A brand new Mystic Seaport video “Journey to Restoration: Mayflower II at Mystic Seaport” was released today. Mystic Seaport’s Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard is working in partnership with Plimoth Plantation to restore Mayflower II, a full-scale reproduction of the Pilgrims’ vessel. The ship is being repaired using traditional and modern methods that both honor her original construction and recondition her for generations of enjoyment.
Submitted by Connor Zito, Mystic Seaport, May 4, 2016
CAMM 2016 Annual Conference Attendees in front of the KALMAR NYCKEL
The recent 2016 CAMM conference provided a great opportunity for learning, networking, and reinvigoration. Over 80 maritime heritage professionals attended, representing 45 institutions. Highlights included an evening cruise on the Kalmar Nyckel and a field trip to Winterthur.
The Kalmar Nyckel Foundation provided a wonderful venue and their conference volunteers were awesome! Many thanks to our hosts Sam Heed and Cathy Parsells.
Next year’s conference will be hosted by the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. April dates to be determined.
Dave Pearson turns over gavel to new CAMM President Greg Gorga
CAMM elected a new president, Greg Gorga, and vice president, Marifrances Trivelli at their recent 2016 Business Meeting. Two new members-at-large were also elected–Susan Sirota from the Maritime Museum Association of San Diego and Rolf Johnson of the Wisconsin Maritime Museum. Walter Rybka of the Erie Maritime Museum/U.S. Brig Niagara rotated off the Board and Dave Pearson replaced him as ex-officio president.
Current CAMM Officers:
President, Greg Gorga, Santa Barbara Maritime Museum
Vice President, Marifrances Trivelli, Los Angeles Maritime Museum
Secretary, Paul Johnston, National Museum of American History, Smithsonia
Treasurer, Paul Fontenoy, North Carolina Maritime Museum
Members at Large:
Sam Heed, Kalmar Nyckel Foundation
Pete Lesher, Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum
Rolf Johnson, Wisconsin Maritime Museum
Susan Sirota, Maritime Museum Association of San Diego
Ex-Officio President, Dave Pearson, Columbia River Maritime Museum
NPS Advisor, Robbyn Jackson, San Francisco Maritime NHP
The National Park Service, in partnership with the Maritime Administration, today announced the award of $2.58 million in Maritime Heritage Program grants for projects in 19 states that preserve sites and objects related to our nation’s maritime history.
Congratulations to the following CAMM-member grant recipients:
Santa Barbara Maritime Museum for Spirit of Dana Tall Ship Overnight Education Program
Maritime Museum Association of San Diego for Distance Learning History Project: Linking to Cabrillo’s Ship San Salvador
San Francisco Maritime National Park Association for Steam Ferryboat Eureka Structural Survey
Mystic Seaport Museum for Scrimshaw, Marine Painting, and Ship Model Preservation and Access Project
Connecticut River Museum for Bulkhead Replacement Project
Kalmar Nyckel Foundation for “Wilmington Shipbuilding” Interpretive Educational Exhibit
Maine Maritime Museum for Construction of Building Addition for a Simulated Lighthouse Lantern Room
USS Constitution Museum for Renewing “Old Ironsides”
National Maritime Historical Society for Indexing, Digitizing, and Online Expansion of Sea History Magazine
Independence Seaport Museum for Submarine Becuna Multimedia App Development
Steamship Historical Society of America for Steaming into the Future
See NPS press release for full list of grant recipients.
The Maritime Heritage Program grants are available to state, tribal, and local governments, as well as private non-profit organizations for education and preservation projects. Education projects are funded in amounts between $15,000-$50,000; preservation projects are funded in amounts between $50,000-$200,000. Education grants can be used for programs such as school curriculum, interpretive programs and web pages, and preservation grant projects can include the rehabilitation or restoration of ships and other maritime resources.
National Maritime Heritage Program Grant awards are made possible through a partnership between the two federal agencies that share a commitment to maritime heritage preservation and education. In accordance with the National Maritime Heritage Act of 1994, funding is provided by the Maritime Administration through the recycling of vessels from the MARAD’s National Defense Reserve Fleet. The grant program supports a broad range of maritime education and preservation projects, without expending tax dollars, while ensuring that the vessels are dismantled in an environmentally sound manner.
NPS Maritime Historian Anna Holloway expects the next application period for grants to begin May 23rd. See the Maritime Heritage Program website for more information on the grants program.
Submitted by Anna Holloway, NPS Maritime Historian, April 22, 2016
The launch of the USS Lexington at the Bethlehem Steel Company shipyard in September 1942. U.S. Navy photo in National Archives Collection.
The 50th Historic Naval Ships Association (HNSA) Conference, “The Sky’s the Limit,” will be on board the USS LEXINGTON in Corpus Christi, TX, from 20-23 September. The format will follow last year’s very successful conference on the USS IOWA in San Pedro, CA, whereby each of the three days will see two, 3-hour symposium-style sessions with convenient breaks. This format provides the opportunity for attendees to explore more fully topics crucial for the success of our ship-museums. Similarly, experts from both inside and outside the HNSA fleet community will make presentations.
The Mariners’ Museum and Park is seeking a new President to lead the Museum into a new era. The President is responsible for increasing the visibility, prominence, financial resources, relevance and impact of The Mariners’ Museum and Park. S/he must be a leader who can garner respect and support of donors, government leaders, other non-profits and experts in the field. This individual must know how to build a world-class operation, develop and nurture partnerships, and be a catalyst who can lead and motivate others while creating excitement and energy around The Mariners’ Museum and Park and all its potential.
The ideal candidate will possess a minimum of ten years in a leadership role in a profit or not-for-profit organization, preferably in a Museum, with a proven track record in leadership, revenue generation, building new business lines, and motivating staff and volunteers to achieve new levels of excellence. This individual must be a passionate, creative leader and team builder. The new President will report to The Mariners’ Museum Board of Trustees.
The Council of American Maritime Museum’s Board is delighted to welcome four new members!
Channel Islands Maritime Museum, Oxnard, California
Institute of Nautical Archaeology, College Station, Texas
Maritime Industry Museum at Fort Schuyler, Bronx, New York
Ocean Institute, Dana Point, California
The Ocean Institutes’ tall ships SPIRIT OF DANA POINT and Brig PILGRIM. Photo courtesy of the Ocean Institute.
According to their website, “The Ocean Institute, founded in 1977, educates 250,000 visitors annually through over 60 marine science and maritime history programs. Located on 2.4 acres in the Dana Point Harbor, adjacent to a Marine Life Conservation Area, the facility is an ocean education center that offers in-depth Marine Science, Maritime History and Outdoor Education programs.
The Institute includes state-of-the-art teaching labs, the spectacular Maddie James Seaside Learning Center, two historic tall ships, and an oceanographic research vessel. Immersion-based field trips range from one-hour science labs to multi-day programs at sea and at the Lazy W Ranch, in the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains. All programs are designed to maximize immersion, spark curiosity, and inspire a deep commitment to learning.”
Affiliated with the Texas A&M University, the Institute of Nautical Archaeology is based in College Station, Texas. A non-profit international research organization “committed to locating, excavating, recording, preserving, and publishing archaeological sites of maritime significance—including wrecked and buried ships, submerged ruins, and their associated artifacts, INA was founded over 40 years ago by Dr. George Bass, who in the 1960s pioneered the science of archaeological excavation under water. INA conducts work around the globe on shipwrecks and submerged sites. INA’s projects represent all historical periods and geographic regions, from the 14th-century B.C. Bronze Age shipwreck at Uluburun, Turkey to the 19th-century A.D. side-wheel steamboat Heroine in Red River, Oklahoma.”
Channel Islands Maritime Museum Docent Jerry Leckie talks to a group of students from Hathaway School. Photo courtesy Channel Islands Maritime Museum
The mission of the Channel Islands Maritime Museum, Oxnard, California, is to “provide a rewarding museum experience based on the age of sail and to enhance the understanding of our rich maritime heritage through world-class maritime art, unique ship models, dynamic exhibits, and educational programs.” The museum offers a wide range of educational tours and activities for students in grades 3 through 12, as well as field trips and a summer education program. Permanent exhibits include seascape paintings and a variety of ship models–some carved by French prisoners-of-war from soup bones.
Courtesy Maritime Industry Museum at Fort Schuyler
The Maritime Museum at Fort Schuyler is housed on the campus of the State University of New York (SUNY) Maritime College at historic Fort Schuyler, The Bronx, New York. According to their website, “Touring the museum is like strolling through passages of time. The museum offers one of the largest collections of maritime industry materials in the nation and is displayed chronologically. The main exhibit area located on the second floor is entitled ‘The Evolution of Seafaring’ and encompasses the history of seafaring from the ancient Phoenicians to present day steamship companies and passenger ship lines. Exhibits in the area include paintings, models of early sailing vessels, clipper ships, turn of the century vessels up to and including the present day, as well as tools and navigational instruments of bygone days to modern times.”
Submitted by Candace Clifford using extracts from these members’ websites, April 12, 2016
Steve White became president of the International Congress of Maritime Museums (ICMM) at their November 2015 meeting in Hong Kong. Twenty countries were represented at this meeting hosted by the Hong Kong Maritime Museum. In his President’s Page message after the meeting, Steve stated “In Hong Kong, we explored the past and the heritage of trade while looking from the present and into the future in a port that is one of the global leaders in maritime trade today. In this environment, we were confronted with the juxtaposition of past and present, and thanks to a well-planned Congress, including our trip to Macau and to several museums in Macau and Hong Kong, the overall program illuminated our understanding of these parallel worlds.”
The next Congress is set for October 15-20, 2017, in Valparaiso, Chile. According to Steve, “It will be our first time in South America, and I ask all members to please put our bi-annual event on your calendar and to plan for the expense in your budgets. The program planning committee is already beginning its work under the direction of Kristen Greenaway (Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum). The theme for the program and the congress is DISCOVERIES! which is appropriate for our first congress in South America as we discover the rich and diverse maritime history of a country that includes the iconic Cape Horn. Please visit our website from time to time to see more information regarding this important Congress.”
Extracted from the ICMM newslettter and website by Candace Clifford, April 11, 2016
The Polynesian voyaging canoe Hokule’a (“Star of Gladness” in Hawaiian) is circumnavigating the globe on a voyage whose goals are as impressive as they are important. Hokule’a was built by the Polynesian Voyaging Society in the 1970s, more than 600 years after any other voyaging canoe existed.
Designed and sailed using skills that very nearly went extinct, Hokule’a seeks the wisdom of all indigenous peoples in a search for ideas on dealing with global concerns applied on a global scale. Appealing particularly to students and their communities, Hokule’a brings attention to the message of Mālama Honua – “to care for the Earth” in Hawaiian.
Hokule’a will be welcomed into Hampton Roads waters by a flotilla on Friday, April 22. She will then stay docked in Newport News for the Earth Day Celebration on Saturday, April 23 at the James River Fishing Pier. The celebration will include tours of Hokule’a, educational activities for families, and chances to meet the crew members. On Sunday, April 24, Hokule’a will sail to Yorktown for a traditional welcoming ceremony with Native American tribes followed by an afternoon celebration and tours of Hokule’a.
Throughout the visit, Hokule’a’s crew will participate in multiple public programs. On Thursday, April 28, the crew will deliver a special lecture on Traditional Polynesian Wayfinding at the Museum. On Friday, April 29, the Museum will host Exploring the Seas Homeschool Day with the Polynesian Voyaging Society. There will also be special opportunities for Hampton Roads students to visit with the crew in their own classrooms.
Hokule’a will remain at Riverwalk Landing in Yorktown until May 8, when the canoe will continue sailing north, eventually visiting Washington, D.C., in time for a possible presidential declaration of National Oceans’ Month.
For more information about Hokule’a’s visit please go www.marinersmuseum.org/hokulea-events/. Or, you may contact Anne Marie Millar at (757) 591-7748 or email amillar@marinersmuseum.org.
Submitted by Jenna Dill, The Mariners Museum, April 11, 2016
Mystic, Conn. (April 7, 2016) – Mystic Seaport announced today that Nicholas R. Bell has been named Senior Vice President for Curatorial Affairs, a new position at the Museum that will be responsible for the care, management, strategic development, and exhibition of the Museum’s collections. Bell will assume the position June 1, 2016.
Bell is presently The Fleur and Charles Bresler Curator-in-Charge at the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery in Washington, DC, where he led the Gallery’s recent relaunch following a $30 million, two-year renovation. The reopening exhibition, entitled “WONDER,” explores the museum’s value to American culture and identity by presenting nine gallery spaces to site-specific installations by leading contemporary artists. The innovative project brought success and tremendous acclaim to the Renwick—museum attendance has increased 1,000 percent since its reopening.
“We are very proud to have a curator of Nicholas’s caliber join Mystic Seaport. We believe his deep knowledge of material culture, understanding of the public audience, and demonstrated leadership and creativity will take our collections and exhibitions program to a new level,” said Steve White, president of Mystic Seaport. “The combination of the Thompson Exhibition Building opening this fall and this new leadership position truly signify that Mystic Seaport is moving into a new era of exhibitions.”
During his eight years at the Renwick, Bell curated six major exhibitions. The diverse projects included the thematic “WONDER;” a highly praised generational survey “40 under 40: Craft Futures,” organized to celebrate the Renwick’s 40th anniversary; the monographic “Untitled: The Art of James Castle;” and the presentation of groundbreaking research in “A Measure of the Earth: The Cole-Ware Collection of American Baskets.”
Bell’s vision expanded the Renwick’s focus from a narrow definition of craft to include a broad array of creative practices illustrating skilled making as a multifaceted approach to living in the modern world. He reinvigorated the museum’s permanent collection through targeted purchases and gifts, including the gift of a landmark Dale Chihuly chandelier, the acquisition of the largest public collection of American revival baskets, and the second largest public collection of works by seminal self-taught artist James Castle.
Along with his curatorial accomplishments, Bell worked with the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s development team to raise funds to endow two curatorships and support the Renwick’s renovation. He also was part of a select group of Smithsonian experts who participated in TED talk-style presentations across the U.S. for the Smithsonian’s $1.5 billion capital campaign.
Bell has published seven books in the last five years, including six peer-reviewed exhibition catalogues and one edited anthology. He additionally positioned the Renwick as a center for scholarship with two international symposia in the past three years that have featured nearly 40 speakers.
”No matter how far we live from it, as Americans, the sea is bred in our bones. I believe the inclusiveness with which Mystic Seaport defines this relationship is the Museum’s greatest asset to building new connections with the public it serves,” said Bell. “Expanding on these connections is a thrilling opportunity, and I could not ask for a stronger team with which to embark on this adventure than the one already in place at the Museum.”
Bell earned a bachelor’s degree from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia, and a master’s degree from the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture at the University of Delaware. Bell, his wife, Allison, and their three children will be relocating to Mystic, Conn. this spring.
Submitted by Dan McFadden, Mystic Seaport, April 7, 2016
