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Miss Freedom returns to president’s office at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

After more than a year in the Steamboat Building as part of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s 50th anniversary exhibition, A Broad Reach: 50 Years of Collecting, Miss Freedom, a large ship figurehead, returned to her home on the porch outside of CBMM’s administrative offices and along St. Michaels’ harbor on Friday, July 8.

“I’m thrilled to see Miss Freedom return to outside my office,” said CBMM President Kristen Greenaway. “As one of the first things guests see when they come to CBMM, she’s a terrific example of our diverse collection of historic maritime objects, and I love the laughter as folks take their photos with her.”

Miss Freedom is CBMM’s largest example of ship carver John M. Cook’s art, originally made for the 88-foot schooner yacht Freedom. After being removed from Freedom because of the weight she added to the ship’s bow, she was placed in the U.S. Naval Academy Museum before making her way to St. Michaels.

A Broad Reach opened on May 23, 2015, and features 50 significant objects that have been accessioned into the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s collection over the past 50 years. A partial strike of the exhibition has closed the second floor portion to make way for the new exhibition, A Single Goal: The Art of Trumpy Yacht Building. The remainder of Broad Reach is on view through April 1, 2017.

Using models, paintings, historic photographs, artifacts such as wooden patterns and vintage signage and original drawings by John Trumpy, Sr., A Single Goal explores the detailed process of wooden boat building as an art form and highlights these distinctive yachts and their furnishings and finishings.

“The Trumpy Yard left behind a rich legacy—beautiful boats, John H. Trumpy’s exquisite draftsmanship, a team of highly skilled workers, and some wonderful stories,” said CBMM Chief Curator Pete Lesher. “A Single Goal will provide the most comprehensive look at this legacy since the yard closed in 1973.

A Single Goal: The Art of Trumpy Yacht Building will be on view at CBMM from August 6 through November 27, 2016, after a showing at the Maryland Hall in Annapolis. This exhibition is made possible by the generous support of Dr. Jacob Deegan, Maryland State Arts Council, and the Talbot County Arts Council, with revenues provided by the Maryland State Arts Council, Talbot County, and the Towns of Easton, Oxford and St Michaels.

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 nearly 70,000 guests each year, the museum’s campus includes a floating fleet of historic boats and 12 exhibition buildings, situated in a park-like setting along the Miles River and St. Michaels’ harbor. For more information, visit www.cbmm.org or call 410-745-2916.