NANTUCKET, MA – The Nantucket Historical Association (NHA) is pleased to announce two special behind-the-scenes tours of the new major exhibition Out of the Box: Unpacking Nantucket Stories at the Whaling Museum, 13 Broad Street, which take place on Thursday, June 8 and Tuesday, July 11, 2017 at 6 P.M.
These programs will be led by NHA Robyn & John Davis Chief Curator Michael Harrison, as he gives visitors a glimpse into the treasured artifacts on display in this new exhibition and breathes life into the stories of Nantucketers over four centuries.
In this exhibition, visitors will learn about life at home on Nantucket and at sea; see the island at work and at play; and encounter rare maps, provocative portraits, and tokens of love. The exhibition will also feature an “object theater,” where video, sound, and lighting will highlight key objects in the exhibition. Objects include Gertrude and Hanna Monaghan’s needlepoint sofa decorated with scenes from their life on Nantucket in the 1930s; Susan Veeder’s 1848 whaling journal, with unique watercolors of the Pacific islands; and a 1928 wedding dress worn by five brides across four generations of a single family.
“We are thrilled to welcome visitors to the museum for a unique behind-the-scenes program at the Whaling Museum,” says Brianne Roth, NHA Public Programs Coordinator. “Visitors are sure to learn something new about Nantucket history through a newly curated collection of rarely-seen artifacts.”
Michael Harrison joined the NHA in June of 2014. Prior to that, he worked as a museum curator and historian for eighteen years. He has served as an exhibition curator at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.; as historian and associate curator in the maritime collections at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History; and as project curator of oral histories and photographs for the Riverside Museum in Glasgow, Scotland. In his position as Robyn & John Davis Chief Curator, Harrison heads up the curatorial department and is responsible for the management, care, research, and interpretation of NHA holdings in the fine and decorative arts and historic and prehistoric artifacts.
Tickets for each of these programs are free for NHA members and only $10 person. Advance ticket registration is recommended at www.nha.org/tickets.
Event Information:
Out of the Box: Unpacking Nantucket Stories Exhibition
Behind-the-Scenes Curator Tour
Thursday, June 8 & Tuesday, July 11, 2017
6 P.M. (doors open at 5:30 P.M.)
FREE for NHA members
$10/general public
Whaling Museum, 13 Broad Street