Fresh Off the Easel – Plein Air Painters Deliver Again

One day last week, I was on kind of a “scavenger hunt” on Museum grounds. My job was to find some of the 27 award-winning artists who were chosen to participate in the annual Plein Air Painters event at Mystic Seaport.  I didn’t have to go far.

Across from the Galley Restaurant was Howard Park. The focal point of his oil painting was the waterfront scene immediately in front of him, but off in the distance the Morgan still made her presence known on his canvas. As I sat next to him on the bench, I marveled at this artist’s talent and concentration despite my interruption and questions; his paintbrush never stopped working.

 Howard Park is no stranger to Mystic Seaport. He has lectured at the Museum’s Maritime Gallery and over the years has had many of his paintings exhibited there. Still, like other artists I met, he considers it a “treat to paint on campus” and feels honored to be among those chosen for the annual Plein Air Painters event.

"Seaport Scene" by Howard Park

Moving on, I found artist, Neal Hughes, fine tuning his oil painting of the Life Saving Station. In my eyes, it never looked so good! This is the 3^rd year that Neal has been a part of Plein Air Painters. He teaches oil art classes in Moorest, NJ, and says he enjoys meeting fellow artists at Mystic Seaport. He feels that the Museum grounds offer many great choices in where and what to paint.

"Tilghman Island Sunrise" by Neal Hughes

After watching over the shoulders of these talented artists, I, for one, am looking forward to viewing their completed works at the Museum’s Maritime Gallery. The exhibit will be featured there until the end of August. Undoubtedly some paintings will have been sold, but perhaps you will still find just the Plein Air painting you’ve been looking for to complement your home or office décor.

Mystic Seaport’s Maritime Gallery is open daily from10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Do yourself a favor. Come take a look.

Blog posted by Trudi Busey.

The WoodenBoat Show Returns to Mystic Seaport

In June many people’s fancy turns to thoughts of the WoodenBoat Show at Mystic Seaport. Well, get ready – it will be back June 25-27.

For wooden boat aficionados (or not) – this show lives up to its billing as “the most dynamic wooden boat show in the country” by WoodenBoat Magazine. As many of today’s boats are now made of fiberglass, these wooden boats are in a beautifully different category of their own. The owners’ pride shines as bright as the finish on their boats, and many are delighted to have visitors board their prize possessions.

The 19^th annual WoodenBoat Show features both contemporary and classic boats of every class – power, sail, oar and paddle.  Also on tap are workshops where you can learn some tips and skills on building and/or preserving wooden boats.

Under the tent, vendors of all things nautical will entice you with unique gifts or boaters’ necessities that you’d be hard-put to find in your average store.

As a car dealer would say, this is a “cream puff” of a show.  Mark your calendar now:

The Wooden Boat Show at Mystic Seaport, June 25-27. We’ll see you here!

Meet Mystic Seaport Staffer Sarah Spencer

Sarah Spencer says “keeping all the balls in the air” is one of the challenges of her position as the Museum’s Group Sales Manager and Location and Production Coordinator. It’s easy to understand that some juggling talents are definitely part of Sarah’s workday.
.
1. How long have you been employed at Mystic Seaport?
SS: In June it will be 20 years. I’ve worked in lots of different exhibits – and departments.  I worked in most of the exhibits, including the Print Shop, the Shipcarver’s Shop and the Cooperage; I was lead cooper for several years. I’ve done some roleplaying, and I also spent a summer making oars in the Shipyard and two years transcribing oral histories for Fred Calabretta in the Library.  I’ve been in Marketing and Communications in different positions for about 10 years.  For a Sociology major graduate of Trinity College in Hartford, I’ve had a fun and interesting work career – from New York City, to MIT in Boston to Mystic Seaport.  I feel a fair amount of sadness when I think about my year in New York – I had been a front desk clerk at the hotel located between the Twin Towers. 

Sarah Spencer in front of the Museum's Cooperage building

2. What’s the best part of your job?
SS: I really love the variety despite some of the challenges that may come with it.  My daily planner entries are often crossed out because something else takes precedence. A new filmmaker may need escorting around the Museum or tour buses arrive un-scheduled, or one of our area hotels needs tickets. 

3. What’s the most challenging aspect of your job?
SS: I think probably one of the hardest things is to let it go.  With technology the way it is, one has to really school oneself to not constantly check the email, phone or voicemail in the evening or weekends.  Mostly I don’t want anyone to be disappointed – from the visitor to my colleagues.    

Working with filmmakers presents different challenges, but it can be a delight. The Museum has guidelines regarding when and where they may shoot. No part of the grounds is closed to visitors during filming, so we encourage filmmakers to work either before the Museum opens or after it closes. We also suggest the best time to film is between the months of November and March, when fewer visitors are on grounds. But it’s colder and doesn’t always provide the “look” that they’re seeking.  So, there can be a bit of juggling.  

4.  What’s the funniest or most notable on-the-job experience you’ve had?
SS:  Of late, my involvement with the Ric Burns’ film Into the Deep was a special experience in so many ways. I’m excited for its public debut. On the more humorous side, when I was a tour guide for Lantern Light Tours as we were leaving the Morgan after a scene below, one patron asked, “Is this ship real?” Maybe its authenticity was questioned because the interpreters were in character. It was sort of a strange question. 

5. What’s your favorite thing to do outside of work?
SS: My husband and I love to travel. We also enjoy winemaking as a hobby. I also just finished the Memorial Day weekend “Angel Ride”, which was a 50-mile bike ride that benefited Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang Camp. I felt as if I needed someone to catch me once I arrived at the finish line — it was one long bike ride!    

Sarah was interviewed by Volunteer Trudi Busey and photographed by Andy Price.

Up Close and Personal with “TUGS!”

There’s much to like, much to do, much to see at Mystic Seaport’s newest exhibit, TUGS! Who can predict what will trigger a memory or experience regarding a tugboat?

Before the “official” opening of the TUGS! exhibit in the Museum’s Schaefer Exhibit Hall, I was making a quick overview tour and was impressed with what I saw. To be sure, I will return for a more in-depth look and listen. However, there was one thing that particularly caught my eye, and specifically shows how many people are personally linked to the world of tugs.

There is a spot in the exhibit with 4×6 cards where visitors can write down and share their personal “Tug Tale.” As I read through those that were displayed, I was struck by the wide gamut of feelings and experiences they covered.

Tell your tug tale at our newest exhibit

One person recalled a tug escorting him by the Statue of Liberty, seeing her for the first time. A couple who always loved tugs ended up buying their own pleasure tug and have traveled the Great Loop. Two men remarked about working on tugs at Electric Boat. Another recalls, as a young boy, watching his dad’s ship in Chesapeake Bay being moved out to sea by a tug prior to assuming his naval assignment. And last, but most romantic, a woman recalls her boyfriend telling her he loved her while they were aboard the tug, Robert McAllister.

Maybe you have a “tug tale” to add. Be sure to share when you visit Mystic Seaport’s TUGS! exhibit. For more information, visit www.mysticseaport.org/tugs.

Blog written by Trudi Busey

Lobster Days at Mystic Seaport = Food and Fun

I remember the first time we cooked a lobster. It was in the kitchen of our Cape Cod cottage and it was a new cooking experience that summertime. 

Since that day, our family has enjoyed the succulent sweet taste of lobster meat. If you’re a lobster lover, you can enjoy it as well this Memorial Day Weekend, May 29-31, at Lobster Days at Mystic Seaport, courtesy of the Mystic Rotary Club. This is the Club’s annual fundraiser that benefits many local charities. 

Lobster Days at Mystic Seaport

Best deals: 

• Mystic Seaport members get a $2 coupon toward a lobster dinner when they present their membership card at the Visitor Center. Have a family membership? Then you get six coupons.
•  Non-members: get your admission ticket stamped and you can return for an additional day during the three-day weekend for free! That means more lobster, more fun activities, more time to explore Museum grounds and time to experience Decoration Day and remember what Memorial Day is all about.

 Here’s the scoop: A special combination ticket of Museum admission and a single lobster dinner is available for $39, offering a $6 savings. The youth combination ticket (ages 6-17) is $32, offering a $4 savings. A senior combination ticket (ages 65 and older) is available for $37, offering a $6 savings.  

A lobster dinner can also be purchased separately from Museum admission for $21 (single lobster) and $37 (twin lobster). 

Yum, a lobster platter with coleslaw, corn on the cob, drawn butter and choice of iced tea or lemonade sounds so……delicious!  Okay, for non-lobster people, Mystic Seaport’s own food service provider, Coastal Gourmet, will offer hot dog platters ($7), clam fritters, New England clam chowder, a raw bar and a cash bar. 

Mystic Seaport is offering so many activities and choices for visitors of all ages this Memorial Day Weekend. What a great way to welcome summer! 

 Blog posted by Trudi Busey.

Date Night this Saturday Night

Dinner and a play…that’s my idea of a perfect night out.  If you share my feelings, here’s a great suggestion for this Saturday, May 15:

Have dinner at Latitude 41° Restaurant & Tavern at Mystic Seaport. The newly renovated restaurant made a fresh debut on the restaurant scene earlier this month.

Then, after dinner, hop in your car for a quick ride down Greenmanville Avenue to the Mystic Art Cinema in Olde Mistick Village.  At 7 p.m., Revels Repertory Company, a 35-person touring ensemble, will perform “A Celebration of the Sea,” the story of 19^th-century whalers and their families told in songs, dances and stories. The really fun part is that the show involves audience participation.

Revels Circle of Song: A Celebration of the Sea

Revels Circle of Song: A Celebration of the Sea

It’s interesting how something old can become new again, like:  

• The Charles W. Morgan being renovated to sail again in 2013,
• Revels Repertory Theater linking the music, dances and rituals from an older world to a modern world, and
• Latitude 41°, updated in both décor and menu choices.

Everyone needs a night out now and then. Why not this Saturday, May 15?

Blog posted by Trudi Busey.

A Half-Century of Star Gazing

It’s an occasion deserving of a special Hallmark greeting card. The Treworgy Planetarium at Mystic Seaport is celebrating its 50th anniversary Friday, May 14.
.
I doubt any store has an appropriate card and verse that conveys the pride the Museum feels about the Planetarium, and besides that, to whom would one send that congratulatory card?  Like most Mystic Seaport attractions, there are many hands involved in making the Planetarium the fascinating place it is. Stargazing is just a fraction of what goes on there, but the daily Planetarium show is definitely a great place to start.

Don Treworgy and students learning about celestial navigation, 1968.

Don Treworgy instructing students on how to use a sextant, 1982.

The Planetarium made its debut at Mystic Seaport in1960, thanks in no small part to planetarium designer, Armand Spitz, whose A2 projector was especially suited  to Mystic Seaport ‘s smaller size requirements. In 2009, that original model was replaced with a magnificent new Spitz A3P projector, which continues to thrill Planetarium visitors with its sharp visuals of the star galaxy. 

For 48 of its 50 years of existence, Don Treworgy served as Director of the Museum’s Planetarium, and upon his retirement in June 2009, it was renamed the Don Treworgy Planetarium in his honor. Sadly, Don passed away in September of 2009, but Mystic Seaport is proudly carrying on his legacy. The Planetarium is in good and capable hands. 

Cheers, Don. Cheers, R.M. “Max” and company. A toast to another 50 years of wowing visitors and sharing with them that there is more than meets the eye in our galaxy. 

Thank you, Planetarium crew, for 50 fabulous years!

Explore all the opportunities the Treworgy Planetarium provides for making your own star connection by logging on to:   www.mysticseaport.org/planetarium. 

Blog written by Trudi Busey. 

(Shown from left to right in the bottom photo): “Max” Maxwell, staff; Bill Michael, volunteer; Lynn Anderson, Don Treworgy’s wife; Don Treworgy, director; Kyra Elliott, former staff; Bill Gaynor, volunteer; and Jake Wise, volunteer. Hidden behind Lynn is Ted Rice, former staff; and Bruce Levine, staff, is seen between Don and Kyra.)

With Special Thanks to Ric Burns, Steeplechase Films Inc., WGBH and Connecticut College

There was no red carpet. Those of us arriving at Connecticut College‘s Palmer Auditorium on May 1st weren’t dressed in glittery finery or tuxedos. But the mood of anticipation and excitement was comparable to any Hollywood premiere, knowing we were about to view a film the general public won’t see until May 10^th. That’s when Ric Burns‘ documentary, Into the Deep: America, Whaling & the World is scheduled to air on PBS. 

The film is an awesome account of the era during which Mystic Seaport‘s Charles W. Morgan, now the last surviving wooden whaleship in the world, played an integral part. But aside from this wonderful historic and graphic film, I had a feeling of pride knowing the significant role Mystic Seaport staff played in the shooting of this film. Some appeared on camera, but many, many others participated in behind-the-scenes efforts to ensure the film’s authenticity regarding the rigors of life aboard a whaling ship. The amazing expertise of Mystic Seaport sailors was a major factor in exciting, live scenes shot aboard a variety of ships utilized by the filmmaker. 

"Into the Deep" being filmed aboard the Charles W. Morgan at Mystic Seaport, September 2007

I wonder how many in the audience, like me, came away with a new respect for what Mystic Seaport is dedicated to doing….restoring the Charles W. Morgan to make her seaworthy once again in 2013. Any naysayers regarding that goal need to see this film. 

Filming "Into the Deep" aboard the Charles W. Morgan at Mystic Seaport, Sept. 2007

 The handout at Palmer Auditorium said: Be a Part of History: Help The Charles W. Morgan Sail Again. Each of us who gives any amount toward her restoration could, and really should, feel that way – a part of history. 

What’s in your piggy bank? A little history in the making maybe? Think about it. (Donations gratefully accepted online or directly to Mystic Seaport, 75 Greenmanville Ave. Mystic, CT 06355). 

Now don’t forget. Tune in American Experience on PBS – Monday, May 10, at 9 p.m. to watch Into the Deep. It’s a fascinating epic story covering three centuries of American whaling. 

Blog written by Trudi Busey.

Meet Mystic Seaport Interpreter Mike Meyer

Catching Michael Meyer for an interview can be as difficult as snagging a fish with your fishing pole. Mike works as an interpreter here at Mystic Seaport, and where he works can almost be summed up in two words …all areas!  This day he was aboard the L.A. Dunton and had a few moments to answer our questions while the ship’s visitors were occupied with a fish demonstration. 
.
1. How long have you been employed at Mystic Seaport?
MM: It will be four years in May. It has been a real learning curve for me because I cover so many different exhibits. I am usually on the Dunton one day a week, but also work in the Cooperage, the Print Shop or the Schaefer or Mallory Exhibit Halls. I’m sort of partial to the Print Shop; I enjoy demonstrating the workings of a print shop in the 1870s. Visitors love the chance for the hands-on experience of setting type and printing something themselves. I’m pleased that the Museum is having more activities like that available to visitors of all ages. 

Mystic Seaport Interpreter Mike Meyer

2. What’s the best part of your job?
MM: I consider the variety in my job a special advantage. Visitors ask interesting questions and the give and take can make a difference in how they view history and how they remember their visit to Mystic Seaport.  Also, during Lantern Light Tours, I have fun involving the tour group by making them feel part of history. 

3. What’s the most challenging aspect of your job?
MM: Being an interpreter requires a fair amount of study, but that benefits both me as well as Museum visitors. I need to be well-versed in everything about the particular exhibit I’m staffing. Besides answering visitors’ questions, I try to paint a verbal picture of what people’s lives were like during the 1870s. The challenge comes in making what I say interesting enough to hold visitors’ attention. 

4. What’s the funniest or most notable on-the-job experience you’ve had?
MM: Especially when I work in the Print Shop, visitors sometimes assume that my career life had been in the printing business. Now imagine the learning process for this non-sailor who had to learn every little detail, down to the ship’s parts, when I began interpreting on the Dunton. 

5. What’s your favorite thing to do outside of work?
MM:  I do quite a bit of volunteer work, including Hospice and teaching Sunday school. I’m also Chair of the Groton Housing Authority, which works with low-income families. I like to read, mostly political or historical books, but I’ve recently gotten interested in mysteries. And now that it’s finally spring, I can enthusiastically add gardening to the list. 

Mike was interviewed by Volunteer Trudi Busey and photographed by Dennis Murphy.

Celebrating Earth Day 2010

What five-year-old boy wouldn’t jump at the chance to man the controls of an excavator – a REAL excavator, not just a toy? Today, on Earth Day, Aidan was the lucky young man to do exactly that.

Aidan and his dad were watching Sprigs and Twigs, Inc., the official landscape company of Mystic Seaport, plant two Black Gum trees on the Museum’s Village Green. Co-owner Bill Lillie said it isn’t only youngsters who are fascinated by the digging machine. He recalled a woman in her mid-80s, a customer for whom he was working.  She seemed intrigued with the excavator, so much to her delight, Bill invited her to give the machine a try herself, and she did – for almost 30 minutes!

Watching Sprigs and Twigs co-owner Linda Lillie and her staff ready the trees for planting was an education in itself. Linda explained that it’s a critical time for a tree when it is planted. If not properly prepared, it will not thrive; you can’t just plop the earth ball into the ground and cover it with dirt.

One of the new trees that now shades our Village Green.

The roots need to be trimmed to stimulate growth and to prevent them from encircling the trunk and choking it. And you know that flare in a tree trunk’s base – that has to be uncovered and show above ground for a tree’s healthy and successful future. Courtney, who manages Sprigs and Twigs’ landscape division, says the Black Gum trees can grow anywhere from six to 12 inches yearly.

Thank you, Sprigs & Twigs!

Mystic Seaport’s Supervisor of Grounds Kara Lally says wildlife, especially birds, find Black Gum trees irresistible; they love the blossoms and nutty fruits they produce.

So, Earth Day 2010 has been a great day at Mystic Seaport. Two new trees now grace the Village Green and will eventually offer more shade from summer’s sun and the birds will be happy to discover new feasting grounds. The sun was out today and the temperature was perfect; it was a very good Earth Day at Mystic Seaport…and thank you, Sprigs and Twigs.

Blog written by Trudi Busey