The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum has just released the commemorative catalogue and online exhibition of A Broad Reach: 50 Years of Collecting. Featuring 50 significant objects that have been accessioned into the museum’s collection over the past 50 years, the physical exhibition is presented on both floors of the museum’s Steamboat Building, and continues through February 28, 2016.
The online exhibition—at www.abroadreach.cbmm.org—includes images with interpretive text of the 50 objects in the exhibition, many of which were photographed by noted Chesapeake photographer David Harp.
“We are grateful to David Harp for his excellent photographs,” said CBMM President Kristen Greenaway. “David is a lifelong Marylander and well-known for his works capturing the people, flora, and fauna of the Chesapeake Bay region.”
“CBMM is the repository for the maritime history of the entire Chesapeake Bay,” commented Harp. “It’s a great museum. And to be able to pick through some of the best stuff—the best paintings, objects and figureheads—and photographing them was great fun. I loved working on this project.”
The works featured in the exhibition and its catalogue range from gilded eagles to a sailmaker’s sewing machine, a log-built bugeye to an intimate scene of crabpickers, A Broad Reach opened to the public on Saturday, May 23, 2015 to kick off CBMM’s year-long 50th anniversary celebration, which concludes next spring with the opening of the community curated exhibition, Snapshots to Selfies: 50 Years of Chesapeake Summers.
The commemorative catalogue for A Broad Reach is now available for purchase through the Museum Store and at shop.cbmm.org. Edited by CBMM Chief Curator Pete Lesher, the full color, hard copy book was designed by Reneé Cagnina Haynes, with copy editing by Katie Adkins. The limited edition catalogue retails for $47.17—$50.00 when Maryland sales tax is included.
Supporters who helped make the exhibition and catalogue possible include PNC Financial Services Group, The Academy for Lifelong Learning, American Cruise Lines, Benson & Mangold Real Estate, Ellen & Richard Bodorff, Chesapeake Shipbuilding, Joan & Jim Darby, Fairfield Inn & Suites Easton, Guilford & Company, Graul’s Market St. Michaels, Hambleton Inn, Pam & Jim Harris, Higgins & Spencer, Laurie & Rick Johnson, Karen & Richard Kimberly, Alice & Peter Kreindler, Mariana & Pete Lesher, Drs. Sherry & Charles Manning, Carol & Bill May, Juliette C. McLennan, Maxine & Bill Millar, Patrice & Herbert Miller, Elizabeth C. Moose, Pembroke & John Noble, Kay & Bob Perkins, Lelde & Heinrich Schmitz, Alexa & Tom Seip, Karen & Langley Shook, Katie & Dick Snowdon, Judy & Henry Stansbury, René & Tom Stevenson, Peter Stifel, Tidewater Inn, Beverly & Richard Tilghman, The Vane Brothers Company, Joan & Clifton West, and Carolyn Williams & Colin Walsh. Additional supporters include Patricia & Michael Batza, Amy & Paul Berry, Cleo Braver & Alfred Tyler, Easton Utilities, Jane & Frank Hopkinson, Paula Johnson & Carl Fleischhauer, Beth Loker & Donald Rice, Robin & John Marrah, Mary Lou McAllister, Patriot Cruises, and several anonymous donors.
“Our dedicated volunteers Ellen and Norman Plummer were also instrumental in researching the works included in the exhibition,” said Chief Curator Pete Lesher, “and they gave sound counsel to the exhibition’s planning committee.”
“Our staff’s dedication and hard work has resulted in a world-class exhibition and catalogue,” commented Greenaway, who came from The Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University to begin her tenure as CBMM”s President in July, 2014. “Once coming on board at CBMM, I immediately appreciated what a wonderful opportunity we had to commemorate the Museum’s 50th anniversary in a wide variety of fresh and inspiring ways. As a staff team we very quickly devised the concept of originating an exhibition that would help launch our year of celebration, as well as honor the wonderful and amazing works found in the Museum’s permanent collection. I feel the effort has really paid off with an exceptional presentation of those objects we hold closest to our hearts.”
“A Broad Reach reflects on the rich collections of the first half-century of this museum’s history,” commented CBMM Chief Curator Pete Lesher, who curated the exhibition and edited the catalogue. “In selecting these objects, we looked for those that not only have the richest stories to tell, but also those that are beautiful. Any list is a compromise, leaving out favorite items for some. The gaps in such a list further suggest that our work as a collecting institution is far from done; there are so many more stories out there to collect. And as the coming years unfold, new stories will emerge that we will need to preserve for the next generation who will come to appreciate the Chesapeake Bay and its vibrant heritage.”
Established in 1965, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is a world-class maritime museum, serving more than 70,000 guests each year. CBMM is the only maritime museum in the world dedicated to preserving and exploring the history, environment and people of the entire Chesapeake Bay, in a meaningful and authentic way. For more information, follow CBMM on Facebook or visit www.cbmm.org