Not for Artists or Collectors Only

I am neither an artist nor a collector of fine paintings, but that doesn’t exclude me from appreciating and admiring works by talented artists. Today I visited the Maritime Gallery at Mystic Seaport to view the Museum Purchase Award Collection, on display until the end of March. (The Maritime Gallery is located next to the Museum Store, open Monday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and offers free admission.) I have some words of advice:  Don’t miss this exhibit! It’s a rare opportunity to view these exquisite maritime selections all at the same time.
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The selection process begins during the Maritime Gallery’s Annual International Marine Art Exhibition in September.  A member of the Museum’s curatorial staff honors one of the artists by selecting for purchase his or her painting for the Museum’s permanent collection.

So I picked two works as my own favorites from those chosen during the years 1983 to 2009. One is oil by artist, Douglas Purdon, titled “Tugboat Alley” and the other a graphic by William H. Ewen,  Jr. titled, “Tug Coming Alongside.” I admit I may have been influenced a bit in my choice by the special exhibit Mystic Seaport has planned for later this spring: the opening of the new Tugs! exhibit  Saturday, May 8, and Tug Blast held the weekend of May 22 and 23.  You’ll be hearing more about that; so stay tuned. 

Douglas Purdon, "Tugboat Alley" Oil 22 X 28

Right now though,  do get yourself to the Maritime Gallery to view  the Museum Purchase Award  Collection.  Pretend you’re a judge and choose your own  award  winner  in the collection.  It won’t be easy. These are magnificent works  representing  a mixed medium of oils, water colors,  acrylics and graphics. Most selections have historically focused on ships, sailing or a nautical  commercial  theme,  although the 2009 selection hints of a broadening in scope.

Mark your calendar.  The Museum Purchase Award Collection  remains up until March 31.  The Tugs! exhibit will  be tooting into Mystic Seaport in May.

There’s always something new happening at Mystic Seaport.  Check our website  often so you don’t miss out.

Blog written by Trudi Busey

Low Bridge, Everybody Down

At Mystic Seaport, it wouldn’t be unusual for a sea chantey to stick in your mind. But ever since I found out that a new exhibit, Building America’s Canals, is opening at the Museum January 30th, I can’t get a certain folk song out of my head.

You may know it as “Erie Canal.” Burl Ives, Pete Seeger, Bruce Springsteen and others have recorded versions of the original 1905 song, written by Thomas S. Allen, who titled it “Low Bridge, Everybody Down.” I can practically guarantee that once you hear this song, you too will be quietly humming, whistling or singing it. (Google: <Bruce Springsteen Erie Canal song> for a listen.)

More than a century ago, thousands of miles of canals were built to bring goods from the hinterland to coastal ports. During this rather short-lived era, canal locks and masonry arches, pulleys, cranes and acqueducts, as well as the humble mule, played an integral role in what was then deemed a maritime transportation revolution. The men, women and children who lived and worked along a canal route were called “canalers.”

Here comes the fun part. The Museum’s Building America’s Canals exhibit is a hands-on opportunity for visitors of all ages to role-play as a “canaler.”  Want to be  a canal engineer, a  lock tender, a canalboat captain or maybe a crane operator? You can do it! The 1,600-foot exhibit has a bench for each activity you choose. For computer  buffs, there’s also a computer game in which you build and operate a lock, virtual dynamite included to blast the route your canal will take!

Although railroads gradually replaced the necessity and importance of most of these waterways, the nostalgia for the canal era lingers on in folk songs like “Erie Canal.” I’ll leave you with the first verse:

I’ve got a mule and her name is Sal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
She’s a good old worker and a good old pal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal

 I can hear you singing it now!                                              

Blog written by Trudi Busey.                                               

Building America’s Canals, an exhibit organized by the National Canal Museum, will be open in the Mallory Building at Mystic Seaport January 30 – October 11, 2010.

A Fair Alternative

 

They are the harbinger of autumn – those fall fairs and festivals that dot our Connecticut landscape and make the change of season tolerable. I enjoy them as much as anyone. However, if you’re like me, there is a saturation point.

If you’ve watched enough tractor, truck and horse pulls; if you’ve sufficiently sabotaged your diet with cotton candy and fried dough; if you’ve had your share of getting up close and personal with farm animals and admired enough prize-winning jams, needlework and homegrown veggies – I have a great alternative for you…

MYSTIC SEAPORT!!

You can check our website for details: www.mysticseaport.org,  but let me briefly describe what special events are in store for you at the Museum as September segues into October.

• LOCAVORISM

New word. It’s the term given to the growing movement of eating exclusively from local ingredients. Seamen’s Inne Executive Chef, Tim Quinn invites food lovers to experience a sumptuous 4-course meal on 10/16 and 11/20. (The 3-dinner series debuted on September 19^th. )The gourmet meals are prepared entirely with ingredients grown within a reasonable radius of Mystic Seaport.  Reserve your place at the table for 10/16 and 11/20.

•  30th ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL MARINE ART EXHIBITION AND SALE

Bustling waterfronts, scenic beaches and marshlands and contemporary marine art will prompt oohs and ahhs from all who appreciate fine art. The comprehensive exhibit opens September 27th  for a 3-week stay in the Museum’s Maritime Gallery.

"Bugeye LEMUEL KIRWAN and Two Schooners" by Yves Parent featured at the International.

•  BY LAND AND BY SEA: ANTIQUE VEHICLE SHOW

No cash for clunkers at Mystic Seaport, but on September 27^th a parade of pre-1930’s cars, trucks and motorcycles are definitely worth a look-see – or maybe even a ride. The grand parade of the vehicles around Museum grounds happens at 3 p.m.

• BEER TASTING AND TALK

Almost Oktoberfest time! But then, beer lovers don’t need a special time to enjoy a cold one. On October 3^rd, from 5-7 p.m. at the Museum’s shipyard, adults can sample different brews from several breweries after learning some little-known facts about beer’s influence on American history from Gregg Smith, author of Beer in America: The Early Years –1587-1840.

Beginning October 16^th, Mystic Seaport gets down right spooky!  On tap – Nautical Nightmares. Tickets are on sale now and go quickly. More info at www.mysticseaport.org/nauticalnightmares.

 Blog written by Trudi Busey

The Eyes Have It – A Day at Mystic Seaport

Recently we invited friends from where we used to live to come and visit Mystic Seaport with us. So, on a recent beautiful sun-drenched day, when the Mystic River has that extra diamond-like sparkle, my husband and I acted as tour guides for the Davis’s.

We made our way from the South Gate to the North Gate, taking in the sights along the way. Our friends’  enthusiastic interest in the ships, the exhibits and the village itself made me think how easily we often take for granted the special beauty and wonder of familiar surroundings.

Fran is a talented artist and Bob is masterful at crafting all things wooden, like boats, Shaker boxes, furniture, a country house for themselves, etc.  Bob had taken the boat building course at Mystic Seaport back when John Gardner was the teacher and not just a picture on the wall. With a smile, he fondly recalled Mr. Gardner’s special teaching style. I think Bob could have spent most of the day in the shipyard! Fran could visualize setting up her easel just about anywhere on Museum grounds to capture the essence of Mystic Seaport.

Awesome, beautiful, delightful, relaxing,  impressive were some of the adjectives voiced by our friends as we lunched outdoors on the Seamen’s Inne patio and talked about their impressions of Mystic Seaport today. How refreshing it was to enjoy the Museum through their eyes.

If you’re feeling down about summer’s official end, here’s your antidote. Visit Mystic Seaport, The Museum of America and the Sea. On our website: www.mysticseaport.org  you’ll find a listing of  fun and exciting special events coming up.

Yeah, summer is great, but fall’s sweater weather days can be pretty wonderful, too. Come and see for yourselves. 

Blog written by Trudi Busey.

The Plein Air Painters are Just Plain Talented!

If you’ve stopped by the Maritime Gallery recently, you may have noticed that all of the art in the current exhibition, Plein Air Painters of the Maritime Gallery, has a central theme – the beauty of Mystic Seaport. Open through September 1, the exhibit details the Museum’s picturesque scenery, all of which was painted on grounds  this past June. (For those unfamiliar with the term, plein air artists follow the tradition established by painters in the 19^th and 20^th centuries – choosing an outdoor venue rather than an indoor studio to work their craft.)
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I was able to observe some of the painters at their easels last month and learned a little bit more about their craft…

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I spoke with William Hanson, who has been a part of the Mystic Seaport Plein Air Painters for all of the 13 years it has been a Museum event – more recently by invitation only.  At the other end of the spectrum, I met Brechin Lee Morgan, for whom this was an “exciting” first.

Maritime Gallery artist Leonard Mizerek painting on grounds last year.

Both extolled the virtues of natural light for capturing the essence of their paintings. “So inspiring” is how William describes the Mystic Seaport setting.  Brechin feels the realism of on-site painting trumps studio paintings, where imagination is the key component.

Maritime art is William’s emphasis. Today, near Mystic Seaport’s shipyard, a rowboat with a wood-filled shed as backdrop caught his attention. He thinks the smaller 6” by 8” size he mounted on his easel may have greater “sale” appeal in today’s economy, although his repertoire includes paintings of different sizes. 

Brechin chooses his subject by walking around the Museum until a scene strikes him as being dramatic enough to capture on canvas with his acrylics. This day the huge live oak timber in the H.B. duPont Preservation Shipyard was his subject. “It reminds me  of timbers I imagine were used to build Noah’s Ark.”  He considers himself fortunate to be included as one of Mystic Seaport’s Plein Air Painters.

William’s and Brechin’s paintings, along with those of their fellow Plein Air Painters, will be on display and available for purchase in the Museum’s Maritime Gallery all summer. Come take a look. 

For more information, visit www.mysticseaport.org/gallery or call 860.572.5388.

Blog post written by Trudi Busey.

Mystic Seaport’s Whaleboat Featured in New Smithsonian Maritime Exhibit

The National Museum of American History’s newest exhibit “On the Water, Stories from Maritime America” features a 8,500-square-foot exhibition hall dedicated to the exploration of America’s maritime heritage.  In a recent interview, Museum Director Brent D. Glass explained that  “The maritime influence on American history is one of the most compelling chapters in the national story,” and we couldn’t agree more.

Among the highlighted objects on display are Mystic Seaports own whale boat (1958.690), and a highly detailed model cutaway of the modern factory trawler “Alaska Ocean” by recent exhibitor and world class model maker Erik R. Ronnberg Jr.

If you can’t make it to Washington soon, the companion Web site to “On the Water” contains the same historical content as the physical exhibition. The site also features a searchable database that provides additional information and photographs for selected artifacts in the exhibition. Multimedia resources and educational activities, including an associated Flickr group where visitors can upload their own maritime-related imagery, round out the online experience.

- Kelly S. Drake, Associate Director of Collections Access Manuscripts, Ships Plans and Archives Librarian

Visit us on Blogger to read all of our latest collections news from Mystic Seaport.

Mapping out Fun at Mystic Seaport

I went to see what Mystic Seaport’s new interactive Map Spot was all about. It’s supposedly geared to kids, but Interpreter Lindsey Pyrke-Fairchild claims that adults like Map Spot as much as the children do. I can see why.

Suzzanah was making a map of her bedroom; Abby and Maddy were mapping their respective neighborhoods; Emma’s imaginative map was of a forest with horses. So, I gave it a try myself, mapping my own neighborhood. A  cartographer I’ll never be, but it was fun trying. Hmm… maybe next time I’ll try making a dream vacation map!

One of the coolest things in Map Spot is the “smart board,” a touch screen with a few games that test your smarts and your speed. The object is to move a state into its proper location on the map in a given amount of time. It can be tricky, believe me! 

Next I teamed up with precocious 18-month-old Hannah to choose where I wanted to visit or live, or pinpoint where my ancestors lived on a wall-sized map of the world. Hannah and I marked our spots with red and yellow magnetic discs. Watch out, world, Hannah’s on her way!

Moving on, the next challenge was making a coastline map of the model island in the glass case. The task – simulate the coastline on the magnetized glass via a beaded necklace-like tool. Not as easy as it looks!

Well, it was time to take a drive, but Driving to Distraction was so popular with both the boys and the girls that I couldn’t get in the driver’s seat! This is a GPS concept with a voice directing you to places in the town of Mystic. It can be a wild ride with the likes of Juan and Jose behind the wheel!

Yelitza motioned me over to the topographical map to help her locate some of the things you are supposed to find. We had to duck down to find shipwrecks, shown through a glass window beneath the map. Interpreter Lindsey votes this her favorite display. 

My Map Spottour ended with Francelis, who was designing a bedroom by moving dollhouse size wooden furniture around on the large grid floor. Francelis could then copy her final “map” onto a paper with small grids, knowing the furniture would fit where she wanted it.

Final conclusion: Map Spot is a great spot! Lots to do with soft-sell teaching and learning wrapped up in fun. Check it out.

You are There!

Have you ever viewed a photograph or painting of such realism that you almost  feel you are right there – experiencing what the artist or photographer has captured on canvas or film?

That’s the sensation you’ll likely have when you visit the mini-gallery of Rosenfeld pictures in Mystic Seaport’s G.W. Blunt White Building at the Museum’s north end.

“It’s a Rosenfeld” is usually all that needs to be said to identify the magnificent images of sailboats and other watercraft that Morris Rosenfeld and his sons masterfully captured on film over the span of their professional lifetimes.

A minuscule portion of the humongous Rosenfeld Collection now complements the Museum’s Rowing Exhibit and Olin J. Stephens Reading Room. Pictures along the stairway and the 2^nd floor gallery are wonderful examples of the Rosenfelds’ talents. 

For instance, there’s the dramatic shot of the catamaran “Delight,” hull way out of the water, that almost intuitively makes you lean back to share the exhilaration of that moment.

Then there’s the beautiful “Flying Spinnakers” – sails filled – their graceful beauty conjuring up a pallet of  memories reminiscent of warm breezy days spent on open waters.

Or maybe the young sailors pictured in “Beam End” will trigger instant recall of your own youthful sailing days.

Whether a photographer, sailor, rower or landlubber, this small, artfully selected Rosenfeld exhibit is a special treat for the soul. Make certain you check it out when you visit Mystic Seaport.

The Museum’s website: www.mysticseaport.org is jam packed with what, when and where information. Check it often so you don’t miss anything!

Mystic Seaport’s New Map Exhibit is Worth Shouting About!

If maps are your passion, Mystic Seaport has an exhibit opening May 2 in the Museum’s Mallory Building that will blow you away!

 

Mapping the Pacific Coast: Coronado to Lewis and Clark, The Quivira Collection may be a mouthful to say, but this awesome private collection, on loan to the Museum, gives visitors plenty to digest!

 

Two larger than life maps dominate the room, while more than 30 historic maps dating from 1544 to 1802 comprise the exhibition. Many of them are works of art in themselves, drawn meticulously and in bright colors by cartographers of the era. These mapmakers performed their craft in their respective countries, so in the poetic words of exhibit researcher Elysa Engelman, “The room whispers in different languages.” Complementing the maps are illustrations, books and display items linked to this period in maritime navigation history.

 

Available audio players give visitors a virtual pick and choose  tour of the exhibit, augmenting the written signage. It’s a chronological journey that includes interesting tidbits reflective of thinking and knowledge of those times. Example: for more than 100 years, cartographers assumed that California was an island!

Installation of "Mapping the Pacific Coast"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now here’s the icing on the cake, especially geared to families with children. Connected to the map exhibit is Map Spot, a fun and educational experience with hands-on activities that just might inspire a youngster or adult to become a serious cartographer. Map Spot can also help Boy Scouts/Girl Scouts complete badge requirements.

 

Both Map Spot and Mapping the Pacific Coast exhibit are included in Museum admission. For more information, visit www.mysticseaport.org/mappingthepacific. Don’t miss this one!

You’ll Be Seeing Stars!

Did you know there’s an ice cream cone in the sky?  Did you know there’s a grouping of six stars that was adopted as the trademark for Subaru vehicles? When you hear the name Polaris, do you first think of the NASA flight mission capsule or the North Star up in the sky? Did you know there’s a hole in the Big Dipper that empties out on Leo’s back?

 

If you are a bit astronomy challenged; if outer space intrigues you; or if the stars have ever served as your compass  – then you MUST take in  a program at the Treworgy Planetarium at Mystic Seaport.

 

The magnificent new Spitz A3P Star Projector takes center stage in the auditorium. It is an imposing sight in and of itself.  In addition to the stars shining more brightly, the southern sky can now also be projected for visitors, a new perk.
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So take a seat and watch the horizon slowly disappear. Light gives way to darkness. Overhead an awesome sight meets the eye as stars come out of daylight hiding. Whether you’re a first time visitor or a return visitor, it is breathtaking.

 

A journey amongst the galaxies with R.M. Maxwell leading the way is a special treat. Max takes our miraculous overhead universe and brings it down to planet earth for his audience’s entertainment and knowledge. You will definitely come away knowing much more than when you went in.

 

One thing is absolutely certain – after experiencing the Planetarium show, you will no longer only think candy bar when you hear the words Milky Way!.

 

The Planetarium show is a minimal add-on to Museum admission ($2.50), but well worth it for visitors of all ages. The  lobby exhibits are always free of charge. Visitors can opt to chart a course using a sextant (a historic navigation tool) and also look at and learn from the interesting visuals showcasing the role of astronomy throughout history.  

 

So next time you’re at Mystic Seaport, make sure to stop by the Planetarium and take a seat. We promise, you’ll soon be seeing stars.

 

For more information, visit www.mysticseaport.org/planetarium.