Category: Press Releases

Sailor Made: Folk Art of the Sea Dives Deep into the Museum’s Collection to Explore the Rich and Surprising Creativity of the American Seafarer 

Mystic, Conn. (August 28, 2020) — When sailors went to sea in the 19th century, they faced difficult working conditions, cramped personal space onboard ship, and voyages that at times could stretch for months or even years. Sailor Made: Folk Art of the Sea, a new exhibition opening September 18 in the Museum’s C.D. Mallory Building, explores the art that emerged out of this working world, reflecting sailors’ connections to shipboard life, their thoughts about culture on shore, and the souvenirs they created to remember and share the experiences of their travels.

The second of four new exhibitions funded by the Henry Luce Foundation, Sailor Made highlights more than 200 objects from the Museum’s collection, many of which have long been hidden from public view. Each artifact has its own story, and through the work of exhibition curator Mirelle Luecke, Ph.D., much new information has been uncovered about the objects in the show.

“When stuck in the difficult, dangerous, and sometimes monotonous environment of the ship, sailors used art to express themselves. The designs they inscribed on scrimshaw, the types of household items they made, and the ways they used different materials were all intentions, and tell us something about the sailors themselves, their experiences, and the world they lived in,” said Luecke.

These stories show how creating art enabled sailors to differentiate their labor and leisure time in the otherwise all-consuming work environment of the ship.

To do this sailors turned to art, carving scrimshaw, drawing in journals, sewing intricate embroidery, and creating intricate knot-work, to name but a few of the media on display. Highlights include:

• Personal items that spoke to sailor-makers professional life and skills, such as knives, needle cases, clothing, and elaborate macramé bags
• Household items such as bowls and boxes fashioned out of exotic materials
• A child’s hammock decorated with scenes from the circumnavigation voyage of the USS Columbia, made by one shipmate for another
• Examples of tattoo flash (sample drawings from which sailors could choose their tattoo)
• Numerous pieces of scrimshaw, including engraved teeth, jagging wheels, bodkins, and a knitting swift
• A coatrack constructed of narwhal tusks
• A cribbage board in the shape of the nuclear submarine USS Hartford

As self-taught artists, sailors engaged with the working world of the ship, imagined their ideal lives on shore, and created objects to commemorate their experiences at sea. This exhibition is a view into the world of the 19th-century sailor, with a few modern examples to show how those impulses and activities continue today in some naval and merchant mariners.

The exhibition is made possible by a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation to support the curation and development of four new collections installations and related programming at Mystic Seaport Museum. These projects will provide new perspectives on the art and ensure the continued preservation and refinement of the collections while also promoting public access.

Access to Sailor Made is included in the Museum’s general admission.

Media Contact

Dan McFadden
Director of Communications
Mystic Seaport Museum
860.572.5317
dan.mcfadden@mysticseaport.org/

About Mystic Seaport Museum

Mystic Seaport Museum, founded in 1929, is the nation’s leading maritime museum. In addition to providing a multitude of immersive experiences, the Museum also houses a collection of more than two million artifacts that include more than 500 historic vessels and one of the largest collections of maritime photography. Mystic Seaport Museum is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. For more information, please visit www.mysticseaport.org/ and follow Mystic Seaport Museum on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.

Mystic, Conn. (August 26, 2020) — 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.

In 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.

Following 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; oceanographer and explorer Sylvia Earle; former Secretary of the Navy John Lehman; WoodenBoat Publications founder Jon Wilson; yachtsman and author Gary Jobson; maritime industrialist Charles A. Robertson; among other maritime greats.

For invitations, please email advancement@mysticseaport.org/

Media Contact

Dan McFadden
Director of Communications
Mystic Seaport Museum
860.572.5317
dan.mcfadden@mysticseaport.org/

About Mystic Seaport Museum

Mystic Seaport Museum, founded in 1929, is the nation’s leading maritime museum. In addition to providing a multitude of immersive experiences, the Museum also houses a collection of more than two million artifacts that include more than 500 historic vessels and one of the largest collections of maritime photography. Mystic Seaport Museum is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. For more information, please visit www.mysticseaport.org/ and follow Mystic Seaport Museum on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.

Mystic, Conn. (August 20, 2020) — In association with its new exhibition, A Way with Wood: Celebrating Craft, Mystic Seaport Museum will host Woodcraft Weekend August 29-30. Independent craftspeople and woodworkers will be spread throughout the Museum grounds displaying their projects and products, and providing demonstrations for visitors.

Participating artisans are:

• Woodworkers Guild of Rhode Island – Demonstrating a range of skills from sharpening and squaring a board to relief carving and carving in the round
• Tom Lauria – Scratch-built fine scale ship and boat models
• Paul Schmitt – Kit and scratch built ship models
• Alex Bellinger – Ships in bottles, completed and in progress
• Brian Cooper – Demonstrating the creation of a Greenland kayak paddle using all hand tools
• Chris Sanders – Tool-sharpening demonstrations
• Katherine Park – One-of-a-kind furniture
• Laurent Robert – Intricate, decorative wood carving using traditional methods
• David Douyard – Handmade chairs

Centerbrook Architects & Planners industrial designer and model maker, Patrick McCauley, will be working in the A Way with Wood exhibition, where he will fabricate a chair from the Centerbrook Chairshop. The Chairshop is an in-house program where staff members design and build a chair incorporating diverse materials, construction techniques, and finishes. Chairs from previous classes will be on display, as well as imagery that celebrates the history of the program and its participants.

At 11 a.m., Saturday, the principal designer of the Museum’s Thompson Exhibition Building, Chad Floyd, FAIA, of Centerbrook Architects & Planners, will give a presentation to discuss why and how wood was used in the building’s design. The talk will be in the Masin Room of the Thompson Building. Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

All Woodcraft Weekend events and activities are free and included with Museum admission.

Media Contact

Dan McFadden
Director of Communications
Mystic Seaport Museum
860.572.5317
dan.mcfadden@mysticseaport.org/

About Mystic Seaport Museum

Mystic Seaport Museum, founded in 1929, is the nation’s leading maritime museum. In addition to providing a multitude of immersive experiences, the Museum also houses a collection of more than two million artifacts that include more than 500 historic vessels and one of the largest collections of maritime photography. Mystic Seaport Museum is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. For more information, please visit www.mysticseaport.org/ and follow Mystic Seaport Museum on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.

Mystic, Conn. (July 30, 2020) — Mystic Seaport Museum will hold its annual Antique Marine Engine Exposition Saturday and Sunday, August 15-16.

A collection of more than 150 antique marine engines will be on display, including inboards, outboards, gasoline, diesel, electric, and naphtha engines. The event is one of the largest gatherings of marine engines in the country.

Workshops and activities will be held throughout the event, which is set in the Museum’s Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard and throughout the Museum grounds. Visitors are invited to see the displayed engines Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Engines will be fired up throughout the day and a selection of operating miniature engines and model boats will be on display.

“This is a rare opportunity to view the progression of marine engine technology all in one place as the entire scope of early motor designs are represented in the show,” said Shannon McKenzie, director of Watercraft Programs at the Museum.

The Antique Marine Engine Expo is free with Museum admission. Visitors are required to wear masks and practice social distancing in line with the State of Connecticut’s COVID-19 restrictions.

Media Contact

Dan McFadden
Director of Communications
Mystic Seaport
860.572.5317
dan.mcfadden@mysticseaport.org/

About Mystic Seaport

Mystic Seaport Museum, founded in 1929, is the nation’s leading maritime museum. In addition to providing a multitude of immersive experiences, the Museum also houses a collection of more than two million artifacts that include more than 500 historic vessels and one of the largest collections of maritime photography. Mystic Seaport Museum is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. For more information, please visit www.mysticseaport.org/ and follow Mystic Seaport Museum on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.

Mystic, Conn. (June 25, 2020) — Mystic Seaport Museum will open a new exhibition, A Way with Wood: Celebrating Craft, on July 3, 2020.The show will introduce visitors to the many ways people transform one of nature’s most malleable materials to objects of utility, art, and beauty. It will be on display in the Thompson Exhibition Building’s Collins Gallery.

At the core of the exhibition will be a boat-restoration and boat-building demonstration staffed by shipwrights from the Museum’s Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard. For this exhibition, the shipwrights will carry out different projects over the course of the show. The first will be a restoration of Afterglow, the tender to the Museum’s schooner Brilliant. Following will be the completion of a restoration of the Woods Hole spritsail cat Sandy Ford, and then the construction of a new dory for the L.A. Dunton. Little to no power tools will be used; the focus will be on work using hand tools.

Complementing the shipwrights’ work is a section where outside artisans will be invited in for periods to set up shop to practice and share their craft with the public. This changing stable of woodworkers might feature a variety of different disciplines: woodcarving, furniture making, sculpture, and model making are some of the possibilities.

Throughout the 5,000 square-foot gallery, there will be rotating displays of objects from the Museum’s collections, such as rare tools, unique carvings, small boats, photographs, and other artifacts that illustrate the wide range of ways wood has been shaped by the artisan’s hand.

The displays in A Way with Wood will change as new projects, artisans, and objects rotate in and out. The exhibition is intended to evolve over time and provide different views into the world of craftsmanship and wood.

“Warm, renewable, flexible, strong – the remarkable qualities of wood have appealed to countless generations, making it the traditional go-to material for crafting boats, buildings, furniture, and much more” says Director of Exhibits Elysa Engelman. “We’re excited to be using our largest and newest gallery to show-off our staff skills and our collections, by celebrating woodcraft and the craft of woodworking in a maritime setting.”

A Way with Wood replaces the previously announved SALT: Tracing Memories, an installation by Japanese artist Motoi Yamaoto, which was scheduled to open April 26. That exhibition was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. SALT is tentatively rescheduled for spring 2021.

About Mystic Seaport Museum

Mystic Seaport Museum, founded in 1929, is the nation’s leading maritime museum. In addition to providing a multitude of immersive experiences, the Museum also houses a collection of more than two million artifacts that include more than 500 historic vessels and one of the largest collections of maritime photography. Mystic Seaport Museum is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. For more information, please visit www.mysticseaport.org/ and follow Mystic Seaport Museum on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.

Mystic, Conn. (June 9, 2020) — Mystic Seaport Museum and Discovering Amistad announce today they are collaborating to develop new programs to combat racism and promote diversity. The schooner Amistad, docked for the summer at the museum, will be a platform for education, discussion, and outreach. The two organizations will combine staff and resources to nurture engagement and meaningful interaction on the subject.

“We are saddened and dismayed by the death of George Floyd and other recent abhorrent acts of racism. Mystic Seaport Museum condemns all forms of racism and discrimination. As a maritime institution, we acknowledge the painful maritime roots in African American history, and we are compelled to act — and that begins with listening. Our two organizations can pull together people of all ages and races to increase awareness of social injustices and take positive, proactive steps that will benefit the broader community,” said Steve White, president of Mystic Seaport Museum.

“Discovering Amistad teaches students and adults about the history of racism in this country. In teaching this history our organization also cites examples of the harm racism brings to all of us, and what steps we all need to take to reduce and eliminate it. The recent hateful and horrific events make it imperative that we work together with Mystic Seaport Museum and others to begin an intensive effort to end racism in this country once and for all,” said Len Miller, chairman of Discovering Amistad.

The two organizations agree that endemic racism is a cancer eroding the values of inclusivity and equality that this country holds dear, and that this moment calls for action at all levels to fight this persistent, toxic presence. They further agree that by combining their assets and capabilities, they can effect a greater impact on the issue than they could alone.

The schooner Amistad is a replica of the ship involved in the 1839 Amistad Uprising, in which a group of captives from Sierra Leone being transported across the Atlantic for the purposes of slavery overpowered the crew and took control of the vessel, eventually ending up in New London, Conn. In a landmark 1841 decision, the US Supreme Court set the captives free.

Discovering Amistad developed an interactive, proprietary curriculum that addresses equity and adheres to the most up-to-date national C3 (College, Career and Civic Life) social studies framework. The lessons begin with the 1839 uprising and the subsequent Supreme Court decision and move through the arc of more than 175 years of history — from the Civil War to the Civil Rights Era and up to the present day. The program is the only one of its kind. With lessons conducted by specially trained educators in classrooms and aboard the ship, history comes to life as the past becomes a framework for addressing present challenges related to diverse social issues.

Details of the joint programming will be released in the coming weeks.

About Mystic Seaport Museum

Mystic Seaport Museum, founded in 1929, is the nation’s leading maritime museum. In addition to providing a multitude of immersive experiences, the Museum also houses a collection of more than two million artifacts that include more than 500 historic vessels and one of the largest collections of maritime photography. Mystic Seaport Museum is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. For more information, please visit www.mysticseaport.org/ and follow Mystic Seaport Museum on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.

About Discovering Amistad

Discovering Amistad is an educational organization that provides full year programming on its tall ship, The Amistad, in classrooms, and at historic sites of partner organizations. It enables children and adults in Connecticut and the region to discover the story of The Amistad and its impact on the state and the nation. Importantly the Organization provides learning opportunities for children and adults to discover the relevance of The Amistad story to social and racial justice in today’s world.

Mystic, Conn. (June 2, 2020) — Mystic Seaport Museum is one of four museums in the country to be recognized with a 2020 Sustainability Excellence Award, presented by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM).

First presented in 2014, the awards recognize sustainability efforts in facilities, programming, and exhibits in both large and small institutions. In the last five years, the award program has recognized 20 different museums for their efforts.

Mystic Seaport Museum received a Special Award of Merit for its accomplishments in eliminating single-use plastic on its entire 19-acre site. The awards jury “was impressed by the institution’s comprehensive approach: the attention paid to inculcating behavior change; addressing cost challenges; data collection and analysis; and the detailed documentation of its process,” the award announcement stated.

“The Mystic Seaport [Museum] is a powerful example that illustrates a deep dive in one sustainability topic that was consistently tackled with rigor,” said Joyce S. Lee, the Jury Chair for the Facility Award.

The Sustainability Excellence Awards, which strongly encourage museum energy benchmarking to address climate action, are sponsored by the Environment and Climate Network, a professional network of AAM members committed to establishing museums as leaders in environmental sustainability. The other museums receiving 2020 awards are the Spurlock Museum of World Cultures in Urbana, IL, the National Nordic Museum in Seattle, WA, and the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh, PA.

About Mystic Seaport Museum

Mystic Seaport Museum, founded in 1929, is the nation’s leading maritime museum. In addition to providing a multitude of immersive experiences, the Museum also houses a collection of more than two million artifacts that include more than 500 historic vessels and one of the largest collections of maritime photography. Mystic Seaport Museum is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. For more information, please visit www.mysticseaport.org/ and follow Mystic Seaport Museum on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.

Mystic, Conn. (May 20, 2020) — Mystic Seaport Museum announces it will reopen to the public Saturday, May 23. To celebrate the occasion and to thank the community for its support of the Museum during its closure, admission will be free May 23-29.

Visitors will be welcome to explore the grounds, including the historic village and gardens, the shipyard, and the Mystic River waterfront. The indoor exhibitions, village buildings, and the historic vessels will not be open at this time. The Museum plans to expand access and programming for the public in the coming weeks as permitted by state and local authorities.

Operating hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m., May 23-25, and 12-4 p.m., May 26-29.

For the safety of visitors and staff, the Museum has implemented a number of COVID-19 prevention measures.

• The Museum has limited the capacity of the grounds to ensure safe distancing. This may result in asking some guests to return at a later time. Status updates will be posted on the Museum website (www.mysticseaport.org/) and social media feeds.
• While on Museum grounds, visitors are required to wear masks or cloth face coverings that completely cover the nose and mouth unless doing so would be contrary to the visitor’s health and safety due to a medical condition.
• Visitors are expected to observe six-foot social distancing at all times.
• Hand sanitizer will be available at the entrance point and other common areas. Visitors are encouraged to bring their own hand sanitizer and wipes.
• Entry will be via the South Entrance. Visitors should park in the South Lot.
• Currently there will be no food service, water fountains or shopping available on the grounds.
• Restrooms will be limited to one person or family at a time. The Museum will be cleaning and disinfecting bathrooms frequently.
• Visitors experiencing COVID-19 CDC-defined symptoms may not enter. People who have reason to believe they have been exposed to the virus are encouraged not to visit.

The Museum has been closed since March 13 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

About Mystic Seaport Museum

Mystic Seaport Museum, founded in 1929, is the nation’s leading maritime museum. In addition to providing a multitude of immersive experiences, the Museum also houses a collection of more than two million artifacts that include more than 500 historic vessels and one of the largest collections of maritime photography. Mystic Seaport Museum is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. For more information, please visit www.mysticseaport.org/ and follow Mystic Seaport Museum on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.