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.

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.

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.

"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

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.

Aboard the doomed ship was Mattapoisett native son, Francis Davis Millet. Like other local artists – Albert Bierstadt and William Bradford before him – Millet rose to prominence in the international art world. He was particularly involved in the conceptual design of the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1892 in Chicago and he won numerous international awards for his work.

Millet went down with the ship and purportedly with him, went plans for a panoramic mural of New Bedford history, which he agreed to create for the walls of the newly expanded New Bedford Free Public Library, which only recently had reopened in 1912 in the fully rebuilt “Old City Hall” that had sustained extensive fire damage in 1906.

The Millet mural was to encompass the ornate concave cove connecting the walls and ceiling above the internal oculus of the third floor. The mural was to depict Gosnold’s 1602 discovery of the harbor, the Whaling Era and the thriving textile industry of 1912.

Millet’s 1903 mural for the Call Room of Baltimore’s Custom-House provides a hint of what the New Bedford Mural might have looked like. A photo of Millet and his assistants at work on the Baltimore mural survives and reveals that he included a whale ship in that scene.

A synopsis of Millet’s many accomplishments are well noted in Artists of New Bedford; A Biographical Dictionary, by Mary Jean Blasdale, published at the New Bedford Whaling Museum by the Old Dartmouth Historical Society in 1990.

In the 61st Annual Report of the Library in 1912, Librarian George H. Tripp lamented “Mr. Millet’s death, before the beginning of the mural decorations which were to adorn the library walls and at the same time commemorate allegorically certain features of New Bedford past, was a serious misfortune to New Bedford. The artist, in his letters to New Bedford people, previous to his death, had indicated that he was about ready to be begin the series of paintings which he had thought out as appropriate. While the decorations of the walls will, in all probability, be treated somewhat after the original plan at some time in the future, the trustees feel that Mr. Millet was the one man for the work, because of his reputation for fine attainment, and because of his familiarity with the traditions of the calling which it was understood he would illustrate.”

The Trustees voted in 1912 to purchase “the well-known picture, “The Black Sheep,” from the heirs of Francis D. Millet.” It still hangs in the library today. Millet rests in Central Cemetery, East Bridgewater – his boyhood home after Mattapoisett.

Tripp was correct in his assessments but for the assumption that a mural similar to Millet’s conception would be accomplished. It was not to be.

A little more than a decade ago, while the Library’s final restoration phase was underway, there was some interest in seeing a mural realized in the style of Millet. However, it did not happen, due to funding – and perhaps more importantly – because Millet’s grand design dissolved in the deep on that cold April night. The Library cove remains a blank canvas; silent testament of what could have been, but for the hand of fate.

Kirk J. Nelson

Kirk J. Nelson will present an illustrated lecture titled New Bedford Glass and Its Context on Thursday, April 26 at 7:30 p.m. – part of the 2012 Old Dartmouth Lyceum lecture series on fine and decorative arts. A reception at 6:30 p.m. in the Jacobs Family Gallery precedes the lecture.

Mr. Nelson is executive director of the New Bedford Museum of Glass, located at 61 Wamsutta Street. He earned his MA degree and Certificate of Museum Studies from the Winterthur Program in Early American Culture at the Winterthur Museum and the University of Delaware. An expert on the development of the American glass press during the 1820s and 1830s, Mr. Nelson is an Honorary Fellow of the Corning Museum of Glass, former Curator of Glass at the Sandwich Glass Museum and former Curator of Art & Decorative Arts at the Bennington Museum. He has lectured and published extensively on a wide variety of glass-related subjects. His practical glass working experience includes Pairpoint Crystal, Inc. of Sagamore, Massachusetts, and the operation of a glass studio in East Sandwich.

In 1993, Mr. Nelson was one of five founding trustees to establish the Glass Art Center, Inc., which was affiliated with Bradford College in Bradford, Massachusetts. After the closing of the college the Center relocated to New Bedford and reincorporated in 2006 as the New Bedford Museum of Glass.

The museum collection consists of 7,000 objects documenting more than 3,000 years of glassmaking history. It covers many regions and periods, from ancient to contemporary, with special emphasis on the city of New Bedford, celebrated in the late 19th century as the “Art Glass Headquarters of the Country.” Rose Amber glass, Crown Milano, Royal Flemish, Burmese and Lava glass are just a few of the exotic lines developed in New Bedford.

The museum’s library holds more than 8,000 volumes in ten languages on glass related topics, including the Shirley Collection of the Mount Washington Glass Company – containing the firm’s original glass patents, trade catalogs, correspondence, photographs, and international awards.

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

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

Captain Sean S. Bercaw

Captain of the Amistad, former Naval Officer and Master Mariner, Sean S. Bercaw has sailed over 160,000 nautical miles under sail. He shares the fascinating narrative of sailing the Amistad reproduction, in 2010, into the Cuban waters where the 1839 story – which was the subject of the 1997 Steven Spielberg movie, Amistad – began. The revolt of the Amistad’s African captives, their takeover of the ship and the ensuing court battle is an inspiring human story that, in a case successfully argued by former President John Quincy Adams, culminated in their freedom being granted by the U.S. Supreme Court.

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

The 2012 lecture series is presented by BayCoast Bank, and sponsored in part by C.E. Beckman, and Hampton Inn Fairhaven/New Bedford.

William Bradford's 1866 painting, "Sealers Crushed by Icebergs" (above). Stuart P. Feld and Richard C. Kugler (below, left to right) pose in front of the Bradford in 2003. Mr. Feld will talk on April 5th about the many important works added to the Museum's collection during Mr. Kugler's directorship. The program will include a reception and presentation of a major gift to the museum in Mr. Kugler's honor.

Stuart P. Feld, president of Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York, opens the 2012 Old Dartmouth Lyceum lecture series with an illustrated program titled Whaling Museum acquisitions during the tenure of Director and Curator Richard C. Kugler on Thursday, April 5 at 7:30 p.m. in the Cook Memorial Theater. A reception at 6:30 p.m. honoring Mr. Kugler in the Jacobs Family Gallery precedes the lecture.

A leading authority on American art, Mr. Feld will share his insights on 19th century paintings acquired by the museum during Mr. Kugler’s 25 years of service – a period of prodigious growth in the scope and breadth of the collection. The lecture will focus on works by celebrated American artist, William Bradford (1823-1892), a traveler and adventurer fascinated with the Arctic landscape. Mr. Kugler is a biographer and recognized expert on Bradford.

Mr. Feld became one of the first Fellows at The Metropolitan Museum of Art 1961. He worked in the Department of American Paintings and Sculpture at The Metropolitan Museum, during which time he co-authored American Paintings: A Catalogue of the Collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 1967, he left his post as Associate Curator in Charge of the Department and joined Hirschl & Adler Galleries as a partner, becoming its sole proprietor in 1982. He has authored many articles and catalogues in the field of American Art – both fine and decorative arts – and is a frequent lecturer around the country.

The evening will also include a special presentation by Bruce and Karen Wilburn of their major gift to the museum, minus fees, of $150,000 – netted recently from the sale at auction of their copy of a rare 1873 book by Bradford, titled The Arctic Regions: Illustrated with Photographs Taken on an Art Expedition – at the Swann Galleries, New York City. The gift will fund several museum projects related to the history of arctic exploration.

James Russell, museum president said, “On behalf of the trustees, I wish to sincerely thank Bruce and Karen Wilburn for their remarkable gift. It will enable the museum to tell an extraordinary chapter in the story of American exploration and in the life of William Bradford – a New Bedford native who rose to become one of the great names in 19th century American art – and whose work in the Arctic more than 140 years ago holds new relevancy for current scientific research and global climate change.”

Mr. Wilburn noted “We would not have made this contribution were it not for Dick Kugler. Over the many years that we have been associated with the museum, Dick was always accessible, immensely knowledgeable and a phenomenal asset to the organization. His name is synonymous with Bradford and it is with great appreciation and affection for him that we make this gift.”

Frances F. Levin, chair of the museum’s collection committee, noted “under Dick Kugler’s leadership the museum collection grew to become truly world-class. In particular, his extraordinary scholarship and vision in acquiring Bradford’s works is a lasting legacy, one which continues to inspire significant gifts such as the Wilburns’ and will in turn produce new insights into the nexus of art and science, as will be seen next year.”

Michael Lapides, director of digital initiatives and curator for next year’s exhibition, said, “The Wilburns’ generous gift will enable the museum to create Arctic Regions: Away then Floats the Ice-Island, scheduled to open spring of 2013. Bradford’s rare elephant folio will be at the core of this exhibit. Many of the original wet plate collodian negatives made on the 1869 voyage belong to the Museum and will be used to produce spectacular prints. The exhibit will highlight intersections between art, commerce, science and exploration. These funds will also enable the museum to republish Bradford’s book, as well as offer educational programming.”

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

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

In making the announcement, museum president James Russell applauded the Jessie Ball duPont Fund for investing in education in New Bedford and for strengthening the museum’s capacity to provide high quality public programs. Sustaining these programs is a top priority for the Museum’s Board of Trustees and Docent Volunteer Corps. He noted that the Museum’s educational mandate can continue without interruption in 2012.

Additionally Mr. Russell noted how gratifying it is that the work of the museum’s educators is getting recognized at a national level. It is a testament to the quality of their programs.

James Lopes, vice president of education and programming, said, “ The duPont grant will allow us to continue our educational mission and to expand access to our programs through the website, utilizing the museum’s vast collections. We restored Paul Cuffe to the forefront of regional history and we foster community-wide reading through popular public programs like the Moby-Dick Marathon with duPont’s help.”

The award provides substantial support to the museum’s youth apprenticeship program, a skills-development and professional work experience program for qualifying high school students in New Bedford that includes paid stipends to students totaling more than $44,000 per year.

Dr. Mary Louise Francis, Superintendent of New Bedford Public Schools, called the museum “an important strategic partner in education and particularly for my school district, noting that it provides “a unique immersive educational experience unparalleled in the region.”

In 2011, the Museum welcomed 3,431 New Bedford students K-12 free of charge from 36 schools and student organizations for standards-based programs in science and history. All New Bedford students will receive free admission to the museum under the grant.

The Museum’s 85 active docents and volunteer corps contributed 23,321 hours – valued at more than $350,000 – to educational programming, student and public tours, community events, exhibitions, research and operations. They welcomed more than 90,000 visitors to the museum last year.

According to the New England Foundation for the Arts CultureCount Database, the museum generates an $8 million impact in cultural economic development for New Bedford. It regularly hosts community meetings and forums on a wide range of public issues and welcomes dignitaries and elected officials, showcasing the city’s illustrious maritime past to business leaders and economic development prospects.