Highlights of 2022

804 scholars served in the library reading room

2,017 member households/ businesses

273% increase in K-12 students served by Museum programs vs. 2021

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18,306 participants attended our virtual and in-person public programs

70,592 Total visitors in 2022 rotating exhibitions made their debut

100% of senior apprentices graduated from high school and were accepted to four-year institutions

25 members traveled to the Azores for our first members’ trip since 2019

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High School Apprentices participated in story collection for the Museum’s oral history project, Common Ground

Message From The Board Chair

Dear Friends,

As the pandemic eased in 2022, the New Bedford Whaling Museum reemerged as the most significant leader of art, history, science and culture in the Greater New Bedford community.

Building on Common Ground, our multi-year effort to collect and preserve first-person accounts from the people of Greater New Bedford, the Whaling Museum brought community voices to life with a dynamic exhibition. This one is pretty special to me. Our community is vibrant, diverse, and engaged in both the past and the future That the Museum launched a collaborative program to capture our voices and co-curate this effort in partnership with our community marks an intentional, critical and important shift in our work.

In fact, 2022 was a year that displayed our deliberate steps in fulfilling the strategic priorities to Welcome, Engage, Steward, and Thrive. Increasing access, curating inclusive narratives, and collecting with the purpose of expanding representation, these are all hallmarks of our and your museum— invigorated by our strength emerging from years of uncertainty and driven with renewed purpose to develop a Museum for All. Highlights to our commitment can be seen on these pages and on the pages of Vistas: A Journal of Art, History, Science and Culture, a new biannual publication launched in 2022.

As Board Chair, I am proud that more than 26% of our in-person visitors last year were New Bedford residents and even more pleased that this is an 8% increase over 2021. We also doubled down on our efforts to raise funds to support free and reduced admissions. I celebrate and thank those funders that allowed us to grow that investment and enabled increased participation in the Museum and our programming which resulted in 29% of our museumgoers benefiting from our more than 20 free and reduced-admission programs.

Thank you for being part of this remarkable Chair, Board of Trustees

Dear Friends, What a year!

In 2022, the New Bedford Whaling Museum stood tall and opened our doors wide. Welcoming more than 70,000 in our galleries, this mighty museum offered 51 public programs, conserved 95 artifacts, and served more than 800 scholars in our reading room and around the world. Amazingly, our visitation growth marks a 36% increase over 2021. We also reached thousands of students beyond our walls through our science programs—dissecting squids in classrooms all year long and bringing our 41-foot inflatable whale on the road to ignite learning for kids of all ages.

A priority for the year included tackling a soul-searching examination of our physical spaces and thoughtfully mapping out campus opportunities for decades to come The 11-month process sought broad input with more than 300 participating in our community survey and public forum. Central to our planning is the Museum’s newest property at 11 William Street. Directly adjacent to our front entrance, this property was purchased in 2021 and with deep appreciation to 19 donors, this acquisition was fully funded and debt-free.

Welcoming more than 70,000 in our galleries, this mighty museum offered 51 public programs, conserved 95 artifacts, and served more than 800 scholars in our reading room and around the world.

The opening of our major exhibition Re/Framing the View: Nineteenth Century American Landscapes offered an unparalleled examination of works by artists of this genre. Diving below the surface, Re/Framing also explored the presence and absence of Women artists, Artists of Color and Native people. Given that many scenes depicted landscape now lost, this show also gave deep consideration to environmental impact.

The year was, perhaps, most profoundly transformed by the gift from Nancy and Jack Braitmayer. Inspired to help NBWM reach new audiences and purposefully embrace this digital moment, Nancy and Jack’s $1M gift propelled us forward. Our fully renovated theater with a state-of-the-art projector, sound system and daily film offerings in 3D is now open! Debuting soon will be a multiplayer kiosk that lets you experience life on a whaleship. Unbelievably, their support also has allowed the Museum to commence a full upgrade of our collections management system. While this herculean effort will take several years to complete, the outcome will be a sophisticated cataloging system with robust search capabilities and virtual open access.

Our extraordinary staff, trustees and volunteers helped us create engaging moments for many and I am grateful for their dedication. It is, however, all because of our members that we are able to do what we do. Your continued enthusiasm and support make everything we do possible. Thank you!