Come in out of the rain and enjoy the Whaling Museum! Currently open every Saturday and Sunday from 11 A.M. to 4 P.M. through April 18, the hours will be extended beginning on April 22 to Thursday - Monday, 11 A.M. to 4 P.M., through May 10.

The Iñupiat Eskimos have lived and hunted in the Arctic region of Alaska for five thousand years. Central to their lifestyle and survival is the bowhead whale, a primary source not only of food, building materials, and barter goods, but also of art, legends, and cultural identity.

 

The exhibition features the photography of Bill Hess, who documented the bowhead hunt in his book Gift of the Whale: The Iñupiat Bowhead Hunt - A Sacred Tradition. With patience and openness, Hess earned the trust of the Iñupiat community, and was invited to document the hunt. His photographs share a startling and deeply moving portrait of a community fully engaged in the pursuit of the bowhead whale. The exhibition will provide visitors with a glimpse into a contemporary society that owes its survival to the hunting of whales, not unlike the island of Nantucket at the height of the Golden Age of whaling.

 

This photography exhibition also includes the documentary film The Eskimo and the Whale, an Eskimo kayak, and Arctic carvings in ivory from the NHA collections.

 

In addition to the exhibition, in late April wooden - boat builder Corey Freedman will be on island to build a traditional Umiak. Anyone interested in finding out more information about signing up to join a class in helping Corey build the Umiak, please contact Chris Mason at 508-228-1894, ext. 112 or cmason@nha.org. 

 

This photography exhibition will be on display through June 13, 2010.

Mildred Jewett, "Madaket Millie"

A Passion for People showcases photographer Beverly Hall's outstanding eye for portraiture through four decades of Nantucket history. The retrospective opens a window on the remarkable changes that have occurred on Nantucket in the last four decades and features several hundred images on multiple presentation screens in addition to traditionally framed images. Hall's work captures the important era of postwar Nantucket, a time that is increasingly important to record and showcase as part of Nantucket's modern history. April 22 - December 31. 

The Nantucket Wine Festival Wine Auction Dinner, which benefits the NHA, will be held on Saturday, May 22, at the White Elephant. According to Denis Toner, NWF president and founder, "The Wine Auction Dinner is one of our signature festival events, and the Nantucket Historical Association is the festival's charity partner and beneficiary of the Wine Auction. Just as history and tradition are essential to understanding wine, the NHA is central to preserving the history and traditions of Nantucket. Proceeds from the Wine Auction support the NHA's expanding schedule of educational programs for children.  The auction dinner will be sensational this year, with the culinary talents of Brooke Vosika, executive chef of the Four Seasons Hotel in Boston, and wines provided by Jorge Ordóñez, president and founder of Fine Estates from Spain."

 

You may still purchase tickets to the May 22 Wine Auction Dinner, which benefits the NHA, directly from the NHA; to reserve your tickets, please contact Stacey Stuart at 508-228-1894, ext. 130.  For any other Wine Festival events, order from the festival Web site at www.nantucketwinefestival.com. 

The month of March witnessed several remarkable new acquisitions in the NHA collections. The Friends of the Nantucket Historical Association, our main collectors group, succeeded in purchasing a lovely late-nineteenth-century genre scene at the Sotheby's American Paintings sale. Nantucket Journal was painted in 1889 by American artist George Newell Bowers (1849-1909). The scene portrays a kindly older couple, Captain and Mrs. John (Phebe) Pitman, described by the Inquirer and Mirror as "the oldest people on the island, and to all appearances . . . the most contented." They occupied a house in 'Sconset on the bluff at the north end of Broadway. Mrs. Phebe Pitman is pictured working on a "tape loom" while Captain Pitman, a retired whaling captain, reads the Nantucket Journal, a newspaper that ran on island from 1878 to 1899. The title of the newspaper is clearly legible as is the design of the island in the header. Phebe is also the subject of Elizabeth Rebecca Coffin's painting entitled The Window Toward the Sea (1886). Few paintings in the NHA collection convey the sense of intimacy and quiet coziness that typify home life on Nantucket at the turn of the century.

 

The collections also added a remarkable group of Nantucket Ship Registries, bound in one volume, kept as required by an act of Congress by the Nantucket Collectors of Customs (Eben Allen and others) over the 1856-1864 period. The registries provide detailed information about some eighty whaling vessels, including many of the most well-known vessels from the peak of Nantucket whaling. The acquisition was secured at an auction at Grogan & Co., and was made possible with support from L. Dennis and Susan R. Shapiro.

 

A selection of fine Nantucket material was also secured at the Skinner American Furniture and Decorative Arts Sale. The material, descended in the Swain and Clark families of Nantucket, includes ten diaries kept by Benjamin Clark, son of whaleman and later Sankaty Lighthouse keeper Uriah C. Clark; a leather wallet inscribed "Uriah C. Clark 1850 Nantucket"; a turned-bone needle case inscribed "Albert S. Clark Nantucket"; and other material from the Clark family. A fine nineteenth-century baleen oval sewing box with a pincushion top was also secured. The materials were NHA purchases with funds provided by the Robert M. Waggaman acquisition fund. 

 

Looking for a way for you and your children to spend quality time together this spring? The Whaling Museum's Discovery Room will be open, at no charge, for children and families on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 2 - 4:30 P.M. through April 29, each week featuring different ways to explore Nantucket history through crafts, games, stories, and hands-on access to artifacts from the NHA's collections. Groups of children are welcome but must be accompanied by adult companions. Each day's activities will feature a different theme:

 

Tuesday is NANTUCKET NARRATIVES DAY, an afternoon of stories and activities inspired by Nantucket history.  Join us as an NHA educator shares a story, or choose books from our library to read on your own. 

 

Wednesday is ACTIVITIES AND ARTIFACTS DAY featuring a different "Artifact of the Week" where children can see and touch historic objects from the NHA's collections as well as participate in hands-on activities inspired by the featured artifact.

 

Thursday is ISLAND EXPLORATIONS DAY, a time to explore Nantucket history through a variety of activities-dressing up in colonial clothing, learning to tie knots, examining historic photographs, or reading books about Nantucket history. 

 

The NHA gratefully acknowledges the program support provided by the Nantucket Golf Club Foundation.

 

 

This fascinating illustrated story, about commercial whaling in the Western Arctic (which covers one small part of the territory as seen in the Gift of the Whale exhibition), will showcase an area that supports eleven Eskimo communities, which as part of their heritage and spiritual beliefs, have been whaling for thousands of years. This area, when first discovered by American whalers, provided them with sixty-plus years of seasonal bowhead whaling.

Whaling Museum, 13 Broad Street, 1 P.M. 

Explore historic Nantucket places through letterboxing. Use clues to find hidden boxes scattered throughout town; clues will be available at the NHA Whaling Museum and the Nantucket Atheneum. Vacation Destination Days are supported by a grant from the M. S. Worthington Foundation.

Dedicated to celebrating and reviving Nantucket's rich tradition in historic decorative arts and crafts, 2010 marks the sixth season of educational programs at the 1800 House. Classes will begin on June 14 and run through mid-October. This year an attempt has been made to diversify the class offerings-out of close to sixty classes-eleven classes are geared toward men! Also new for 2010, some classes will be offered for the youth in our community; three of the instructors will give lectures in the Whaling Museum; and specific one-day workshops designed to accommodate busy local residents will be offered in the fall.

 

Among the classes offered are Half-Hull Catboat Models, Chair Caning and Fiber Rush, Sailors Valentines, Folk-Art Game Boards, Decoupaged Wooden Trays, and a Nest of Shaker Boxes. A number of one-day and holiday workshops will also be offered.

 

Class size is limited in some instances. Fee includes all materials. Reservations and prepayment are required, NHA member discounts available. Please go to www.nha.org/1800house for full course listing and registration information.  If you have questions about a specific class-or would like us to mail you a course schedule- please call Betsey or Mary, 508-228-1894, ext. 128.

The NHA is partnering with Mitchell's Book Corner in hosting two afternoon "Art upstairs in the bookstore" workshops on Sunday, April 11, and Sunday, April 18, from 2:00 to 4 P.M. 54 Main Street. An earlier workshop in March featured making a miniature Sailors Valentine.

 

These afternoon programs, facilitated by Mary Jennings, owner and manager of Mitchell's, and Mary Lacoursiere and Betsey Braun, coordinators of the NHA's 1800 House Early American Arts & Crafts classes, will offer these adjunct workshops to the community free of charge, on a first-come, first-served basis.

 

On April 11, Mary Lacoursiere will offer a penwork workshop, each participant creating a simulated-scrimshaw ornament. Collage note cards will be the project in the final workshop, on April 18, with instructor Bee Shay.

 

All materials will be supplied, but workshop sizes are limited.  Those not able to be accommodated may come and view the workshops as a form of demonstration.

 

For those who enjoy early-American arts and crafts, consider giving a gift certificate in any amount that can be applied to the recipient's choice of a class during the 2010 season at the NHA's 1800 House. Please call 508-228-1894, ext. 128, or 508-228-7785 for additional information; or go to http://www.nha.org/1800house/index.html to learn more about the NHA's lifelong-learning programs in early-American arts and crafts.

 

As the challenge "So you think you know Nantucket" was heard over the din of the March 6 crowd, the Nantucket Historical Association held its first Nantucket History Quiz Bowl-to a standing-room-only crowd at the Whaling Museum. Island author Nat Philbrick did a great job as the Quiz Master, and kept the evening light and enjoyable.

 

All lovers of Nantucket's history, members of the twelve diverse teams competed in an exciting competition with friends and neighbors as over 250 onlookers cheered them on. The evening's questions were broken into rounds, in which teams were asked five questions and given a one-minute time limit to answer. The questions covered all aspects of Nantucket history-including people, geography, literature, architecture, whaling, and historic places. Our hearty congratulations go to the Weeweeders team of Steve "Shep" Sheppard, James Grieder, and Harvey Young, who established themselves as experts in Nantucket history!!

 

Celebrate your special occasion surrounded by Nantucket treasures. NHA properties are wonderful locations for parties, weddings, welcome parties, rehearsal dinners, receptions, cocktail parties, and corporate events. Surround your guests with elegant art and important objects that bring the story of Nantucket's past to life at our world-class museum. Located in the heart of Nantucket Town, the museum can accommodate both small and large gatherings-a perfect mix of state-of-the-art and old-world design. Your guests will also enjoy breathtaking views of Nantucket harbor, town, and beyond from the rooftop observation deck.

 

Call Susan Beaumont at 508-228-1894, ext. 131, for details about hosting a memorable party in the Whaling Museum or other NHA properties.

Exceptional events begin with unforgettable venues. . . .

 

NHA is seeking the donation of a six-foot grand piano to enhance our year-round programming at the Whaling Museum. The NHA had one for a short while, but it was on loan and has been returned. The donation of a piano in good condition would be greatly appreciated by the NHA!  Please contact Rebecca Miller, assistant to the executive director, at 508-228 1894, ext. 122, or rmiller@nha.org.

 

Announcing a frequently requested destination for an NHA Exploration. 

Explore one of the world's most spectacular destinations imaginable with CRUISE WEST, a small, family-owned, small-shop cruise line voted among the world's top lines by readers of Condé Nast Traveler, and consistent award winner for Best Small Ship and Expedition Cruising.  The 138-guest Spirit of Yorktown, staffed by exploration leaders with many years of experience as naturalists and educators, will be your home for this exciting 11-day/10-night adventure.

 

Boarding in Seattle, the ship follows the route of the original stampeders of the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush, encountering along the way the culture and whaling heritage of the Northwest Native American tribes.    From dense, forested shores to stunning fjords, immense glaciers, and unspoiled waterways, the inside passage is a world of spectacular beauty. Our small ship allows entry into waterways inaccessible to larger vessels. We will cruise the pristine waters of the San Juan Islands, visiting the Whale Museum at Friday Harbor, once an important whaling center and now a center for whale research.  Continuing on to the Strait of Georgia, home to orcas, bald eagles, and seals; Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, a World Heritage Site; Frederick Sound, where humpback whales abound; and the Tracy Arm and Sawyer Glacier. We will also visit the beautiful town of Sitka with its Russian heritage; the Norwegian-heritage fishing village of Petersburg; and Skagway, where we revisit the Gold Rush of 1898.  An optional excursion on the White Pass and Yukon Railroad will be available here.    

 

Nina and Bob Hellman of Nantucket will be your hosts on this adventure, throughout which you will enjoy the services of the cruise line's accommodating staff and Exploration Leaders as well as Park Service Rangers and Native Cultural Interpreters.  Believing that smaller is better and making connections up close and casual, Cruise West passengers are the recipients of friendly, personal attention. Each day offers the opportunity for a shore excursion at no additional cost.  Bob Hellman will offer a special on-board lecture about the relationship between Alaska and the Far North and Nantucket and New England, during the era of American whaling. 
 
Leave your formal attire at home, forego the artificial entertainment and assigned-seat dining of the large impersonal cruise ships, and trade them in for a wonderful encounter with history and nature with fellow passengers who share a passion for travel, adventure, and learning. 

 

Pricing starts at $4,998 per person, based on a minimum of sixteen people. Price includes ten breakfasts, nine lunches, and ten dinners. Airfare to Seattle and from Juneau is not included. Single supplements and cabin upgrades are available.

 

Don't miss your chance to experience Alaska. Small-ship cruises book quickly, so to save your place please contact Sheila O'Brien Egan at Swain's Travel (508) 228-3201 or email her at travel@nantucket.net for specific prices and deposit deadlines.

 

Travel to the Top of the World

 

For those who want even more adventure, Swain's Travel is offering a seven-day extension trip into the heart of Alaska, June 6 - 13, 2010.

 

Disembarking in Juneau, you will fly to Anchorage and after a night at the luxury Hotel Captain Cook you will travel by the McKinley Explorer luxury dome train to Denali Park for a two-night stay at the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge.  You will travel into the wilderness of the park and into the heart of bear country; and weather permitting you'll see Mount McKinley up close.  En route you may see moose, caribou, Dall sheep, and other magnificent wildlife. 

 

Departing the park, the train brings us to Fairbanks for a two-night stay at the River's Edge Resort, a resort facility on the Chena River.  While here, we will have a tour of Fairbanks that will include the University of Alaska Museum of the North with wonderful exhibits of Native art, recollections of the gold rush days, and an aurora borealis show.  We will visit the home of the first woman to finish the famous Iditarod Sled-Dog Race.

 

After our second night in Fairbanks, we will fly to Barrow, 500 miles above the Arctic Circle and the northernmost settlement in the United States, where we will have an overnight stay at the Top of the World Hotel.   We will get a glimpse into the lifestyle of the Inupiaq people as we tour the Inupiaq Heritage Center where the Hellmans are arranging for a "behind the scenes" visit to the museum.  May and June are the best times to see polar bears, and while in Barrow, there is a possibility of an optional excursion to see them.  We depart Barrow for Anchorage, for our return home.        

 

The excursion includes all transportation, including flights from Juneau and back to Anchorage, sightseeing, and museum admissions as well as seven breakfasts, one lunch, and one dinner.

 

The price is $3,899, based on a minimum of sixteen travelers. A single supplement is available. For more information, please contact Sheila O'Brien Egan at Swain's Travel at 508-228-3201or email her at travel@nantucket.net.

 

www.giftsthatgive.com is an innovative online shopping site that donates 25% of your purchase back to the NHA.

 

You will recognize the brands from your favorite department and specialty stores. The items are those that you will want to own and will be delighted to give as gifts!

 

With many years of luxury retail experience behind it, www.giftsthatgive.com products have been carefully selected with you in mind.   The Web site is user friendly and offers the same level of service you would expect from your favorite store.

 

All you need to do is to sign onto www.giftsthatgive.com to see what we're talking about and order your selections.  In the shopping cart, there will be a dropdown box from which to select the Nantucket Historical Association, and 25% of your purchase will come back to help the NHA!

 

You may also purchase Gift Cards to be sent in a box with a bow, or an E-Certificate for easy giving online.  Please tell your friends and family to shop www.giftsthatgive.com, all while supporting our worthy cause.

 

In these difficult economic times, make every dollar count by shopping at GiftsThatGive. Thank you for supporting the Nantucket Historical Association.