With artifacts ranging from gilded eagles to a silver lifesaving medal, a tugboat’s steam engine, to an intimate scene of crab pickers, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s 50th anniversary exhibition, A Broad Reach: 50 Years of Collecting will close to the public on March 26, 2017.
A Broad Reach opened on May 23, 2015, with the purpose of featuring 50 objects in CBMM’s collection with the richest stories to tell, from a humble fire axe to marine art—chosen from more than 68,000 objects in total. Some are arresting, some are transcendent—all explore the Chesapeake and its rapidly changing environment and culture. Others represent bygone Chesapeake trades that have all but disappeared in recent years.
“The public’s response to this exhibition has been outstanding,” said CBMM’s Chief Curator Pete Lesher. “It’s a rare opportunity to see such outstanding highlights from our collection, and this winter gives a great opportunity to visit us and take it all in, before we put our white gloves back on and meticulously store them all away. Winter is also the best time to visit the boatyard, especially with the Edna E. Lockwood log hull restoration now in full swing.”
A Broad Reach is made possible through the generous support of CBMM donors and 50th anniversary corporate partners, including PNC Financial Services Group, American Cruise Lines, Benson & Mangold, Chesapeake Shipbuilding, Easton Utilities, Fairfield Inn & Suites Easton, Goetze’s Candy, Graul’s Market, Guilford & Company, Hambleton Inn, Hawthorn–PNC Family Wealth, Higgins & Spencer, Patriot Cruises, Maryland State Arts Council, Tidewater Inn, and The Vane Brothers Company. CBMM’s 50th anniversary partners include the Academy for Lifelong Learning, St. Michaels Art League, and Christmas in St. Michaels.
A Broad Reach is accompanied by a commemorative catalogue and online exhibition at abroadreach.cbmm.org. Both feature images and interpretive text of the objects in the exhibition, many of which were photographed by noted Chesapeake photographer David Harp. Limited-edition catalogues are available for purchase at the Museum Store and online at shop.cbmm.org, with proceeds benefiting the children and adults served by CBMM’s educational programs.
The exhibition is free for CBMM members and with general two-day admission. Situated on 18 waterfront acres with 12 exhibition buildings, CBMM is open daily except when Talbot County Public Schools are closed due to inclement weather.
Established in 1965, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is a world-class maritime museum dedicated to preserving and exploring the history, environment, and people of the entire Chesapeake Bay, with the values of relevancy, authenticity, and stewardship guiding its mission. Serving more than 75,000 guests each year, CBMM’s campus includes a floating fleet of historic boats and 12 exhibition buildings, situated in a park-like, waterfront setting along the Miles River and St Michaels harbor. Charitable gifts to the museum’s Annual Fund enable CBMM to educate and inspire the next generation of Chesapeake Bay stewards, and can be made online at cbmm.org/donate.
From now through 2018, CBMM guests can experience the log-hull restoration of the 1889 bugeye, Edna E. Lockwood, with all work done in full public view and more information at ednalockwood.org. For more information about CBMM, visit cbmm.org.
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