Press Releases

NEW BEDFORD WHALING MUSEUM TO HOST PRESENTATION OF NEWLY PUBLISHED BOOK ON AZOREAN EMIGRATION TO AMERICA
Book signing at 6:00 p.m. and lecture at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, October 3, 2008

NEW BEDFORD, MA (9.16.08) - - The eruption of the Capelinhos volcano on the Azorean island of Faial in 1957 set in motion the largest and most recent wave of Portuguese emigration to America. In a little more than two decades, the Azores lost almost one-third of its population.

The effect of this extraordinary exodus on those who left and those who stayed behind is the subject of "Capelinhos: A Volcano of Synergies,” a book coordinated by Tony Goulart commemorating the 50th anniversary of the birth of the Capelinhos volcano. After a book signing at 6:00 p.m., Mr. Goulart will present a lecture at 7:00 p.m. on this work of over one hundred researchers, scholars, translators and editors, and discuss the social and economic future of the Azores and the Portuguese communities in North America.

"The Whaling Museum is proud to have the opportunity to introduce this outstanding book to the SouthCoast region, an area with deep roots in the Azorean culture,” said John Garfield, Interim Director. "The book's focus on the personal stories of people involved in this phenomenal migration makes it a fascinating and moving human drama as well as an important record of Azorean history."

Co-sponsored by the Azorean Maritime Heritage Society, the event is free.

The New Bedford Whaling Museum is the world's most comprehensive museum devoted to the global story of whales and whaling. The cornerstone of the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, the Museum is located in the heart of the city's historic downtown at 18 Johnny Cake Hill. Open daily from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. and until 9 p.m. on the second Thursday of the month, admission is free for members and children under the age of 6, $10 for adults, $9 for seniors (59+) and students with a valid ID, and $6 for children ages 6-14. For a complete calendar of events, visit the Museum online at HYPERLINK "http://www.whalingmuseum.org/" \o "http://www.whalingmuseum.org/" www.whalingmuseum.org. The Whaling Museum is a private, nonprofit organization.