On Thursday, July 11 - during AHA! Kids Rule - the New Bedford Whaling Museum invites you into the "wider world" to explore our latest exhibitions featuring First Nation stories and cultures from communities across Oceania, the Pacific, and Arctic.  A related short animated film (ages 7+) will also be screening in the theater, families can participate in hands-on fun activities in the Jacobs Family Gallery, and more!  The entire museum will remain open from 4:00 to 7:00 PM for this special event, with free admission.

MUST SEE NEW EXHIBITIONS!

In the Wattles Family Gallery, The Wider World & Scrimshaw takes the Museum’s scrimshaw collection (objects carved by whalers on the byproducts of marine mammals) and places it in conversation with carved decorative arts and material culture made by Indigenous community members from across the Pacific and Arctic.

In the Center Street Gallery (Main Level), see the Courtney M. Leonard’s BREACH project, an ongoing exploration of the historical and contemporary ties between place, community, whales, and the maritime environment. The various iterations of the project, created for individual institutions and settings, investigate the multiple definitions of the term “breach.”

SHORT ANIMATED FILM SCREENING

In the Cook Memorial Theater, The Mountain of SGaana (10 min), a short animated film by Haida filmmaker Christopher Auchter, spins a magical tale of a young man who is stolen away to the spirit world, and the young woman who rescues him. The film brilliantly combines traditional animation with formal elements of Haida art, and is based on a story inspired by a old Haida legend. This film plays on rotation, with the following start times: 4:00 PM, 4:15 PM, 4:30 PM, 4:45 PM, 5:00 PM.

OTHER ACTIVITIES & EXPERIENCES 4:00 TO 6:00PM

From 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM in the Jacobs Family Gallery, take part in fun hands-on learning activities!

Seasonal Round
Inspired by what you will find in The Wider World & Scrimshaw exhibition in Wattles Family Gallery, create your own seasonal round, or ecological calendar. A seasonal round is a circular calendar that shows community activities and movement in relation to local, seasonal food and plant resources. This shows how all community lifeways are connected to the changing environment.

Make-and-Take Clay Canoe
In addition, find and study the carved canoe in the The Wider World & Scrimshaw exhibition in Wattles Family Gallery, for inspiration, then try making your own out of clay at the activities table.

The Underwater Carnival
In the Underwater Carnival, children compare various species of whales through animated, musical simulations. By combining computer animation and contrasting musical instruments for each whale, children can listen and watch to see if their selected whale swims the fastest, dives the deepest or breaches more frequently. Children who predict the correct species win a prize. This activity is presented by Terry Wolkowicz in partnership with the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra.