We welcome NYSCA panelists to get a visual taste of our programs, activities, and exhibitions.
Sample Exhibitions
"Shinnecock Artists: Long Island's First Whalers" celebrates the deep cultural significance of whales for the Shinnecock people.
- View the online exhibit, which includes informational content along with visual components.
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Sample Public Programming
"Build a Boat" workshop is a popular drop-in program for adult sand children.
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"Sailing to Freedom" on Juneteenth dives into stories of triumph and perseverance in the stories of African American whalers.
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"Virtual Artist Talk with Jeremy Dennis." Dennis discussed his body of photography exploring his Shinnecock heritage.
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Museum Visits
Below are photos of local youth exploring the museum through activities included with admission.
Museum Scavenger Hunt
Visitors use this scavenger hunt to explore the museum.
Learning through Play in the "If I Were a Whaler" Exhibit
In this interactive exhibit, our youngest guests can imagine what it was like being a whaler and shopping for supplies in the general store. Visitors can also explore artifacts and museum signage here about preparing for a voyage.
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Seasonal Crafts
The museum workshop is open with seasonal crafts for visitors. This picture shows two children engaged in our "Stars & Stripes" crafts that were set up for the July 4th holiday.
Seasonal Scavenger Hunts
Two young visitors are using the code they uncovered in the museum's seasonal scavenger hunt, "Scrimshaw Detectives." When they open the chest they will find the craft items they need to make their own scrimshaw.
The museum offers a different scavenger hunt and craft every season. |
"Silhouette Station" in the museum's gallery
Visitor drawing her sibling's silhouette. This station highlights the art of silhouette portraits which was popular in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Free Crafts for Museum Visitors Daily
Self-Serve materials are provided in the workshop.
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Samples: Art-Based Workshops at the Museum
Quilling Art workshops for adults, as part of our monthly craft workshop series Fall-Spring.
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Museum educators taught about the cultural background of wampum beads and its importance to Indigenous Long Islanders. Attendees of the workshop created their own wampum style beaded accessory.
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Decoupage art on oyster shells to create trinket trays in an adult craft workshop.
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Finding clues in a gallery hunt!
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Creating scrimshaw art keychains using nautical designs.
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Learning about tattoo art popularized by mariners, and getting inked up with airbrush tattoos!
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Every Friday in July, adults and kids design "Luminous Lighthouses."
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Visitors learned about arctic whales and blubber in this drop in snowglobe workshop. Participants created a wintry whale scene using clay glitter and other materials.
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Sea Glass Ornament workshop.
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Artistic inspiration from 1970's "Save the whales" ephemera
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Kids examine depictions of sea monsters in Pokemon art, and design their own characters.
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Lecture in the museum gallery about historic glass colors.
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Adult attendee showing off her completed Sailor's Valentine, a historic seashell mosaic.
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Critical thinking in a team in our Maritime Mysteries program for grades 3-7!
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In our winter candledipping workshops, participants learn about the history of whale candles. They receive three wicks and choose between 3 primary colors to hand-dip their own ombre wax candles. They then use seashells to design a candleholder.
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Walking Tours
Historic Walking Tour
Educators bring both locals and visitors from afar into the historic district of Cold Spring Harbor and explore its time as a 19th century whaling village.
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Women's History Walking Tour
Museum Docent is about to take visitors on a historic walking tour through town that focuses on the stories of 19th century whaling wives.
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Harbor Haunts Walking Tour
In these seasonally themed tours, visitors explore Cold Spring Harbor’s history as well as tales about ghost ships and 'witches chimneys'.
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Attendees listen to live sea shanties (maritime work music) performed by The Royal Yard.
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Joan Lowenthal tells about the "Nantucket Sleigh Ride" in this whale boat tour.
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Short Term Traveling Exhibit - "Sea This Glass"
This short term exhibit was created as a traveling display in Long island libraries, such as Huntington Public Library in Suffolk County and North Bellmore Public Library in Nassau County. The exhibit invites the public to celebrate the museum's cultural connections to sea glass and glass art. This exhibit also promotes the museum's "Suffolk County Sea Glass Festival."
Glass bottles on display in a variety of colors and shapes.
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Oil lamps from the museum's collection on display as well as a prints.
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Glass inkwells and maritime folk art show other items from the museum's collection.
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Camp Examples
Huntington Adventure Camp is a new cross-disciplinary collaboration with 3 other local cultural institutions; Heckscher Museum of Art, Huntington Historical Society, and Vanderbilt Museum & Planetarium. The below photos are from the camp day at The Whaling Museum.
Camper practices the folk art of "scrimshaw" by carving a design into her box with a pick wick.
Campers exploring artifacts.
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Campers learn through play while exploring the "If I Were a Whaler" exhibit.
Camper's learning through play on the ship's wheel.
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Campers view and touch the museum's biofacts to learn more about them.
Camper trying out the look out hoops where whaler's would watch for whales just like the picture shows behind the hoops.
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Ocean Science Camp
Campers express their newfound knowledge through a variety of art projects.
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Global Adventure Camp
Taking inspiration from how whalers were global explorers, campers 'visit' a different country each day and create themed crafts depending on the region.
Ocean Olympics! (Toilet paper tubes dipped in paint make perfect rings!)
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Field trip to Preservation Long Island's art gallery
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The museum's new Ship in a Bottle display (recent acquisition)
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Other Programming: Schools, Scouts, Museum-to-You
Schools
Virtual Whales & Whalers Program
Students show their completed scrimshaw after learning about whalers and whaling through this virtual classroom program.
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In-Person Whales & Whaling School Program
Here, a 4th grader explore a woman's curling iron from the 19th century. |
Outreach Programs - "Museum-to-You"
Educators travel far and wide to bring programs to children, teen and adults. All programs incorporate items from the Museum's collection, and culminate in an art-based activity.
Piratology Workshop at Sachem Public Library
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Nautical Knot-tying workshop at the Huntington Station Library
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Shell-ebration Program for Tweens & Teens at the Kings Park Library
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Scout Programs
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