nysca

We invite NYSCA panelists to explore this visual showcase of our programs, activities, and exhibitions, designed to complement the photographs provided in our Supporting Documents.

Drone Video of Building and Gallery Space

Sample Exhibitions

First-person accounts of the whaling wives' experiences

Dress-up corner

Tournament-style activity in "Monsters and Mermaids" special exhibit

Visitors explore the collection with a themed scavenger hunt

Previous Special Exhibit, which explored the history of black whalers

Previous special exhibit, "Heroines at the Helm" - here, a Silhouette Art activity

Two young visitors are unlocking a chest using the code they uncovered in "Scrimshaw Detectives."

Sample Signature Arts Programming

Designing a vessel in "Build a Boat"

A craft born on the high seas: visitors follow in the footsteps of 19th-century sailors, mastering intricate knot-tying techniques to create hand-woven rope coasters

"Sailing to Freedom" on Juneteenth dives into stories of triumph and perseverance in the stories of African American whalers.

Creating shadow box artwork

Designing a mythical backdrop to a board-game craft, inspired by mythology in our special exhibit

Meeting local glass artists and artisans at the Sea Glass Festival (sea glass is ocean-polished glass gems)

Educator Meredith displays folk art etchings on a walrus tusk

Bingo! Found it!

"Superheroes of the Sea" - create your own superhero!

For Halloween, the whole museum is transformed into a victorian "Boo-seum!"

The museum director getting ready to host an online version of Trivia Night!

Decoupage art on oyster shells to create trinket trays in the monthly "Crafts and Cocktails."

Museum presentation in collaborative nearby space, enabling the museum to increase its audience

During our 'Museum After Dark' October event, visitors step into a luminous underworld, creating striking blacklight-activated artwork

Nothing is more stylish than wearing Squid Art on your head

Using clay to create mythic sea creatures, inspired by our special exhibit

Learning about indigenous whalers and creating wampum-inspired art

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.

Learning about tattoo art popularized by mariners, and getting inked up with airbrush tattoos!

Exploring the history of whale candles, and trying a candle-dipping activity

A teen visitor works with multi-media artist Bri Sander to create artwork out of marine debris

Scrimshaw art-carving

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.

Did you know humpback whales use bubble nets to hunt? Here, participants create whale-inspired bubble art

An art history presentation analyzing the technical origins of glass color and its relationship to beach-combed sea glass.

Dot-dot-dash... from ship to shore! Long before texting, sailors used signals to talk across the waves. Here, visitors craft their own custom Morse code jewelry.

Sample artwork: decoupage art shells

Visitors dive into the history of whaling ship logbook stamps, carving their own unique designs into linoleum blocks to print custom wrapping paper.

Monthly "Beyond the Book" club, which is a collections-based program exploring a new book every month - in partnership with three local libraries

In "Toys, Toys, Toys," visitors learn about historic toys on a whaleship, see whalebone dominoes, and create their own ball-and-cup toss toy.

A comparative workshop of indigenous and early American folk craft, analyzing the forms of traditional corn husk and whalebone figures

A fiber arts workshop focusing on traditional maritime knotting techniques applied to figurative keychain design of Mermaid Tails

Exploring museum artifacts close up, such as a Deck Prism

Museum Camp attendees analyzing local decorative arts and material history during an off-site gallery visit

A performance piece reviving "sea shanties" - traditional maritime work music sung by mariners.

With inspiration from 1600's Delft Tile artwork of sea monsters, adults create their own ceramic artwork

Sample artwork: visitors etch intricate maritime designs into metallic foil

Kids examine depictions of sea monsters in Pokemon art, and design their own characters.

Museum staff are proud to present at regional conferences

Families work side-by-side to sculpt metallic wire around sea glass, transforming raw materials into elegant nautical jewelry

Playing "Human Battleship" across a divider with water balloons!

Monster Magnets - inspired by sea monsters in "Monsters and Mermaids" exhibit

An interactive studio session exploring the decorative application of locally sourced shells into ornaments.

Elementary-age students learn about the history of ship cats and create their own wearable "kitty" complete with accessories

Coiling paper into intricate sea-inspired spirals, visitors try their hand at the historical folk art of quilling

Ocean light zones rendered in origami artwork.

Walking Tours

Historic District Walking Tour - Main Street

Educators leading a public walking tour for both locals and cultural tourists to explore the material culture and historical landscape of Cold Spring Harbor's whaling era as the quintessential American whaling village.

Women's History Walking Tour

Tracing women's social history: A public walking tour examining the lives of Cold Spring Harbor’s 19th-century whaling wives and the experiences of local women in that era.

"Harbor Haunts" Walking Tour

A seasonal public walking tour investigating regional maritime myths, ghost ship legends, and unique vernacular architecture like 'witches chimneys' highlighting local folklore.

School Programs

Stepping into the boots of a 19th-century sailor, a student handles authentic artifacts to uncover the daily realities of life on the open ocean.

In this virtual program, students show their completed scrimshaw art to the camera

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.