Ahead Full at Fifty: 50 Years of Collecting at Maine Maritime Museum

Exhibit opens November 10

Bath, Maine - An exhibit of more than 150 artifacts and documents collected by Maine Maritime Museum over the past half century marks the culminating event of the Museum’s 50th anniversary celebration.

           
Ahead Full at Fifty: 50 Years of Collecting at Maine Maritime Museum opens November 10 and will be on view through May 26, 2013. The exhibit will showcase objects that are historically important, rare in beauty, or have an unusual story about how the Museum acquired them.
           
“We’re really excited about mounting this exhibit because it affords us the opportunity to show the breadth and depth of our collection,” says Nathan Lipfert, senior curator.  “Most of our short run exhibits use some borrowed or on-loan objects from other sources to tell the story. This one is all Maine Maritime Museum items. As our curator of exhibits says, ‘We get to strut our stuff’.”
           
The exhibit will be curated by Museum Trustee Emeritus Charles E. Burden, with assistance from the entire curatorial staff.  Burden is one of the founding members of the Museum and has been an active and involved supporter since 1964.  A number of the objects in Ahead Full at Fifty were either donated by Burden or acquired by the Museum through his efforts.
           
An exhibit catalog, titled Maine & the Sea: 50 Years of Collecting at Maine Maritime Museum, has been published. All the objects in the exhibit will be pictured in the catalog in chronological order of their acquisition by the Museum, along with the story of how the Museum came in possession of the object or document. This narrative presents the story of how a Museum’s collection is built over decades through donations, planned purchases and sheer serendipity.  The limited-run soft-cover book will be available at the Museum store or online through the Museum website.                                     

Maine Maritime Museum
Maine Maritime Museum is an independent, nonprofit institution dedicated to promoting an understanding and appreciation of Maine’s maritime heritage through gallery exhibits, an historic shipyard, educational programs, a research Library, and narrated excursions along area waterways.  Founded in 1962, the Museum is nestled along Kennebec River in Bath, “The City of Ships” and provides a unique experience to visitors of all ages from around the world. Visit www.mainemaritimemuseum.org for more information.