The arts are alive

by Michael J. DeCicco

Close up of An Incident of Whaling by William Bradford

The New Bedford Whaling Museum’s 2021 premiere event, the Moby-Dick Marathon (January 8-10), will be presented virtually this year. But the Museum’s curators are proud to note the rest of its programming is not.

“A City for the Arts: Masterworks of Greater New Bedford” will be the museum’s main ongoing art exhibit, open now through May 2021, said Tina Mallot, director of Marketing and Public Relations.

This exhibit is fairly unique in that it is honoring not only the masterworks and great artists of the city’s past, she said, “but we are also celebrating the vibrant arts community and talented artists of today. It is a living exhibition meaning that it will continue to grow in depth and significance as visitors, artists, and others contribute their responses and reactions to the show.”

The “A City for the Arts” exhibit will couple historic masterworks with contemporary pieces by local living artists, she elaborated. Among the many artists whose work will be displayed include William Bradford, Albert Bierstadt, Clement Nye Swift, Frances Gifford, and Huguette Desault May.

“It will share contemporary artists’ reflections on the master artists of the past,” she explained, “as responses to the masterworks within the exhibition, and commentary on how contemporary artists see their role in the region’s artistic landscape. Meanwhile, local artist Ryan Mcfee is currently working on a mural portrait of a whale and her calf within the exhibition.

It will be found within the Wattles Family fine arts Gallery on the first floor.

The New Bedford Whaling Museum’s “A City for the Arts” exhibit will couple historic masterworks with contemporary pieces by local living artists

“A City for the Arts” aims to celebrate and support local artists - the voices that interpret, explore, and represent the soul of our city,” added Christina Connett Brophy, Ph.D., The Douglas and Cynthia Crocker Endowed Chair for the Chief Curator. “Their work continues to resonate, reverberate, and inspire, as did the work of great artists from the past. Now more than ever, and when we need it most, the arts bring this city together.

“It celebrates the tremendous impact the Greater New Bedford region has had on American fine art through the centuries and continuing today,” Mallot added in the press release announcing the event. It “brings together in one gallery some of the most stunning pieces from the Whaling Museum’s collections, and artworks from private collections,” she said. “These include 19th and 20th century masterworks as well as recently acquired pieces by contemporary local artists.”

The entire exhibition will also be in an online gallery beginning in January, and the museum is encouraging people to contribute responses of their own through the link: videoask.com/fefv9fdyi.

Amanda McMullen, museum President and CEO, acknowledges the facility’s challenges in the era of COVID-19 but sees a bright future in 2021. “As we begin a new year, the New Bedford Whaling Museum is forging ahead with optimism,” she said. “Through the pandemic, we have been challenged just as all others, but we have been successful at pivoting our focus to integrate virtual experiences and continue best serving our community. Though we have endured significant financial losses and are entering into a still uncertain year, we are striving to remain flexible, tenacious, and creative with how we move forward. There are some exciting initiatives coming out of the Museum in 2021 and we will continue to ignite learning through explorations of art, history, science, and culture rooted in the stories of people, the region, and an international seaport.

The New Bedford Whaling Museum is located at 18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford. Call 508-997-0046 for more information.

Community focus

For even more variety, try the New Bedford Art Museum’s exhibit on the works of local artist Pat Coomey Thornton, “Immersion & Interaction: Witnessing the Everyday.” Open until March 7, it is a retrospective featuring a selection of paintings, drawings, and sculptures culled from over thirty-years of Coomey Thornton’s prolific career.

“Pat Coomey Thornton’s ability to translate her everyday experiences as an artist, a daughter, and a mother onto an abstract picture plane is matched only by the intensity she brings to each artwork,” the exhibit’s press release notes. “The works in Immersion & Interaction: Witnessing the Everyday do not blatantly illustrate the artist’s life, but rather reflect the relentless activity, intentionality, and colorful energy Pat Coomey Thornton offers the world. This exhibition is a celebration of her works and a testament to the talent that continues to come out of the SouthCoast.”

The New Bedford Art Museum is also featuring the works of its current Community Artist in Residence, Dawn Spears. A Native American artist (Narragansett/ Chocktaw) Spears is a doll maker, photographer, and multimedia artist, who uses cultural symbolism and the vibrant colors of our natural world as inspiration for her work.

The New Bedford Art Museum is also featuring the works of its current Community Artist in Residence, Dawn Spears.

Additionally, until March 28, you can view “Excellence In Fibers VI,” a free online exhibition showcasing an outstanding 52-piece selection of textile artwork from over 1,100 entries. The 113 high-resolution images can be found at newbedfordart.org/fibers.

When visiting in person, the New Bedford Art Museum’s timed ticket entry system is the key to keeping the museum safe for COVID-era visitors in 2021. Patrons are asked to reserve a time slot online or by telephone to allow in a maximum of twelve people every hour. Visitors can call (508) 961-3072, or go to newbedfordart.org. Same-day tickets may be purchased online or by phone during gallery hours up to thirty minutes before the museum closes.

The New Bedford Art Museum is located at 608 Pleasant Street, at the intersection of Pleasant and William Streets. Its new hours are Thursday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.