Spotlight Exhibition
Opening September 2012
Continuing exhibition series that explores the scope of the museum's wonderful collection. Seldom seen objects and oral histories chosen by the curators for an in-depth look. Visitors will see these objects which are individually compelling but without an over-arching narrative theme. Objects will be frequently rotated through the gallery, giving visitors the opportunity to see something new on every visit to the Museum.
Check back for more information about Spotlight 2012.
Spotlight 2011 - now closed
A Letter from John Hancock
In 1769, Hancock wrote to James Athearn of Tisbury offering 170 pounds for the best whale oil. This fragile document from our archives is rarely exhibited.
Capoeira
From our ongoing oral history project recording the voices and histories of Martha's Vineyard's Brazilian community, we present written and audio reflections in both English and Portuguese. We feature the costume and history of capoeira, the Brazilian art form that mixes music, dance, and martial arts as described by one of its practitioners.
A Recent Acquisition
View of Menemsha by William Lathrop is exhibited at the museum for the first time. This painting shows Menemsha Harbor in 1931, seven years before the devastating hurricane that changed the face of the village and took the artist's life.
An Altar
The painted altar from Oak Bluffs' Bradley Memorial Church was last used in the 1950s, but it serves as a reminder of the first church on Martha's Vineyard to serve both the Island's African American and immigrant populations. The museum is the repository for the church's archives and many of its artifacts.
A Mystery Object
In 1962, one of the Island's most famous artists made it. Last year it was donated to the museum.