Past Programs
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Melville in Our Seaport is a four-day literary and cultural celebration honoring the enduring influence of Herman Melville and New Bedford’s defining role in shaping his most celebrated work.
Back by popular demand! Experience the infectious rhythms of Latin Jazz as Jesús Andujar y Su Grupo Sazón returns to fill the Harbor View Gallery with the vibrant sounds of Salsa, Cha-Cha, Merengue, and more. This high-energy six-piece orchestra promises an unforgettable evening of music, dancing, and celebration.
An engaging discussion about the 2026 Massachusetts Great Reads title Nothing More of This Land: Community, Power, and the Search for Indigenous Identity by Joseph Lee.
Author Carol Gardner’s newest book The Divided North traces two Maine families, one Black and one White, as they navigate the turbulent nineteenth century. Their experiences reveal what it meant to live in a free state during the age of slavery.
With sweeping views of the New Bedford harbor, The Jethros will light the fuse for a sparkling celebration—delivering big sounds, feel-good rhythms, and irresistible energy that will have you on your feet and dancing all night long.
AHA! Night. Designed for all ages, this lively evening invites families, young adults, and lifelong learners to explore the museum through hands-on activities, gallery discoveries, poetry, and art-making.
Local History Guild is the NBWM’s free quarterly Zoom program. Speakers Anne Verplanck and Emily Voelker discuss the early history of photography and the current exhibition “Look pleasant, please”.
This isn’t a typical concert—expect an interactive, community-driven experience where the audience becomes part of the music. Help shape the setlist, react to short musical ideas, or influence the direction of a tune. Your energy becomes part of the performance, making each show unique and alive.
Artist and Smith College Professor Emerita Susan Heidman will discuss her decades long career and artistic process in creating her Proteanna series, a collection of works that explore the bio-morphic shapes of the ocean’s “in-between entities.”
Join us for a special after-hours evening at the New Bedford Whaling Museum exclusively for members.
John Gonsalves, sportscaster at WJFD-FM, moderates a dynamic panel of soccer experts exploring the sport’s deep roots in the SouthCoast.
Learn about the award-winning biography that restores William Monroe Trotter to his essential place next to Douglass, Du Bois, and Malcom X in the pantheon of American civil rights heroes from author Kerri Greenidge.
Join us in-person or on Zoom as we welcome Museum Members to the 123rd Annual Members’ Meeting.
AHA! Night. Designed for all ages, this lively evening invites families, young adults, and lifelong learners to explore the museum through hands-on activities, gallery discoveries, poetry, and art-making.
An ode to New York’s Penn Station and one of its longest-running businesses, “The Petal Pusher” is a reflection on the economics of love (and desperation), and it’s a testament to a bygone era. At its heart, this is a story about love, loss, and family.
Join the New Bedford Whaling Museum for a day trip to the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA. Enjoy a private curator-led tour of the exhibition Edmonia Lewis: Said in Stone, plus free time to explore the museum, have lunch, and visit Salem.
Boo City, often described as black country, soul, rocksteady and digital-ancient-dub heats up the May First Friday at the Whaling Museum!
In Entangled Lives, author Marla R. Miller examines women’s work in rural post-Revolutionary Massachusetts, revealing the gendered social relations of labor in a time of transformation.
LIFELONG LEARNING: Short-course in the History of Photography, 1839-1900
March 9, 2026 - April 27, 2026
Discover photography’s impact in this unique course combining six virtual sessions with a hands-on workshop at the Museum. Learn from experts using the vast NBWM photography collection to explore how the medium transformed the world.
Join artist Heidi Whitman for an in-gallery talk about her installation Ahab’s Head: American Vengeance, on view at the New Bedford Whaling Museum through May 3rd, 2026.
Celebrate Our Shared Planet during school vacation week! Enjoy themed crafts, hands-on activities, storytime, the inflatable whale, and squid dissections.
Watch this intimate, visually stunning documentary on the dramatic lives of right whales across the globe, followed by a panel of the film’s producers and NBWM science curator.
Embark on a very special trip to Madeira with fellow Museum Member and special guest travel host Maria Lawton! Experience the island’s vibrant culture, unforgettable cuisine, and breathtaking landscapes.
Hear from author Erin Pauwels about her new book on leading NYC studio photographer Napoleon Sarony, offered in conjunction with “Look Pleasant, Please,” NBWM’s newest exhibition on 19th-century portrait photography.
Take a Pause. Look Closer. Discover More. Did you know the average museum visitor spends only 21 seconds in front of a work of art? On Slow Art Day, we’re inviting you to break free from the rush and truly connect with art in a deeper, more meaningful way.
UMass Dartmouth Ecology students present their capstone projects on the biggest emerging issues expected to impact marine and coastal biodiversity conservation in the near future.
Known for their deep rhythmic sensibility and collaborative spirit, Texas Street Revival balances tight arrangements with moments of improvisation, creating music that feels both intentional and expansive.
Learn about art, history, science, and culture with activities designed for homeschool families! General admission includes access to museum exhibits and activities like the Inflatable Whale, Lagoda Below Deck, and other guided stations around the museum.
Writer Eric Jay Dolin in Rebels at Sea considers how a rag-tag fleet of Revolutionary War privateers helped us win the war and reveal the new nation’s ambitious, entrepreneurial character.
Join us for a compelling, film-centered experience anchored by Blue Carbon, a visually stunning and deeply hopeful documentary that brings together music, science, and frontline voices in the fight against climate change—alongside a full day of engaging museum programs.
In 2003, eight artists secretly built a 750-square-foot apartment inside Providence Place Mall, living undetected for four years. Executive produced by Jesse Eisenberg, SECRET MALL APARTMENT reveals the true identities and unseen footage behind this wild urban legend.
Join us for a members-only day trip to the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, CT! Enjoy an exclusive curator-led tour of exhibition “The Scenic Daguerreotype in America, 1840-1860” just before it closes.
Celebrate Women’s History Month and community creativity at the New Bedford Whaling Museum during AHA! Night. Designed for all ages, this lively evening invites families, young adults, and lifelong learners to explore the museum through hands-on activities, gallery discoveries, poetry, and art-making.
In honor of the Revolutionary War’s 250th anniversary, local historians are uncovering fresh stories from Old Dartmouth. This March, join our virtual program to explore new research on the 1770s and 1780s in Westport, Dartmouth, New Bedford, Fairhaven, and Acushnet.
Experience the infectious rhythms of Latin Jazz on First Friday, March 6, 2026, with Latin Jazz Night: Salsa & Social Dance. Featuring Jesús Andujar y Su Grupo Sazón, this high-energy six-piece orchestra will fill the Harbor View Gallery with Salsa, Cha Cha, Merengue, and Latin Jazz
Join us in conversation with Magda Leon, a Guatemalan-born multidisciplinary artist based in Providence, RI, and focused in printmaking, installation, and social practice art. Leon is currently working on a multi-year community focused exhibition project opening at the Whaling Museum in 2027.
Join us for a special afternoon of film, music, community and culminating celebration of the Museum’s exhibition Morabeza: Cape Verdean Community in the South Coast, on view through February 24.
A group of misfit children discovers a pirate’s treasure map and embarks on a journey to find the riches in this beloved 1980s classic.
Sea captain Kermit the Frog sets sail in search of treasure. But one crew member wants the bounty for himself — and it’s Long John Silver in disguise!
Disney and Pixar’s “Luca” follows a young boy’s unforgettable summer on the Italian Riviera. Luca and his friend Alberto share adventures while hiding a dangerous secret: they are actually sea monsters from a world below the water’s surface.
When she inherits a kingdom of mythical sea creatures, an awkward teen must somehow learn to deal with her newfound powers and save the world from evil.
When wily Captain Barbossa steals Jack Sparrow’s ship and kidnaps the governor’s beautiful daughter, Elizabeth, her childhood friend Will Turner joins forces with Jack to save her and recapture Jack’s ship, the Black Pearl.
It’s Time Travel Week at the Museum! Enjoy themed crafts, hands-on activities, storytime, the inflatable whale, and special afternoon movies. Visit the page for daily schedules.
Experience Vestibules: Stories of Water, Memory, and Resilience at AHA! Night. Through live portraits and photobooths, visitors become storytellers, connecting personal memories with New Bedford’s maritime history and environmental future in this interactive photography event.
Launch the 2026 First Fridays series in unforgettable style with the return of pianist Dr. Jennifer Maxwell. Enjoy a rare silent-film screening of Down to the Sea in Ships (1922), transformed by Dr. Maxwell’s dynamic live score that fills the classic New Bedford whaling tale with energy and emotion.
On the night of February 4, 1982, Callahan’s small vessel collided with a whale in the Atlantic Ocean. With only moments to react, he escaped into a life raft with a basic survival kit—plunging into what would become 76 harrowing days alone at sea. Battling storms, dwindling supplies, and the vast, unforgiving ocean, Callahan was forced to confront both nature’s fury and his own deepest fears.
Calling all educators! Learn more about field trips, educational programs, and teacher resources available at the New Bedford Whaling Museum.
Join the New Bedford Whaling Museum for a special program marking the opening of Forging Independence | Building a Nation, a new semi-permanent exhibition developed in recognition of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. The exhibition explores the diverse regional experiences that shaped the struggle for independence and the new nation that emerged.
From Academy Award–winning director John Huston comes Moby Dick—a sweeping, visually arresting adaptation of Herman Melville’s timeless novel about obsession, fate, and the fury of nature. In 1841, young sailor Ishmael (Richard Basehart) signs aboard the whaling ship Pequod in New Bedford, where he meets the enigmatic harpooner Queequeg and the ship’s brooding captain, Ahab (Gregory Peck).
Each January, the New Bedford Whaling Museum hosts one of the world’s most celebrated live readings of Herman Melville’s iconic American novel, Moby-Dick. The annual Moby-Dick Marathon draws readers and enthusiasts from around the globe—both to the Museum’s campus and online—to share in this remarkable literary tradition.
