Whaling Museum Society Inc

THE WHALING MUSEUM WILL FABRICATE, INSTALL, AND EVALUATE A 2-YEAR SPECIAL EXHIBITION THAT EXPLORES OCEAN-INSPIRED MYTHS AND MONSTERS AND THEIR CONTEMPORARY CONNECTIONS. THE MUSEUM WILL DEVELOP AN ARRAY OF ONSITE AND OFFSITE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES INCLUDING SCHOOL GROUP TOURS, WORKSHOPS, AND LECTURES TO COMPLEMENT THE EXHIBITION. THE PROJECT WILL SUPPORT STAFF, EXHIBIT AND PROGRAMMING SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS, AND MARKETING. TO CONVEY THE FRAGILITY OF OUR OCEANS, THE MUSEUM WILL COMMISSION A LOCAL ARTIST TO CREATE A KRAKEN SCULPTURE MADE FROM PLASTIC DEBRIS COLLECTED FROM LOCAL SHORE CLEANUPS. THE STORIES AND MESSAGES IN THE EXHIBITION WILL BE GATEWAYS TO LAUNCH WIDER DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE CULTURAL ROOTS OF HATE AND NEGATIVE STEREOTYPES. BY EXPLORING NAUTICAL MYTHOLOGIES, VISITORS WILL BE PROMPTED TO THINK ABOUT THE OCEAN’S INFLUENCE ON HOW CULTURES WERE SHAPED AND CONTINUE TO SHAPE US, AND OUR IMPACTS ON THE OCEAN TODAY.

BLACK WHALERS [THE WHALING MUSEUM REQUESTS SUPPORT FROM THE NEH TO SUPPORT A NEW PUBLIC-FACING HUMANITIES PROJECT, BLACK WHALERS. SUPPORT OF THE PROJECT WILL ENABLE THE MUSEUM TO SUSTAIN ITS EXHIBITION PLAN AND EXECUTE A NEW SPECIAL EXHIBIT AND PROGRAMMING PROJECT TO EXPLORE THE DEEP SIGNIFICANCE OF WHALING IN AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY, A TOPIC LARGELY UNKNOWN BY THE GENERAL PUBLIC. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 39 YEARS AT THE MUSEUM, THE MUSEUM WILL RESEARCH, DESIGN, INSTALL, AND EVALUATE A 2-YEAR EXHIBITION EXPLORING AND EXPOUNDING ON THE ROLE OF BLACK MARINERS IN WHALING HISTORY, HIGHLIGHTING AND BRINGING INTO PERSPECTIVE A SIGNIFICANT BUT LARGELY HIDDEN TIME IN AMERICAN HISTORY FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC. AS THE FIRST INTEGRATED INDUSTRY AND MERITOCRACY IN US HISTORY, THE WHALING INDUSTRY WAS THE LARGEST EMPLOYER OF AFRICAN AMERICANS, WITH ESTIMATES THAT BETWEEN ONE-QUARTER AND ONE-THIRD OF ALL THE AMERICAN WHALING CREWS WERE PEOPLE OF COLOR.] [PURPOSE:'THE PURPOSE OF THIS GRANT IS TO ENABLE THE WHALING MUSEUM IN LONG ISLAND (COLD SPRING HARBOR, NY) TO MAINTAIN ITS EXHIBITION PLAN AND EXECUTE RELATED PROGRAMMING FOCUSED ON THE SIGNIFICANCES OF WHALING IN AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND OF BLACK MARINERS IN WHALING HISTORY. ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: FUNDS WOULD SUPPORT THE RESEARCH, DESIGN, AND INSTALLATION OF A NEW EXHIBIT AND RELATED PUBLIC PROGRAMMING FOCUSED ON THE MANY BLACK MARINERS WHO WORKED IN WHALING AND PLAYED SIGNIFICANT ROLES IN LONG ISLAND'S MARITIME HISTORY. IN ADDITION TO RETAINING FOUR SALARIED STAFF, THE MUSEUM WOULD HIRE FOUR LOCAL SCHOLARS WHOSE WORK CONNECTS LONG ISLAND'S MARITIME AND AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY WITH GLOBAL MARITIME AND WHALING INDUSTRY HISTORY. THE WHALING INDUSTRY WAS THE LARGEST EMPLOYER OF AFRICAN AMERICANS, WITH PERSONS OF COLOR COMPRISING AN ESTIMATED 25-33 PERCENT OF ALL AMERICAN WHALING CREWS. INTENDED BENEFICIARIES: LOCAL AND REGIONAL SCHOOL AUDIENCES AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC WOULD BE THE TARGET AUDIENCES.  SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES:'THE RECIPIENT DOES NOT INTEND TO SUBAWARD FUNDS. ]

THE WHALING MUSEUM AND EDUCATION CENTER WILL CONDUCT ?BIG BONED,? A NEW PROJECT CENTERED ON THE PERMANENT DISPLAY OF A FULL-SIZE WHALE SKELETON. THE PROJECT WILL INCLUDE THE INSTALLATION, MARKETING, AND EVALUATION OF AN EXHIBITION AND PROGRAMMING DESIGNED TO BENEFIT A GENERAL AUDIENCE OF 20,000 INDIVIDUALS ANNUALLY. A MARINE BIOLOGIST WILL OVERSEE THE FABRICATION, TRANSPORTATION, AND INSTALLATION OF THE WHALE SKELETON AND EXHIBITION COMPONENTS. ?BIG BONED? WILL ENHANCE PUBLIC AWARENESS AND APPRECIATION FOR THE KEY ROLE WHALING PLAYED IN THE COUNTRY?S MARITIME HERITAGE, STRENGTHEN UNDERSTANDING OF WHALE BIOLOGY, AND SENSITIZE THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE NEED FOR WHALE CONSERVATION.

THE WHALING MUSEUM IN COLD SPRING HARBOR, NEW YORK, WILL RESEARCH, DESIGN, INSTALL, AND EVALUATE A 2-YEAR EXHIBITION EXPLORING AND EXPOUNDING ON THE ROLE OF BLACK MARINERS IN WHALING HISTORY. THE EXHIBIT WILL HIGHLIGHT AND BRING INTO PERSPECTIVE THE SIGNIFICANT BUT MARGINALIZED EXPERIENCES OF WHALING IN AMERICAN HISTORY. THE EXHIBITION WILL CORRESPOND TO PRESENT-DAY ISSUES, PROMOTE DEMOCRATIC VALUES, HIGHLIGHT NEW RESEARCH ABOUT THE EXPERIENCES AND IMPACT OF LOCAL BLACK WHALERS, AND STRENGTHEN THE VISIBILITY OF BLACK PERSPECTIVES ON LONG ISLAND. GEARED TOWARDS UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS ON LONG ISLAND, PARTICULARLY THOSE OF COLOR, WHO HAVE FACED DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACTS OF THE PANDEMIC, THE PROJECT WILL ENCOURAGE AUDIENCES TO FOSTER NEW CONNECTIONS AND GAIN AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW BLACK SEAMAN PLAYED A ROLE IN THE EVOLUTION OF BLACK COMMUNITIES THROUGH THE AMERICAN LANDSCAPE.

NEW EXHIBITION DESIGN AT THE WHALING MUSEUM [THE WHALING MUSEUM & EDUCATION CENTER RESPECTFULLY REQUESTS AN NEH GRANT AWARD OF $25,000 TO SUPPORT THE REINTERPRETATION OF ITS HUMANITIES-BASED EXHIBITIONS IN A NEW PERMANENT GALLERY FOR THE PUBLIC AS PART OF ITS DESIGN DEVELOPMENT PHASE OF A LARGER PROJECT TIED TO EXHIBIT REINSTALLATION. THIS PROJECT SUPPORTS AN OUTSIDE CONSULTANT TO UPDATE THE MUSEUM?S CURRENT SITE INTERPRETATION ABOUT WHALING HISTORY AND DESIGN A VISITOR-RESPONSIVE, INCLUSIVE, INQUIRY-BASED AND IMPACTFUL EXPERIENCE IN A NEW 1300-SQUARE FOOT PAVILION HOUSING A FULL-SIZE WHALE SKELETON IN LINE WITH THE BEST MUSEUM PRACTICES TODAY.]

PURPOSE: TO SUPPORT STAFF COSTS EXHIBITION AND PROGRAMMING MATERIALS AND ARTIST FEES FOR CINDY ROE AND DENISE WEETAHMOE DENNIS AS PART OF A MULTIMEDIA ARTS WORKSHOP SERIES EXPLORING NATIONAL IDENTITY AND MARITIME HERITAGE.

THE WHALING MUSEUM AND EDUCATION CENTER WILL EXPAND ITS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING TO BENEFIT UNDERSERVED AND HIGH-RISK STUDENTS IN GRADES 2 TO 5, AS WELL AS THEIR TEACHERS AND FAMILIES. THE MUSEUM WILL DEVELOP, IMPLEMENT, MARKET, AND EVALUATE CORE COMPONENTS OF ITS PROGRAMMING TO REACH NEARLY 3,000 STUDENTS AND 50 TEACHERS. MUSEUM EDUCATORS WILL PRESENT HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES IN NEARBY SCHOOLS, USING REAL AND REPLICA ARTIFACTS AND OTHER LEARNING MATERIALS. THEY WILL ALSO DELIVER WORKSHOPS FOR TEACHERS AT THE MUSEUM TO HELP THEM INCORPORATE PRIMARY RESOURCES FROM THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTION INTO THEIR CURRICULA. A FAMILY DAY EVENT WILL SHOWCASE WHAT STUDENTS LEARNED FROM THE IN-CLASS VISIT THROUGH DISPLAYS OF ART PROJECTS AND SCIENCE POSTERS. OTHER PROJECT ACTIVITIES WILL INCLUDE FREE AFTERSCHOOL LIBRARY PROGRAMS EXPLORING STEAM AND HISTORY TOPICS AND AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF SCHOLARSHIPS TO THE MUSEUM'S SUMMER CAMP PROGRAM.

IMPROVING THE STORAGE CONDITIONS FOR THE COLLECTIONS