Mystic, Conn. (December 4, 2015) – Mayflower II is scheduled to arrive by tugboat at the mouth of Connecticut’s Mystic River on Saturday, December 5 at 3:30 p.m., and pass through downtown Mystic at 4:30 p.m. (all times are approximate). Although Mystic Seaport grounds will not be open to visitors for the ship’s arrival, the public will have the opportunity to view the ship as it makes its way upriver. The ship will pass close by Mystic River Park and through the historic bascule bridge in downtown Mystic on its way to the Museum.

Mayflower II, Plimoth Plantation’s 1957 replroduction of the ship that carried the Pilgrims to Massachusetts in 1620, departed Plymouth, MA Tuesday, December 1 to head to Mystic Seaport for preservation work during the winter at the Museum’s Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard. The ship stopped at New Bedford, MA to wait for favorable weather conditions to make the final leg of the journey.

Accompanied by a crew of eight from Plimoth Plantation’s Maritime Preservation and Operations group, the 106-foot ship will be towed by the tug Jaguar. The public can track Mayflower II’s progress online using Jaguar’s Maritime Mobile Service Identity number 366934810.

In the second phase of a multi-year preservation initiative for the nearly 60-year-old ship, Mystic Seaport shipwrights and Plimoth Plantation maritime artisans will be replacing the half-deck area as well as working on the tween deck and topmast rigging. The restoration is being undertaken in advance of celebrations of the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims’ arrival in Plymouth in 1620.

Plimoth Plantation, in partnership with Mystic Seaport, expects to make possible some opportunities for public engagement with the ship over the winter. Mayflower II will return to Plymouth in the spring.

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’s collection of more than two million artifacts includes more than 500 historic vessels and one of the largest collections of maritime photography in the country. The state-of-the-art Collections Research Center at Mystic Seaport provides scholars and researchers from around the world access to the Museum’s renowned archives. Mystic Seaport is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. Admission is $25 for adults and $16 for children ages 6-17. Museum members and children 5 and under are admitted free. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/  and follow Mystic Seaport on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Show Features Small Paintings by Top Maritime Artists

Mystic, Conn. (November 18, 2015) – The Maritime Gallery at Mystic Seaport presents its annual winter exhibition and sale, Maritime Miniatures by Maritime Masters, November 22, 2015 through April 3, 2016.

The invitational exhibition features more than 100 small paintings displayed and available for purchase – each no larger than 10 inches in height or width (excluding frame). The exhibition includes works with a maritime winter theme among others by more than 50 top Maritime Gallery artists, and features scenes of majestic ships, yachting and working boats, coastal landscapes, marshes, and marine wildlife.

Participating artists include Joel Popadics, Kim Muller-Thym, David Bareford, James Magner, Al Barker, Del-Bouree Bach, Russ Kramer, and Robert Noreika.

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 one of these miniature works of art, created by some of the most respected and leading contemporary maritime artists, capture the beauty of the maritime experience of the sea,” said Monique Foster, director of the Maritime Gallery.  “These original small masterpieces are framed, very affordable and perfect gifts for the holidays.”

The Gallery will host a public opening with an “Artists’ Walk” on Sunday, November 22 at 1:30 p.m. where some of the participating artists will be on hand to discuss their works in the show. Admission to the Artists’ Walk and the Gallery is free.

A special discount of five percent off the sale of all original art in the Maritime Gallery will be available for Mystic Seaport members (Gallery Patrons receive a 10 percent discount) through December 31.

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. Please visit mysticseaport.org/gallery for current hours.

Mystic, Conn. (November 9, 2015) – Mystic Seaport, in conjunction with the artists of the New York-based Dalvero Academy, will open a new exhibit, “Journey of Transformation: An Exploration of Our Evolving Relationship with the Whale by Dalvero Academy,” on Saturday, November 21.

The exhibit is the second collaboration with the artists of Dalvero. The Museum’s relationship with the Academy began when the artists first visited Mystic Seaport in 2009, attracted to the restoration of the Charles W. Morgan. The initial collaboration culminated in an exhibit titled “Restoring a Past, Charting a Future,” featuring art from Academy artists who documented and reflected on the restoration of the 1841 whaleship.

Building on their previous work, the artists focused on the 38th Voyage of the Morgan as the ship traveled around ports of New England in the summer of 2014. Some of the artists were on board for a leg of the voyage and others followed the vessel from port to port. The exhibit shows this latest chapter of the ship’s history in their thinking and artistic expression.

“The 38th Voyage of the Charles W. Morgan has yielded a rich treasure of ideas and artifacts born of the contemplation and experience of the many participants,” said Steve White, president of Mystic Seaport. “The work from Dalvero Academy combines thoughtful perspective with remarkable art in a wide array of media. The artists participating in the exhibit had similar experiences, but their manifestations of it are as different as the artists themselves.”

The works from the 29 participating artists include an outdoor sculpture, printed fabric, small sculpted harpoon heads,  a weaving, prints, painted ceramic tiles, videos, a mural,  ceramic sculpture, masks, a shadow box assemblage, stained glass, water colors, oil paintings, a children’s book,  and a kimono.

The exhibit is located in the Museum’s C.D. Mallory Building. It will be open through 2016.

About Dalvero Academy
Dalvero Academy was founded by Veronica Lawlor and Margaret Hurst in 2005. It is a private academy of drawing, illustration, digital photography and design. The name Dalvero comes from the Italian “dal vero,” from the truth; from life. Ms. Hurst and Ms. Lawlor are freelance illustrators and designers who also teach at Pratt Art Institute and Parsons the New School for Design in New York. The Dalvero studio is located in Brooklyn, New York. For more information regarding the Dalvero Academy, as well as bios and statements from each participating artist, please visit www.dalveroacedemy.com.

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’s collection of more than two million artifacts includes more than 500 historic vessels and one of the largest collections of maritime photography in the country. The state-of-the-art Collections Research Center at Mystic Seaport provides scholars and researchers from around the world access to the Museum’s renowned archives. Mystic Seaport is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. Admission is $25 for adults and $16 for children ages 6-17. Museum members and children 5 and under are admitted free. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/  and follow Mystic Seaport on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Theatrical Performances Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe

Mystic, Conn. (October 6, 2015) — Mystic Seaport announces the return of its Halloween production, Nautical Nightmares, beginning October 16.

The performance is a dramatic experience that explores ghost tales, legends and unsolved mysteries of days gone by. This year’s production, “Tales of Terror: An Evening with Poe,” invites visitors to join “Mr. Poe” as he progresses through scenes around the Museum grounds in fear of, or perhaps to embrace, the evil that surrounds him. Inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe, the performance incorporates themes and bits from his works to weave a tale of eeriness and horror.

Performance nights are October 16-17, 23-24, and 30. Tours begin nightly at 6 p.m. and leave every 15 minutes from the Museum’s main entrance.

Ticket prices are $25 for adults ($21 for members) and $20 for youth ages 12-17 ($16 for members). Tickets can be purchased online at mysticseaport.org/nauticalnightmares or by calling 860.572.5331.

Nautical Nightmares is recommended for children ages 12 and older. Visitors will be walking outdoors along both dirt and stone paths and are encouraged to wear appropriate footwear.

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’s collection of more than two million artifacts includes more than 500 historic vessels and one of the largest collections of maritime photography in the country. The state-of-the-art Collections Research Center at Mystic Seaport provides scholars and researchers from around the world access to the Museum’s renowned archives. Mystic Seaport is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. Admission is $25 for adults and $16 for children ages 6-17. Museum members and children 5 and under are admitted free. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/  and follow Mystic Seaport on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Author of “In the Heart of the Sea” to be Honored at a Gala in New York City on October 14

Mystic, Conn. (October 5, 2015) — Mystic Seaport will honor historian and author Nathaniel Philbrick with the 2015 America and the Sea Award. Presented annually by the Museum, the prestigious award, commemorating its 10th anniversary recognizes an individual or organization whose contribution to the history, arts, business, or sciences of the sea best exemplify the American character.

Philbrick will receive the award Wednesday, October 14, at a gala held in his honor in New York City. This black tie affair is the premier fund-raising event for Mystic Seaport. For invitations please contact advancement@https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/ or 860.572.5365.

Past recipients include oceanographer and explorer Sylvia Earle, historian David McCullough, legendary yacht designer Olin Stephens, President and CEO of Crowley Maritime Corporation, Thomas Crowley, philanthropist William Koch, former Secretary of the Navy John Lehman, WoodenBoat founder Jon Wilson, yachtsman and author Gary Jobson, and maritime industrialist Charles A. Robertson.

“Like those recipients before him, Nat Philbrick’s work helps to elevate one’s understanding of the sea. With every work he publishes, his words speak to American history and they instruct us on our heritage in a very personal and approachable manner,” said Steve White, president of Mystic Seaport.

Philbrick is closely linked to the island of Nantucket, where he moved with his wife Melissa and their two children in 1986. In 1994, he published his first book about the island’s history, Away Off Shore, followed by a study of the Nantucket’s native legacy, Abram’s Eyes. He was the founding director of Nantucket’s Egan Maritime Institute and is still a research fellow at the Nantucket Historical Association.

In 2000, Philbrick published The New York Times bestseller In the Heart of the Sea, which won the National Book Award for nonfiction. The book is the basis of the forthcoming Warner Bros. motion picture In Heart of the Sea, directed by Ron Howard and starring Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker, Ben Wishaw, and Tom Holland, which is scheduled for release in December 2015. The book also inspired a 2001 Dateline special on NBC as well as the 2010 two-hour PBS American Experience film Into the Deep by Ric Burns.

His next book was Sea of Glory, published in 2003, which won the Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt Naval History Prize and the Albion-Monroe Award from the National Maritime Historical Society. The New York Times bestseller Mayflower, a finalist for both the 2007 Pulitzer Prize in History and the Los Angeles Times Book Award, won the Massachusetts Book Award for nonfiction. Mayflower was named one of the ten “Best Books of 2006” by the New York Times Book Review. It is currently in development as a limited series on FX.

Philbrick’s latest New York Times bestseller, Bunker Hill:  A City, a Siege, a Revolution, was published in 2013 and was awarded both the 2013 New England Book Award for nonfiction and the 2014 New England Society Book Award as well as the 2014 Distinguished Book Award of the Society of Colonial Wars. Bunker Hill has been optioned by Warner Bros. for feature film adaptation with Ben Affleck attached to direct.

Philbrick has also received the Byrne Waterman Award from the Kendall Whaling Museum, the Samuel Eliot Morison Award for distinguished service from the USS Constitution Museum, the Nathaniel Bowditch Award from the American Merchant Marine Museum, the William Bradford Award from the Pilgrim Society, and the Boston History Award from the Bostonian Society. He was named the 2011 Cushing Orator by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and has an honorary doctorate from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, where he delivered the commencement address in 2009.

Philbrick’s writing has appeared in Vanity Fair, The New York Times Book Review, The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and The Boston Globe. He has appeared on the Today Show, the Morning Show, Dateline, PBS’s American Experience, C-SPAN, and NPR.

Nathaniel Philbrick grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and earned a BA in English from Brown University and an MA in America Literature from Duke University, where he was a James B. Duke Fellow. He was Brown University’s first Intercollegiate All-American sailor in 1978.

The event, which supports the mission of Mystic Seaport to inspire an enduring connection to America’s maritime heritage, is co-chaired by Peggy and Grant Cambridge, J. Barclay Collins, II, and Maarten deJong and Kendra Matthew.

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’s collection of more than two million artifacts includes more than 500 historic vessels and one of the largest collections of maritime photography in the country. The state-of-the-art Collections Research Center at Mystic Seaport provides scholars and researchers from around the world access to the Museum’s renowned archives. Mystic Seaport is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. Admission is $25 for adults and $16 for children ages 6-17. Museum members and children 5 and under are admitted free. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/  and follow Mystic Seaport on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.