May 21, 2021 โ The following was released by the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center:
Due to circumstances beyond our control, our Virtual Dock-u-mentaries program that was scheduled for tonight, Friday, May 21st has been postponed. We apologize for this last minute change. Please stay tuned for an updated date for this program. Thank you for your understanding!
Please contact programs@fishingheritagecenter.org with any questions.
April 28, 2021 โ As parts of our communities begin to reopen, the fishing industry is a reminder that essential services never stopped running in the year since businesses and even public services in the United States began to shutter their doors.
The crown jewel of Massachusettsโ fishing industry, New Bedfordโs history is inexorably tied to its working waterfront. This month, the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center will reopen to the public with a new exhibit โ More than a Job: Work and Community in New Bedfordโs Fishing Industry.
โFishing industry workers often describe what they do as โmore than a job,โโ said Laura Orleans, the centerโs executive director. โWe are excited to share our new permanent exhibit with the public, giving visitors a chance to hear directly from the fishing community by sharing dozens of audio clips from oral histories conducted over the past two decades. We are grateful to many in the industry for supporting the project and for sharing their stories, skills, time, and knowledge.โ
April 15, 2021 โ Just a few minutes from the cityโs waterfront sits a collection of films, photos, audio recordings and artifacts that tell the story of an industry not often seen firsthand by the general public: the fishing industry.
After closing in December, the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center reopens this Thursday with its new exhibit, โMore than a Job: Work and Community in New Bedfordโs Commercial Fishing Industry.โ The center describes it as an โintroductionโ to New Bedfordโs preeminent industry.
โThe nationโs most valuable port has long deserved an institution dedicated to telling its story,โ said Laura Orleans, executive director of the center. โThe Fishing Heritage Center fills that void.โ
The exhibit explores the industry in New Bedford beginning in the 1900s by considering sustainability, labor unions, diversity, family, community and the โAmerican dream.โ It illustrates what the industry does and represents through the voices and stories of those in it, Orleans said.
April 12, 2021 โ Restrictions are slowly being lifted and more COVID-19 vaccine is becoming available, and the people running the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center are hopeful theyโll be welcoming more visitors this spring and summer to their 38 Bethel Street location.
When those visitors arrive, they can enjoy a new exhibit about New Bedford and its fishing industry.
The Centerโs Executive Director, Laura Orleans joins Townsquare Sunday to discuss the new exhibit, entitled โMore Than A Job: Work and Community in New Bedfordโs Commercial Fishing Industry.โ
The exhibit attempts to explain the culture of New Bedford and its connection to one of the worldโs most dangerous professions.
April 7, 2021 โ The following was released by the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center
Tune in to the Centerโs Facebook page for a virtual event featuring female fisherpoets from around the country! These women will share stories, poems, and music related to their experiences in the fishing industry and community. This event will be led by Moe Bowstern and will feature Tele Aadsen, Meezie Hermansen, Kat Murphy, Alana Kansaku-Sarmientos, Billie Delaney, and Melanie Brown plus others to be announced! For more information on the performers, click here.
This event will take place on the Fishing Heritage Centerโs Facebook page as a Facebook Live event. You can watch by visiting the Centerโs Facebook page at 7:00pm EDT on Thursday, April 8th.
Women in the Workplace, Women on Deck is supported by a Bridge Street Scholarship from Mass Humanities. This program is part of Womenโs Work, the Centerโs series about womenโs roles in commercial fishing, which is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Womenโs Fisheries Network, Mass Cultural Council, and the New Bedford, Fairhaven, Dartmouth, Westport, Marion, and Mattapoisett Cultural Councils. The program takes place on Aprilโs AHA! Night and is free and open to the public.
April 5, 2021 โ The following was released by the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center:
New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center will reopen to the public and launch its new exhibit, More than a Job: Work and Community in New Bedfordโs Fishing Industry, on Thursday, April 15th.
More than a Job: Work and Community in New Bedfordโs Fishing Industry will provide visitors with an introduction to the workings of the fishing industry as well as explore themes including labor history, immigration, sustainability, and the changing nature of work and community. This exhibit will feature a replica working deck, scallop dredge, galley table, bunks, historic and contemporary images and footage, and more than sixty audio clips sharing the many voices of the fishing community.
Funding for More than a Job: Work and Community in New Bedfordโs Fishing Industry is provided by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and significant support from Bristol County Savings Bank. Major in-kind support for this exhibit was provided by Fairhaven Shipyard and Blue Fleet Welding.
Located in the nationโs most valuable fishing port, New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center is dedicated to preserving and presenting the story of the commercial fishing industry past, present, and future through exhibits, programs, and archives. Beginning April 15th, the Center is open Thursday-Sunday, 10:00am-4:00pm. Admission is free. To schedule a small group tour of the new exhibit or to learn more about the exhibit, contact
programs@fishingheritagecenter.org or call (508) 993-8894.
April 2, 2021 โ The following was released by the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center:
New Bedford Fishing Heritage Centerโs Dock-u-mentaries film series continues with a virtual discussion of the film, The Long Coast.
The event will take place over ZOOM at 7:00pm on Friday, April 16th and will feature a discussion with Robyn Metcalfe, the Executive Producer of The Long Coast. To join the ZOOM Meeting, use the link, bit.ly/AprilDock.
Visitors are asked to watch the film on their own as we will not be screening the film during the Zoom meeting. Register at the following link to receive access to watch the film, bit.ly/WatchLongCoast. Register by April 15th to receive access before the discussion on April 16th. Once you receive the link, you will have 48 hours to watch the film.
In a series of lyrical portraits, The Long Coast illuminates the stories of Maineโs seafolk, those whose lives and livelihoods are inextricably connected to the ocean. This atmospheric film shows the beauty, intimacy, and uncertainty that coastal dwellers face in rooting their lives in the ocean, particularly as human actions โ from overfishing, to aquaculture, to warming seas โ confront Maine and its people with profound change. Learn more at thelongcoast.me.
Please contact Hannah at programs@fishingheritagecenter.org with any questions.
Dock-u-mentaries are presented by New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center and New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park. Thank you to Zapalac Advisors for funding this event.
March 30, 2021 โ The following was released by the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center:
New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center will host a virtual event, Women in the Workplace, Women on Deck: A Fisherpoets Round Robin, on Thursday, April 8th at 7:00pm. This event will be live-streamed to the Centerโs Facebook page. These fisherpoets will share stories, poems, and music related to their experiences in the fishing industry and community. This event will be led by Moe Bowstern and will feature Tele Aadsen, Meezie Hermansen, Alana Kansaku-Sarmiento, Meghan Gervais, Billie Delaney, and Melanie Brown plus others to be announced. For more details on this event including performer bios, please visit the Centerโs online calendar at fishingheritagecenter.org/programs/calendar.
This event takes place on the Fishing Heritage Centerโs Facebook page as a Facebook Live event. Watch by visiting the Centerโs Facebook page at 7:00pm EDT on Thursday, March 8th, facebook.com/NBFishingHeritageCenter.
Women in the Workplace, Women on Deck: A Fisherpoets Round Robin is supported by a Bridge Street Scholarship from Mass Humanities. This program is part of Womenโs Work, the Centerโs series about womenโs roles in commercial fishing which is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Womenโs Fisheries Network, Mass Cultural Council, and the New Bedford, Fairhaven, Dartmouth, Westport, and Mattapoisett Cultural Councils.
The program takes place on Aprilโs AHA! Night and is free and open to the public.
March 10, 2021 โ Years before the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center was established, the cityโs annual two-day Working Waterfront Festival in 2007 focused on women and their role in the commercial fishing industry.
Laura Orleans, executive director of the center who was involved in the festival planning, said a man on the planning committee had asked if the festival would be all about fishermenโs wives, as that was what he thought about women in the industry.
Women who are married to fishermen serve an important role, but they have many other roles, Orleans said. They own and captain boats, process fish, study fisheries as scientists, make fishing gear, do the bookkeeping, serve as observers for fisheries management and act as some of the strongest advocates for the industry.
This reality will be the focus of the centerโs new project, โWomenโs Work: At Sea, On Shore, At Home, In the Community.โ Programming starts this month and will culminate in a new exhibit on women scheduled to open late this summer.
February 26, 2021 โ The following was released by the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center:
New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center launches its new project, Womenโs Work: At Sea, On Shore, At Home, In the Community, this March with two public programs. This project will shine a light on the many roles women play in commercial fishing communities.
On Thursday, March 11th at 7:00pm the Center will host a virtual concert and presentation, Women and the Sea by musician Debra Cowan. This program offers an engaging and informative look at the often overlooked and varied roles and experiences of women and the sea through the lens of Maritime songs and ballads. Debra emphasizes that women can overcome adversity and in some of these songs and stories, take charge and win the day. The program will be live-streamed on the Centerโs Facebook page, facebook.com/NBFishingHeritageCenter. This program is free and open to the public.
On Friday, March 19th, the Centerโs Virtual Dock-u-mentaries series continues with a screening of the film, Women in the Fishing Industry in Point Judith by filmmaker Markham Starr. As with other traditional industries throughout the country, tightening labor markets and a dwindling supply of men willing to commit to heavy work has created opportunities for women. This film follows a handful of women now working in the industry through a typical day on deck or on the factory floor. This film is part of a larger series documenting the commercial fishery in Point Judith for the Library of Congress. Filmmaker Markham Starr will speak about the film and answer any audience questions. Join the ZOOM Meeting at bit.ly/March2021Dock. Dock-u-mentaries are presented by New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center and New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park. The program is free and open to the public.
Learn more about these programs on the Centerโs online calendar, fishingheritagecenter.org/programs/calendar.
Womenโs Work: At Sea, On Shore, At Home, In the Community is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Womenโs Fisheries Network, the Mass Cultural Council, and the Westport and Mattapoisett Cultural Councils.
Womenโs Work will use the arts of photography, film, music, poetry, and storytelling to highlight the often-untold stories of women in commercial fishing communities. From March through December 2021, public programs and an exhibit will engage visitors in exploring the lives, skills, and experiences of women who work in the fishing industry as well as those who are connected through family. The Center will partner with Our Sisters School, Greater New Bedford Vocational Technical High School, Global Learning Charter Public High School, and the YWCA to engage young people in this project.
Please contact programs@fishingheritagecenter.org with any questions.
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