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NEW BEDFORD WHALING MUSEUM PARTICIPATES IN SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE'S MUSEUM DAY 2008

Fourth Annual Museum Day Features Free General Admission on September 27, 2008

NEW BEDFORD, MA (9.23.08) - - On Saturday, September 27, 2008, the New Bedford Whaling Museum will participate in the fourth annual Museum Day, presented by Smithsonian magazine. Museum Day is a day when museums and cultural institutions nationwide open their doors free of charge to Smithsonian magazine readers and visitors to Smithsonian.com.

To gain free entry to the New Bedford Whaling Museum, visitors must present Smithsonian magazine's Museum Day Admission Card. The Museum Day Admission Card is available in the September 2008 issue of Smithsonian magazine and by visiting the Smithsonian.com website and downloading the Museum Day Admission Card.

Recognized as the preeminent whaling museum in the country, the New Bedford Whaling Museum keeps each visit both educational and fun with its ever-changing exhibits that join favorites like a full-scale model of a ship's forecastle, the half-scale model of the whaling bark Lagoda, and the rearticulated skeletons of a blue whale, sperm whale and humpback whale.

Current new exhibits include Needle/Work – Art, Craft, and Industry in a Port City, which illuminates the historical connections between domestic and commercial needlework in the lives of the city of New Bedford's men and women between the late 18th and early 20th centuries. A second major exhibit is Sea & Sky: Atmospheric Explorations by William Bradford and Other Marine Artists, which explores connections between fine arts and the environmental sciences. The cloud studies on canvas and paper featured are by artists who lived and worked in the New Bedford area.

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 year round from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. For more information, visit the Museum online at www.whalingmuseum.org.

About Smithsonian
Founded in 1970 with the launch of Smithsonian magazine, Smithsonian Media-comprising Smithsonian magazine, Air & Space, goSmithsonian, Smithsonian Publishing Digital Network, Smithsonian Books and advertising for Smithsonian Channel-allows the intellectually curious to indulge and engage their passions for history, the arts, science, the natural world, culture and travel. Smithsonian Media's flagship publication, Smithsonian magazine, has a circulation of more than two million. This multimedia network is also affiliated with the world's most visited museum and research complexes at the Smithsonian Institution. For more information, visit www.smithsonian.com, www.airandspacemag.com, and www.gosmithsonian.com.