The collections of the New Bedford Whaling Museum / Old Dartmouth Historical Society are an impressive array of fine art, ethnographic objects, whaling implements, nautical artifacts, textiles, household items, and detailed documents from around the world.

This exhibition asks, what do we do with a bust created by someone who held deeply problematic racist ideologies? Do an artist’s beliefs impact how we interpret a sculpture? Is a sculpture like this one defined by the politics of the maker, patron, or subject? What were the Bourne’s politics, and what made Emily decide to commission the bust from Borglum in 1916?

Since 2023, the New Bedford Whaling Museum has worked with interdisciplinary artist Katy Rodden Walker on a project and exhibition titled “Community BLOOMS,” a community focused art and science project exploring the increase in jellyfish blooms in the ocean due to warming waters. This participatory project invites visitors to create, consider, and collaborate around ideas of environmental change and activism.

Women have shaped the region of Old Dartmouth and its history since 1650. This special exhibition carries the LTW project forward and looks inward to the New Bedford Whaling Museum collection as it relates to women’s history.