Vestibules: Stories of Water, Memory, and Resilience
Schedule
Thu Feb 12 2026 at 04:00 pm to 07:00 pm
UTC-05:00Location
18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford, MA, United States, Massachusetts 02740 | New Bedford, MA
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An Interactive Eco-Art Storytelling Experience on AHA! Night, February 12, 2026Co-hosted by the New Bedford Whaling Museum & Vestibules Eco-Art Project
Step into the layered stories of New Bedford’s past, present, and future.
Vestibules: Stories of Water, Memory, and Resilience is an immersive, interactive evening blending live performance, historical interpretation, portraiture, and community storytelling. Moving throughout select galleries of the Museum, participants will encounter costumed historical figures, contemporary artists, and fellow community members as they explore how New Bedford’s maritime, revolutionary, and ecological histories continue to shape our understanding of place, culture, and environmental responsibility today.
Rooted in the city’s 19th-century whaling era—and reaching further back to Indigenous and early colonial histories—this event invites visitors to reflect on how people have understood, depended on, and fought to protect the natural world across generations. Through storytelling, creative expression, and dialogue, Vestibules connects historic voices with present-day conversations about climate resilience, environmental justice, and cultural memory.
The content gathered during the evening—including portraits, oral histories, poetry, and visual responses—will help shape Vestibules, a forthcoming public eco-art installation and community gathering space at Brooklawn Park in New Bedford.
What to Expect
Throughout the evening, guests are free to move through a series of curated “Vestibules”—interactive stations located in Museum galleries and public spaces. Each vestibule offers a unique way to engage with history, ecology, and storytelling.
4:00 PM – Doors Open with Free Museum-wide Admission
Guests are welcomed by costumed historical interpreters and invited into the evening’s narrative.
4:15 PM – Opening Gathering in the Cook Memorial Theater
Welcome remarks and program introduction, followed by a short performance.
4:30–7:00 PM – Vestibule Experiences
Guests explore interactive stations throughout select Museum galleries, engaging in storytelling, performance, portraiture, and dialogue. Vestibules (galleries) include:
Jacobs Family Gallery (Lower Level): Exploring Our Ecosystem: Climate Change, Whales, and Us
Conversations and oral history sharing stations about connections to water and the environment (recording optional)
Live performances and storytelling hosted by environmental artist and activist Tem Blessed
Photobooth with period and contemporary dress props available
Wattles Family Gallery (Lower Level): “Look Pleasant, Please”: Early Portrait Photography in New Bedford.
Meet and greet exhibition curator Marina Dawn Wells, PhD, Assistant Curator of History & Culture
Portrait photography with Andrew Kepinski
Braitmayer Family Galleries (Main Level): Forging Independence | Building a Nation
Join the Write with Community activity (5:00 PM-7:00 PM) on the way into/out of the gallery
7:00–7:45 PM – Closing Circle in the Jacobs Family Gallery (Lower Level)
A celebration and collective reflection on shared histories, hopes for climate resilience, and next steps for the Vestibules project. Lite complimentary refreshments, music, and participatory performances can be expected.
A printed and digital event map will guide visitors to each vestibule.
Historical & Cultural Framework of the Vestibules Eco-Art Project
The Vestibules project centers voices that shaped—and were shaped by—the land and waters of the South Coast, including:
Wampanoag leaders and community members from the Acushnet and Sconticut Neck region
Indigenous and immigrant laborers in the whaling and maritime industries
Abolitionists, inventors, and activists connected to New Bedford’s global influence
The relationship between naturalist Henry David Thoreau and New Bedford Quaker abolitionist Daniel Ricketson, whose correspondence and visits to Brooklawn (1854–1861) inform the project’s ecological lens
Through these narratives, the overarching Vestibules Eco-Art Project examines how colonization, industrialization, and environmental change transformed both human and natural landscapes—and what these transformations can teach us today.
Why Vestibules Matters
Vestibules is both an event and a process—centering community voices as foundational to public art, environmental education, and historical interpretation. The stories and creative responses gathered will inform a permanent eco-art installation at Brooklawn Park, transforming shared memory into a living, public space for reflection and gathering.
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Where is it happening?
18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford, MA, United States, Massachusetts 02740Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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