“A to Z” exhibition opens at The Mariners’ Museum

For Immediate Release

“A to Z” exhibition opens at The Mariners’ Museum

Newport News, Va. - (May 2010) - The Mariners’ Museum’s newest exhibit transforms one of its galleries into a sort of “Museum of the Weird.”

The exhibit, “A to Z – Exploring the Collections of The Mariners’ Museum,” represents the range of the museum’s 35,000 items, while also shining a light on the collection’s more unusual artifacts.

Consider the circa-1860 Sunderland Chamber pot. The chamber pot has a signature ceramic frog in the basin, intended to surprise the uninitiated. There is a 1644 Matchlock rifle, and a 1964 G.I. Joe Action Sailor. There is a World War II kite emblazoned with the image of a Japanese fighter plane, used for target practice by sailors.

At first, the exhibit was intended to highlight the treasures in the collection.

“I switched that up to being something a lot more quirky,” said Marc Nucup, associate curator for The Mariners’ Museum, who selected the items for the exhibit.

“A significant portion of this stuff has never been out before,” Nucup said. “A lot of our non-maritime artifacts never get used.”

The exhibit includes the working model of a 1904 American La France horse-drawn steam engine. The model, which purportedly sprays water 50 feet, is a favorite of the collection. Another favorite is a circa-1901 calliope, a piercing, loud piano-like instrument found most often in circuses. “It attracted attention,” Nucup said of the calliope, taken from the showboat New World V. “It was considered close to a nuisance.”

Also on display is a Cat o’ Nine Tails, a whip that would have been found aboard ships during the Age of Sail, the period from the 16th through mid-19th century, and Wooden Ships & Iron Men, a circa-1975 board game in which players simulate combat by sailing ships.

It was tough to find candidates for the letters Q, X and Z, Nucup said. And an excess of “S” items led to a sink being paired with the letter “H” (hand washing). And ceramic bowls found a home in “S,” for soup.

The exhibit runs through Dec. 31, 2010.

For more information:
Contact: John Warren
(757) 591-7746
E-mail: pr@MarinersMuseum.org   

The Mariners' Museum, an educational, non-profit institution accredited by the American Association of Museums, preserves and interprets maritime history through an international collection of ship models, figureheads, paintings and other maritime artifacts. The museum is open from 10 A.M. until 5 P.M. Wednesday through Saturday, and 12 to 5 P.M. Sunday. It will be closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. For information, visit www.MarinersMuseum.org, call (757) 596-2222 or (800) 581-7245, or write to The Mariners' Museum, 100 Museum Drive, Newport News, VA 23606.

The Mariners' Museum and The South Street Seaport Museum of New York City are partners in America's National Maritime Museum, an innovative alliance recognized by an act of Congress in June 1998 to share collections, exhibitions, educational programs, publications, and other endeavors.