Posted by: rochabob | May 25, 2012

Sensory Organ Discovered in Jaws of Rorqual Whales

Blue whale study done by Richard Ellis, in preparation for Jacobs Gallery mural. The distinctive throat pleats of all rorquals are clearly visible in this image. From NBWM collections, 2000.10.

Another exciting discovery has been made by cetacean biologists, this time in one of the four Families of the suborder Mysticeti (baleen whales).  The Balaenopteridae are also called rorquals, a reference to the throat pleats that run from chin to the middle of their bodies.  The term rorqual is based on the Norwegian word royrkval, which means ‘furrowed whale’.

Rorquals are the largest family of baleen whales, consisting of nine species, including the blue and humpback, which are represented in our Jacobs Family Gallery, and the fin and minke, which are commonly seen during whale watch tours in Massachusetts waters.  They all feed by gulping large amounts of water into their expandable throats and then forcing that water through their 500-800 plates of baleen back into the ocean. The animals that are left behind, typically krill or small fish, then get swallowed. This process is also known as lunge feeding. It requires an incredible amount of muscle power, since the whales are working against immense volumes of water. We all know how hard it is to run through water. Imagine trying to swim through it with your mouth open, a mouth that takes up 20% of your body length.

Several articles published on Wednesday, including this one, explain how the newly discovered sensory organ, located between the tips of the mandibles, regulates the feeding process.

The actual scientific paper that reports the discovery was published yesterday in the journal Nature. For those who want a more scientific explanation, the abstract from that paper, authored by the Smithsonian’s Nick Pyenson, and several others, can be viewed here.  Mr. Pyenson was one of the people summoned to the Atacama Region of Chile last year when a highway project unearthed dozens of fossil whale skeletons, and they had to be removed and taken away quickly.

The next time you’re at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, in the Jacobs Family Gallery, take a look at the lower jaws of the blue and humpback whale skeletons. You’ll notice that the lower jaws, unlike toothed whales or humans, are not connected at the tip (symphysis). In between those mandibles would be the organ described in the article. If you look at the North Atlantic Right Whale you’ll notice the same lack of fusing between mandibles. However, since right whales are not rorquals (they don’t have throat pleats) they would not have this sensory organ.

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Posted by: rochabob | May 21, 2012

Humpback Whales Defend Gray Whale

Humpback whale lunge feeding. Photo courtesy of Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, Plymouth, MA.

A recent event provides more insight into the cognitive and interpretive capabilities of whales. This story by Candace Calloway Whiting in Digital Journal is an engaging account of humpback whales coming to the rescue of a mother and calf gray whale pair under attack from a pod of transient orcas. Unfortunately the efforts failed, perhaps because the majority of the humpbacks were not able to arrive in time to drive off the orcas. (The orcas’ well-planned, persistent attack could easily be subject of another article about cetacean intelligence.) Yet, the fact that these animals sensed the distress of another species, communicated this concern to others of their own group and then expended a considerable amount of energy to assist that other species, is remarkable.

The often subjective debate about cetacean intelligence will continue apace until we learn to speak Whalish. Until then, we will rely upon the many dedicated researchers and behaviorists who spend their hours deciphering the communication and interactions amongst these marine mammals.

For those of you living near the Museum, we invite you to take a look at the new “What’s Going on in That Head of Yours?” exhibit. Here we examine the similarities and differences between the heads of odontocetes and mysticetes, since this is where many of the differences exist. As part of the exhibit we have put the brain of a Risso’s dolphin on display. The commentary on intelligence was prepared by NBWM docent and retired brain surgeon, Dr. William Renehan.

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Posted by: Arthur Motta | May 16, 2012

Battle of New Orleans, May 22

CMDR. David G. Farragut and his flagship, USS HARTFORD – the subject of historian A. Wilson Greene’s talk on May 22.

Historian A. Wilson Greene will present a lecture titled The Day the South Lost the War: The Fall of New Orleans on Tuesday, May 22 at 7:00 p.m., in the Cook Memorial Theater, New Bedford Whaling Museum.

The free public lecture is presented in partnership with the New Bedford Civil War Roundtable, New Bedford Historical Society, Friends of the New Bedford Free Public Library, and Fort Taber ~ Fort Rodman Military Museum.

The illustrated talk will focus on the combined Union naval and army operation in the spring of 1862 that resulted in the capture of the Confederacy’s largest city and most important port – New Orleans, Louisiana.

A complacent Confederate military placed unwarranted confidence in two large masonry forts more than sixty miles downstream from New Orleans to protect the key city on the Gulf Coast. A flotilla commanded by David Farragut and innovative mortar boats led by David D. Porter along with a newly-recruited army—primarily from New England’s maritime communities—arrived below the forts in April 1862. The result would be a dramatic conflict in which the Union navy eventually bulled its way past the Confederate bastions and steamed up to the New Orleans levees, giving the North a pivotal victory in the war.

Will Greene received his M.A. in History at Louisiana State University and spent sixteen years as historian and manager with the National Park Service, with assignments that included the Fredericksburg National Military Park (VA), Independence National Historical Park (PA), Chalmette National Historical Park (LA), Gulf Islands National Seashore (FL), Shenandoah National Park (VA), and the Petersburg National Battlefield (VA). He served as president and executive director of the Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites (now the Civil War Trust). Since 1995 he has been the Executive Director of the Pamplin Historical Park and the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier, Petersburg, VA.

A widely published author on the Civil War, Will has led more than 40 Smithsonian Institute tours and seminars covering all the major Civil War campaigns. He has spoken at over 100 Civil War Roundtables and has presented lectures for the Civil War Society, Blue and Gray Education Society, Campaigning with Lee Seminar, and many national symposiums and seminars.

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Posted by: Arthur Motta | May 12, 2012

Annual Meeting, remembrance, graduation and exhibit, May 18

The 109th Annual Meeting of the Old Dartmouth Historical Society – New Bedford Whaling Museum will take place Friday, May 18 at 4:00 pm. in the Cook Memorial Theater. Annual Meeting Day events include a memorial service for museum volunteers, a graduation ceremony for museum apprentices, and an exhibit opening and reception. The public is cordially invited to attend all events.

At 3:00 p.m., the museum’s Volunteer Council will host a “Volunteer and Trustee Remembrance” in the Seamen’s Bethel, located adjacent to the museum on Johnny Cake Hill. Family, friends and associates are invited to join volunteers and the board of trustees as they gather in fond remembrance of departed members.

At 4:00 p.m. the 109th Annual Meeting of the Old Dartmouth Historical Society – New Bedford Whaling Museum takes place in the Cook Memorial Theater and includes a review of the past year’s activities, election of officers, and incoming members of the Board of Trustees, Class of 2015.

Immediately following the Annual Meeting, the 3rd annual graduation ceremony for the graduating apprentices of the New Bedford Whaling Museum Apprentice Program, Class of 2012 will commence in the Theater.

At 5:30 p.m. by an exhibition of new paintings titled Dora Atwater Millikin: New Bedford Harbor Today, opens in the Centre Street Gallery – Level II. A reception in the Jacobs Family Gallery follows the opening.

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Posted in Apprentices, Current Events, Education, Event, Exhibits, Membership, New Bedford, Partnerships, Press Release

Posted by: Arthur Motta | May 9, 2012

GNB Voc-Tech students’ skills shine at the Whaling Museum

Mark Leary, Korey Martin and Dana Costa install custom doors and panels made by GNB Voc-Tech carpentry students for “Scrimshaw: Shipboard Art of the Whalers” opening May 13, 2pm.

Building the many and varied display cases needed for the world’s largest scrimshaw exhibit would have been a daunting task were it not for the students of Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School. Voc-Tech’s carpentry classes fabricated more than 29 custom doors and viewing panels for the new gallery, set to open to the public on Mothers Day, Sunday, May 13 at 2:00 p.m.

James Russell, museum president, lauded the students’ work, noting “How great is it that much of what we admire in the museum’s collection was made by master craftsmen! Today, skilled students from Voc-Tech are back at the museum, helping to build exhibits that house these masterpieces – to be enjoyed by New Bedford residents and visitors for years to come.”

The museum’s staff, designers and carpenters worked with GNB Voc-Tech’s coordinator of construction projects, Robert Gomes, and carpentry teacher, Donald Derosiers, on the exacting specifications for the elaborate cabinetry required to exhibit hundreds of rare examples of scrimshaw – the 19th century shipboard art of whalers. Students utilized the school’s state-of-the-art CNC (computer numerical control) milling machinery to create the seamless doorframes and panels.

Master carpenter, Dana Costa, rebuilt and refitted existing museum cases and installed the Voc-Tech components with the assistance of Mark Leary and Korey Martin.

The exhibit opening caps the museum’s 23rd annual Scrimshaw Weekend, May 11-13, which attracts scrimshaw experts, collectors and fans from around the world. Titled Scrimshaw: Shipboard Art of the Whalers, the exhibit is curated Dr. Stuart M. Frank, Senior Curator, with the assistance of museum volunteers John Antones, Richard Donnelly, Michael Gerstein, Vasant Gideon, Judith Lund, Barbara Moss, Sanford Moss, Catherine Reynolds and James Vaccarino.

The largest permanent exhibit of its kind, Scrimshaw: Shipboard Art of the Whalers coincides with the launch of a major new book on scrimshaw, titled Ingenious Contrivances, Curiously Carved: Scrimshaw in the New Bedford Whaling Museum by Dr. Frank – a 400-page reference with more than 700 photographs by Richard Donnelly.

Admission to the Sunday opening of the scrimshaw exhibit and book launch: regular admission rates apply. In honor of Mother’s Day, mothers are admitted free when accompanied by at least one member of her family.

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Posted by: Arthur Motta | May 4, 2012

Chris Gustin talks on Finding Form, May 10

Chris Gustin

Christopher S. Gustin will present an illustrated lecture titled Finding Form, on Thursday, May 10 at 7:30 p.m. in the museum’s Cook Memorial Theater. A reception at 6:30 p.m. in the Jacobs Family Gallery precedes the lecture.

Chris Gustin is a studio artist and former professor at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. His work is published extensively and is represented in numerous public and private collections. With over 40 solo exhibitions, he has exhibited, lectured and taught workshops in the United States, the Caribbean, South America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Chris is cofounder of the Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts in Maine, where he serves as vice president on its board of trustees

Born in Chicago, Chris grew up in Los Angeles. After running one of his family’s small commercial ceramics factories, he attended Kansas City Art Institute, receiving a BFA in ceramics. He earned his MFA at the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University and established his first clay studio in Guilford, Connecticut, with his sister-in-law Jane Gustin, where they produced functional and sculptural pottery.

Chris has taught at Parson’s School of Design, Boston University, and the Swain School of Design in New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he became Associate Professor of Ceramics and head of the ceramics program. Swain School subsequently merged in 1988 with Southeastern Massachusetts University, now University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

Chris retired from teaching 1999 to focus on his work at his South Dartmouth atelier. He also continues to direct Gustin Ceramics LLC, a custom tile manufacturing company, which he established in 1996 and whose products are represented nationally by architects, designers and tile showrooms.

Admission: $15 members; $20 non-members. For tickets, call (508) 997-0046 Ext. 100.

Purchase tickets via link on Old Dartmouth Lyceum webpage.

The New Bedford Whaling Museum 2012 Speakers’ Series is presented by BayCoast Bank, and sponsored in part by C.E. Beckman, and Hampton Inn Fairhaven/New Bedford.

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Posted by: whaleblog | May 2, 2012

Scrimshaw Weekend features opening scrimshaw exhibit, May 11-13

Scrimshaw experts, collectors and fans from around the world will gather for the 23rd Annual Scrimshaw Weekend at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, May 11-13, which features three days of activities including the opening of a new permanent exhibit on Sunday, May 13 at 2:00 p.m. of the world’s largest scrimshaw collection, titled “Scrimshaw: Shipboard Art of the Whalers.”

Scrimshaw removed from storage prior to placement in new Scrimshaw Gallery

The weekend kicks off on Friday, May 11, from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. with the third annual Nautical Antiques Show featuring for sale high quality marine antiques including scrimshaw, nautical instruments and tools, whaling logbooks, ship models, photos, paintings, prints, New Bedford memorabilia, and more in the Jacobs Family Gallery. Entry fee to the Nautical Antiques Show only is $5, or free with museum admission or membership.

On Friday evening from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., a cocktail reception in the Dutch Gallery will include a VIP preview of the new scrimshaw exhibit.

On Saturday, May 12, registration begins at 9:00 a.m. with plenary sessions starting at 10:00 a.m., to include, “William Sizer, Scrimshaw Artist: A Comprehensive Review” with John Miklos (Chicago); “The Latest Scrimshavological Forensic Analysis of the Anonymous and Mysterious Mantelpiece Maker,” with Donald C. Boger, M.D. (Los Angeles); “Remarks on Scrimshaw,” with Captain Thomas Conley (Chicago); buffet luncheon in the Jacobs Family Gallery.

Saturday afternoon sessions include “Scrimshaw: The Artist’s Eye,” with Ryan Cooper, scrimshaw artist (Cape Cod); “Market Report” with Andrew Jacobson (Ipswich, Mass.); “The California Penal Code and the California Crackdown,” with James Vaccarino, J.D., Scrimshaw Forensics® team; a panel discussion on the California Crackdown, with  Hon. Paul E. Vardeman, J.D. (Kansas City), Ken Brown (San Francisco), Rod Cardoza (San Diego), Chuck DeLuca (York, Maine and San Rafael, Calif.), Andrew Jacobson, and Stuart M. Frank, Ph.D. (moderator).

At 5:30 p.m., a cash bar will be followed by a banquet dinner at 7:00 p.m. in the Jacobs Family Gallery. The evening’s keynote, titled “Matchmaking” will be presented by Jack H.T. Chang, M.D. (Denver) at 8:00 p.m. in the Cook Memorial Theater.

On Sunday, May 13 at 10:30 a.m.: A Salute to Don Ridley: “Scrimshaw Fakes, Dangerous and Not So Dangerous,” with Stuart M. Frank in the Cook Memorial Theater; 11:15 a.m., VIP tour and discussion of “Seven Continents, Seven Seas,” with Stuart Frank, Wattles Family Gallery; lunch is on your own.

On Sunday at 2:00 p.m., a new exhibit, “Scrimshaw: Shipboard Art of the Whalers” opens to the public. The largest permanent exhibit of its kind, it coincides with the launch of a major new book on scrimshaw, titled “Ingenious Contrivances, Curiously Carved: Scrimshaw in the New Bedford Whaling Museum.” by Stuart M. Frank. Published by David R. Godine, Boston, this definitive 400-page reference to the world’s largest scrimshaw collection includes more than 700 photographs by Richard Donnelly. Dr. Frank will be available to sign copies of the book. Light refreshments will be served.

Registration fee for Scrimshaw Weekend includes admission to the museum, all open galleries, nautical antiques show, all plenary sessions, Scrimshaw VIP Preview, exhibit opening, book launch, all scheduled meals, and refreshments: $370 (museum members $330). Tickets to Saturday’s banquet only: $75 each.

Admission to the Sunday opening of the scrimshaw exhibit and book launch only: regular admission rates apply. In honor of Mother’s Day, mothers are admitted free when accompanied by at least one member of her family.

For more information or to register, please contact visitor services at (508) 997-0046, ext. 100 or email: frontdesk@whalingmuseum.org. For the full schedule of events and program updates, please visit the museum website, www.whalingmuseum.org.

Special hotel room rates are available for Scrimshaw Weekend attendees. Call for details: Fairfield Inn and Suites New Bedford (Tel. 774.634.2000), and Hampton Inn New Bedford/Fairhaven (Tel. 508.990.8500).

The New Bedford Whaling Museum gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Northeast Auctions, LLC of Portsmouth, NH, and the Maine Antique Digest.

 


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Posted by: Arthur Motta | April 28, 2012

Dora Atwater Millikin exhibition, May 18

"Wharfage," oil on linen, 2011, is in an exhibition of new works by Dora Atwater Millikin opening May 18

"Wharfage," oil on linen, 2011, is in an exhibition of new works by Dora Atwater Millikin opening May 18

An exhibition of new paintings titled Dora Atwater Millikin: A Portrait of New Bedford Harbor Today will open at the New Bedford Whaling Museum on Friday, May 18 at 5:30 p.m. in the Centre Street Gallery – Level II.

With her studio in Westport Point, Massachusetts, Millikin has studied the New Bedford waterfront for years, inspired by its busy harbor and the fishing industry. The exhibition explores volume, shape, light, color, and texture, reflecting the artist’s interest in the everyday and the ordinary, the gritty and the ‘real’ – while at the same time revealing the material properties of the paint itself and the luminosity it creates in juxtaposition.

Dora Atwater Millikin grew up in Little Compton, Rhode Island. She was educated at the Stoneleigh-Burnham School, Greenfield, Massachusetts, Newcomb College (Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana), and Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts, Old Lyme, Connecticut. She has served as vice president of the board of directors of both The Art League of Rhode Island and South Coast Artists, Inc., and she is an elected artist member of the Copley Society.

Recognition of her work includes the Edwin Gould Foundation Award, the John Stobart Fellowship Award, the Joseph Hartley Memorial Award for Oil, and the Fidelity Investments annual juried competition at the Providence Art Club.

An artist member and painting teacher at the Providence Art Club, Dora’s work is represented by Walker-Cunningham Fine Art, Boston. Her work can be found in museum, corporate and private collections in the United State and Europe.

The exhibition runs through October 18, 2012

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Posted by: Arthur Motta | April 25, 2012

Visual Culture of the Civil War Era, May 3

The Stone Fleet, which sailed from New Bedford, Nov. 16, 1861, by Benjamin Russell (1804-1885). It will be one of many images from the Whaling Museum discussed in “The Visual Culture of the Civil War Era.”

Keith Kauppila, Esq. will present an illustrated lecture titled The Visual Culture of the Civil War, on Thursday, May 3 at 7:30 p.m., Cook Memorial Theater, New Bedford Whaling Museum. A reception at 6:30 p.m. in the Jacobs Family Gallery precedes the lecture.

This lecture is part of the 2012 Old Dartmouth Lyceum series, and one of three Civil War related programs being offer by area organizations, including the New Bedford Historical Society, Friends of the New Bedford Free Public Library, New Bedford Civil War Roundtable, and Fort Taber~Fort Rodman Military Museum.

 Mr. Kauppila will discuss perspectives on painting inspired by the “War Between the States.” Several pieces from theWhalingMuseumcollection will be highlighted during this presentation. Mr. Kauppila has a deep interest in the visual and decorative arts and has been active on the museum’s collections committee. He currently serves on the Board of Governors at the Addison Gallery of American Art atPhillipsAcademy.

Other Civil War related programs include:

April 27:  “New Bedford’s Civil War” Professor Earl Mulderink, author of a new book published by Fordham University Press, titled New Bedford’s Civil War will present an illustrated talk on his research on Friday, April 27 at 7:00 p.m. at the Whaling Museum.  This free program is part of a national book tour and includes a book-signing. It is co-sponsored by the New Bedford Historical Society, Friends of the New Bedford Public Library, Fort Taber~Fort Rodman Military Museum, New Bedford Civil War Roundtable, and the New Bedford Whaling Museum.

May 22: “The Day the South Lost the War: The Fall of New Orleans” Historian A. Wilson Greene will present an illustrated lecture titled The Day the South Lost the War: The Fall of New Orleans on Tuesday, May 22 at 7:00 p.m. at the Whaling Museum. This free lecture focuses on the combinedUnion naval and army operation in the spring of 1862 that resulted in the capture of the Confederacy’s largest city and most important port. Presented in association with theNew Bedford Civil War Round Table, Mr. Greene has been Study Leader for more than 40 Smithsonian Institute tours and seminars covering all the major Civil War campaigns and has spoken to more than 100 Civil War Roundtables across the country.

Old Dartmouth Lyceum admission on May 3: $15 members; $20 non-members. For tickets, call (508) 997-0046 Ext. 100. The lectures on April 27 and May 22 are free.

The New Bedford Whaling Museum 2012 Speakers’ Series, of which the Old Dartmouth Lyceum is a part, is presented by BayCoast Bank, and sponsored in part by C.E. Beckman, and Hampton Inn Fairhaven/New Bedford.

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Posted by: rochabob | April 24, 2012

Ambergris Alternative

Researchers at the University of British Columbia may have found a natural alternative to ambergris, the by-product of the process of sperm whale intestines combating the sharp edges of squid beaks. A gene extracted from balsam fir trees is grown in yeast and develops into a fixative that exhibits the same properties as the ambrein in ambergris.  This article in The Atlantic is one of several that speak in general terms on the topic.

The use of ambergris is legal in many countries, but not in the U.S. Since it is a marine mammal product, its use is banned by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972.  However, perfume products shipped into the U.S. from overseas may still have ambergris in them. Any one of us could find ambergris along the shore without ever seeing a whale. But, laws like the MMPA minimize the opportunity to create a larger market for such products, and perhaps illegal killing of marine mammals for those products.

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