles A. Robertson; yachtsman and author Gary Jobson; WoodenBoat Publications founder Jon Wilson; former Secretary of the Navy John Lehman; oceanographer and explorer Sylvia Earle; sailor, collector, philanthropist William I. Koch; industry leader in marine transportation and logistics services Thomas B. Crowley, Jr.; Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian David McCullough; and the most successful and admired yacht designer of the 20th century Olin J. Stephens, II.

For invitations, please email advancement@mysticseaport.org/.

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The Wild Sea Life of Conrad Gessner

The recently shared photograph of the hippocampus showing the new carousel piece that is currently exhibited in the Thompson Exhibition Building was accompanied by a 16th century woodcut of a hippocampus. It appeared in Conrad Gessner’s 1560 Nomenclator Aquatilium Animantium (Nomenclature of Aquatic Animals), one of a number of zoological works written by the Swiss naturalist before his untimely death from the plague in 1565 at the age of 49.

Conrad Gessner was an extraordinary student, teacher, physician, bibliographer, philosopher and scientist who collected information from observation, from earlier sources and from colleagues around Europe. In addition to his many other talents, Gessner was a linguist fluent in Greek, Latin and Hebrew, teaching Greek at the University of Lausanne before getting his medical degree in Basel in his further search for scientific and natural truth. Conrad Gessner was a truly gifted scholar and compiler of information.

Because he copied illustrations from many sources, such as the earlier artist Albrecht Durer, many of his woodcut illustrations in his publications are very accurate, and yet others others are quite whimsical as they are images of fictional and fantastic beasts taken from less reliable sources. Below are just a couple of his woodcuts from his bestiary including a sperm whale gone rogue and one of a number of mermen that populated his oceans. The sea turtle is a bit more accurate to real life than the others (as far as we know!).

Gessner’s book is part of the Rare Book collection in the G.W. Blunt White Library at Mystic Seaport Museum.

Gessner Sea Turtle Illustration
A sea Turtle.
Gessner Merman Illustration
A Merman.
Gessner Whale Illustration
A rogue sperm whale.
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Freedom Forum Addresses Racism

Systemic racism and finding ways to fight it was the topic of a “Freedom Forum” hosted by Mystic Seaport Museum and Discovering Amistad the evening of August 20. Formally titled,The Freedom Forum: A Series of Courageous Conversations on Race, Privilege, Oppression and Justice in America for the Town of Stonington, the Town of Groton and the City of Groton,” the event gathered more than 80 municipal officials and community leaders from the local area to address the issue of systemic racism. This was the first of what Discovering Amistad intends to be a series of Forums held in different towns and cities across Connecticut. The event began with keynote remarks by Connecticut Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard A. Robinson, who told the crowd, “It’s as if the country is at a crossroads and what we do at this moment will determine whether we are finally going to live up to America’s ideals of equality and true justice for all, or forfeit them to the dustbin of history.”
Chief Justice Richard A. Robinson
Chief Justice Richard A. Robinson addresses the Forum.
Justice Robinson’s remarks were followed by a panel discussion with local leaders about the realities of racism, privilege, oppression and bias in our communities. The topic for discussion was: “In the wake of centuries of oppression and a summer of events demanding justice and triggering protest, how do we build an effective, inclusive and sustainable commitment to eliminate systemic racism in our communities?” The panelists were Danielle Chesebrough, First Selectwoman, Town of Stonington; Mary Anne Butler, Assistant Superintendent, Stonington Public Schools; Pastor Joseph Coleman, St. John’s Christian Church, Groton. Troy Brown, Discovering Amistad board member, acted as the Forum moderator and posed questions such as “Why are conversations about race so difficult?” and “Do you think about race every day?” Panelists shared their thoughts and experiences with the common acknowledgement that confronting racism is a long journey and there is no easy answer. “We have to have these conversations with each other to build a foundation of comfort and honesty,” said Butler. “We have a lot to do, but I am glad we started.” The event concluded with Antonia Wright, a young graduate of the Amistad Academy reading quotes by the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis, who observed “Stand up for what you believe. Because in the final analysis, we are one family, the human family.” To learn more about Discovering Amistad, please visit discoveringamistad.org.      

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