Exhibits

Rotating Exhibits

The Art of the Catboat

March 12th - July 6th

The Catboat, an elegant display of craftsmanship and beauty, exemplifies the spirit of the American boat design. Joseph Keveney caught this spirit when he built three Catboat models from 1936-1942. Fortunately, his family has generously loaned his boat models to the Cape Cod Maritime Museum, thus becoming the catalyst for our new rotating exhibit, “The Art of the Catboat.” We invited Cape Cod artists to share a variety of unique perspectives, inspired by the Catboat, to display their artwork at the museum’s newest exhibit, scheduled to open for a “sneak peak” during the school vacation week of February 18th-22nd. The full exhibit opens during Cape Cod Maritime Museum’s 2013 season opening on March 12th and runs through July 6th.

Risky Business: Rum Running on Cape Cod

July 10th - December 15th

Primary Exhibits

Making Waves: Maritime Ventures on Cape Cod

Encompassing five centuries, Making Waves: Maritime Ventures on Cape Cod narrates the Cape’s work on the water with iconic imagery, artifacts, and biographies. The exhibit is a story of Cape Cod’s ocean stewards—their risky business on the high seas and along the coast, and their livelihood from Nantucket Sound, Cape Cod Bay, and the waters of the Outer Cape.

Making Waves presents an array of artifacts from nearly 400 years of Cape Cod maritime ventures, including a Cape-featured colonial-era mariner’s chart, visions of 19th century fishing and whaling, museum interior traditional Wampanoag fish harvesting implements, early 20th century resort & recreation photographs, exquisite local model ships, and natural history relics. Featured on loan from Pilgrim Hall Museum are the only surviving remains of a 17th century trans-Atlantic vessel, the Sparrow-Hawk, which wrecked on the outer beach of Cape Cod in 1626.

The exhibit tells a story from descriptions of the Cape’s pre-colonial masters of the sea to a photographic essay of 20th century resort life and contemporary coastal commerce. It encapsulates Cape Cod Maritime Museum’s mission to preserve maritime heritage, by describing the “unwavering bond” that the Cape’s residents have experienced between them and the sea. Making Waves is an educational celebration of Cape Cod’s maritime ventures, and the ocean stewards that have persevered from its bounty.

Cook Boat Shop

Witness boat builders in action using both traditional and modern methods in boat building and restoration, or join in and learn first-hand through our internships, volunteer programs, educational classes and apprenticeships.

Please visit our Cook Boat Shop page for details our Boat Shop hours and on classes offered. Some of our classes include: Half Model Making, Spar Making, Lofting, Intro to Boat Building.

Climb Aboard Park and Preservation Boat Shed

An extension of our boat shop, the Preservation Boat shed houses boat building activities, traditional craft in our collection and our Catboat Sarah in the winter. Climb Aboard our 28 ft boat built especially for kids. Set in our park with picnic tables for a fun filled day on the waterfront.

Please visit our Special Projects page to learn more about our exciting projects.