Month: November 2013

Mystic, Conn. (November 22, 2013) — The New England Museum Association (NEMA) has elected Susan Funk, executive vice president of Mystic Seaport, as president of its board of directors. The election was held at the organization’s 2013 Annual Meeting on November 15 as part of the group’s 95th annual conference in Newport, Rhode Island.

“We’re very excited to have Susan on board,” said NEMA Executive Director Dan Yaeger. “Her leadership and commitment to the organization will help take us to the next level of success in serving the museum field.”

Funk oversees and coordinates the activities of the Museum’s Education, Exhibitions, Maritime Studies, Curatorial, Watercraft, Human Resources, and Visitor Services departments. She is responsible for operational and strategic planning, program evaluation, and participation in trustee committees, and management of all Museum functions associated with the Mystic Seaport visitor experience. Funk coordinated Mystic Seaport’s successful accreditation self-study for the Association of American Museums (AAM) in 2004-2005. She is active in the field serving on the NEMA board and regularly serving as an AAM Museum Assessment Program reviewer and accreditation site committees. In July 2005 she participated in the Getty Institute’s prestigious Museum Leadership Institute.

“Susan’s new role with NEMA validates her leadership in the field, and underscores how fortunate Mystic Seaport is to have had her on the staff all these years,” said Steve White, president of Mystic Seaport.

Funk most recently joined the Museum in 1994. In total, she has been employed at Mystic Seaport for 25 years.

Funk was elected unanimously by more than 400 NEMA members in attendance. She is eligible to serve two one-year terms as president under the organization’s bylaws.

About the New England Museum Association

For 95 years, the New England Museum Association has been the region’s only organization serving museums of all sizes and the people who work for and with them. NEMA’s mission is to strengthen museums in the region through research, professional development, thought leadership, advocacy, and initiatives that build the social capital of museums within their communities. To achieve this mission, NEMA fosters communication and ethical conduct, promotes excellence in museum operations, and encourages support for the museum field. Programs include an annual conference which attracts more than 900 museum professionals, a series of workshops, a series of leadership events, and special projects such as the Museum Diversity Initiative, which seeks to align museums with an increasingly multicultural society.

About Mystic Seaport

Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, the Museum is home to four National Historic Landmark vessels, including the Charles W. Morgan, America’s oldest commercial ship and the last wooden whaleship in the world. The museum is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. Admission is $24 for adults and $15 for children ages 6-17. Museum members and children 5 and under are admitted free. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.

Opening Reception for the Public Saturday, November 23

Mystic, Conn. (November 20, 2013) —The Maritime Gallery at Mystic Seaport presents its annual winter exhibition Marine Artists in Winter, November 23 through April 14, 2014.

The invitational exhibition features more than 100 framed paintings and drawings displayed and available for purchase – each no larger than 12 inches in height or width (excluding frame). The exhibition showcases works with a maritime winter theme by 59 top Maritime Gallery artists, and features scenes of majestic ships, yachting and working boats, coastal landscapes, marshes, and marine wildlife.

Participating artists include Cindy Baron, Lou Bonamarte, Victor Mays, Leonard Mizerek, Jeffrey Sabol and Cean Youngs.

One of the most popular shows on the Gallery’s annual schedule, the exhibition provides an opportunity for collectors to own original work by their favorite artists at affordable prices.

“Each painting is truly a small masterpiece created by some of the most respected maritime artists working today,” said Jeanne Potter, director of the Maritime Gallery. “Reasonably priced and beautifully framed, these paintings are perfect for holiday gift giving.”

The Gallery will host a public opening reception with complimentary refreshments on Saturday, November 23, from 2 to 4 p.m. Live entertainment will be performed by local musician Bruce Foulke. A special discount of five percent off the sale of all art will be available for Museum members (Gallery Patrons receive a 10 percent discount) through December 31, 2013.

For more information, visit mysticseaport.org/gallery or call 860.572.5388.

About the Maritime Gallery

The Maritime Gallery at Mystic Seaport is the nation’s foremost gallery specializing in contemporary marine art and ship models. Through its parent organization, Mystic Seaport, the Gallery is proud to offer access to the world’s leading experts in the marine field, and the highest standards of scholarship, integrity and connoisseurship that the nation’s finest maritime museum represents. The Gallery is free to the public.

Holiday Tradition Takes Visitors Back to Christmas Eve, 1876

Mystic, Conn. (November 14, 2013) – Mystic Seaport will open the 34th season of its Lantern Light Tours on Saturday, November 30.

A New England holiday tradition, Lantern Light Tours is a 70-minute progressive play that takes its audience back to Christmas Eve, 1876. A cast of almost 70 people, including actors from Connecticut, and neighboring states, tells a heart-warming holiday story.

The Lantern Light Tour plot is changed every year and the writing and production planning begin in February.

Visitors join a group of 16 to tour the Museum’s 19th-century village on foot, stopping at designated points to take in the next chapter in the story. As in years past, this year’s production will include a traditional tavern dance, a sweet treat, a horse-and-carriage ride, and a visit from St. Nicholas.

Performances are November 30, December 1, 7, 8, 13, 14, 20, 21, 22 and 27. Tours begin at 5 p.m. and leave every 15 minutes.

Two tours on Saturday, December 14, have been set aside for deaf and hearing impaired visitors. A sign language interpreter will be accompanying both the 7 p.m. and the 8:45 p.m. tour for the duration. To purchase tickets for these tours, please call 860.572.5331 (online ticketing is not available for these tours) and tickets must be purchased in advance.

Advance reservations are strongly recommended for all Lantern Light Tours. Tickets are $30 for adults ($25 for Mystic Seaport members) and $23 for children ages 5-17 ($18 for youth members). Lantern Light Tours are not recommended for children under 4 years old.

Tickets can be purchased online at mysticseaport.org/lanternlighttours, or by calling 860.572.5331.

The tour route covers uneven terrain and tour-goers will walk or stand for the entire production and are advised to wear appropriate footwear and dress for the weather. Visitors are asked to indicate the need for a handicap-accessible tour at the time of reservation.

About Mystic Seaport

Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, the Museum is home to four National Historic Landmark vessels, including the Charles W. Morgan, America’s oldest commercial ship and the last wooden whaleship in the world. The museum is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. Admission is $24 for adults and $15 for children ages 6-17. Museum members and children 5 and under are admitted free.

Richard “Kip” Files to take the helm of the 19th-century whaleship ahead of her voyage next summer

Mystic, Conn. (Nov. 6, 2013) – Mystic Seaport named Richard “Kip” Files of Rockland, Maine, as the new captain of the 19th-century whaleship Charles W. Morgan, which will venture back to sea next summer to visit historic ports of New England celebrating the importance of America’s maritime heritage.

At the conclusion of a five-year, multi-million dollar restoration at the Museum’s Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard, Files will take the Morgan on an approximately three-month voyage from May to August 2014 in Southern New England waters.

“This is an extraordinary undertaking and it will be exciting to take this ship back to sea to discover and share what it was like to operate a wooden whaleship as they did throughout the 19th century,” Files said.

As the owner and captain of the 132-foot, three-masted schooner Victory Chimes out of Rockland, Files is no stranger to sailing large ships without an engine. He is also the primary captain of the 207-foot barque Elissa, owned and operated by the Galveston Historical Foundation and Texas Seaport Museum. Files holds a U.S. Coast Guard Master Ocean License for Inspected Passenger Vessels of up to 1,600 Gross Tons. He has been a master of traditional sailing vessels since 1978. He also served on the boards of Tall Ships America (formerly the American Sail Training Association) and the Ocean Classroom Foundation.

“There are very few people in the world with the knowledge and experience of traditional square-rigged sailing necessary to do this job. Kip is one of those people and we are confident we have found the right person to lead the ship on her 38th Voyage,” said Steve White, president of Mystic Seaport.

Files will arrive at Mystic Seaport to start work on November 11. He will be charged with hiring the Morgan’s crew and preparing and equipping her for the 38th Voyage. After a period of fitting-out and sea trials based in New London, Conn. Files will sail her to Newport, Vineyard Haven, New Bedford, and Boston. The Morgan will also venture into the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and participate in the centennial celebration of the Cape Cod Canal. The voyage will be a commemoration of the role of the sea in the history of America and an appreciation of our changing relationship with the natural world.

“For someone who has made his living with traditional vessels this is quite an honor,” Files said. “The 38th Voyage will be one of the most significant maritime events in my lifetime, and I feel privileged and humbled to be part of this historic voyage.”

As the 22nd captain of the National Historic Landmark and the last wooden whaling ship in the world, Files takes his responsibility for the well-being of the vessel and the safety of the crew very seriously.

“The most important goal is to achieve a safe voyage for the ship and all who sail on her,” Files said. “The Charles W. Morgan is an irreplaceable artifact of America’s maritime heritage and her well-being is paramount.”

At 113-feet long, the Morgan was launched in New Bedford, Mass. in 1841 and had a whaling career of 80 years and 37 voyages that spanned the far reaches of the globe. While her original cargo was whale oil and bone, now her cargo is knowledge. Commanding this American icon and presenting her to the American people as a living portal into an important chapter of our history is an honor, Files said.

Although he’s sailed in oceans across the globe for close to half a century, Files said he hasn’t yet experienced a favorite sail. However, the Morgan’s 38th Voyage is “going to be a quite the adventure,” he said.

About Mystic Seaport

Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, the Museum is home to four National Historic Landmark vessels, including the Charles W. Morgan, America’s oldest commercial ship and the last wooden whaleship in the world. The museum is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. Admission is $24 for adults and $15 for children ages 6-17. Museum members and children 5 and under are admitted free.