Past Exhibitions before 2012

Illustrating Herman Melville's language

Photographs reveal the dynamic changes in the port over the last 150 years.

This exhibition provided an opportunity to view seldom-seen ceramics, including pottery from the Roman Empire, "creamware" from New Bedford, and modern Japanese artifacts.

Photographs by Phil Mello focusing on local shoreside workers and their jobs: from fish cutter to purveyor, from welder to auctioneer, from lumper to inspector, as well as fishermen. ?

Charmed by the Sea celebrated not simply the power of the sea, but the complex and exciting relationship that exists between fine arts and the traditional arts of the mariner.?

This exhibition traced the most important and influential pictorial images of whaling through four centuries.

An exhibition of the most outstanding images from the Fortier Collection with a focus on his black-and-white work during 1946-1974.

Showcasing a 45-ton sperm whale skeleton, found beached on Nantucket in 2002.

This exhibition examined the roles that such work played in the social, economic and cultural lives of New Bedford's men and women between the late 18th and early 20th centuries.

Photographers Henry W. Kendall and Nicholas Whitman record the geographically isolated sites of former shore whaling operations.

An online exhibition that examines the influential legacy of the whaling industry on the opening of diplomatic relations and cultural exchange between Japan and Western nations.

In celebration of the 150th anniversary of Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick, the Museum showcased one of the novel’s most compelling sources of inspiration – Russell and Purrington’s 1,300-foot-long panorama.

This exhibition was comprised of 68 oil paintings – many shown in public for the first time – as well as drawings, prints, sketchbooks and photographs.

A diverse collection representing the major styles of Mount Washington, Blackmer, Pairpoint, Smith Brothers, and Gunderson art glass.