On Site Exhibits

Main Hall

More than a Job: Work and Community in New Bedford’s Fishing Industry provides visitors with an introduction to the workings of the fishing industry as well as explore themes including labor history, immigration, sustainability, and the changing nature of work and community. This exhibit features a replica working deck, scallop dredge, galley table, bunks, historic and contemporary images and footage, and more than sixty audio clips sharing the many voices of the fishing community.

Funding for More than a Job: Work and Community in New Bedford’s Fishing Industry is provided by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and significant support from Bristol County Savings Bank. Major in-kind support for this exhibit was provided by Fairhaven Shipyard and Blue Fleet Welding. Support for an online companion exhibit and curriculum materials was provided by Mass Humanities and Bristol County Savings Charitable Foundation.

Click below to watch the Keynote Speech by Brian Boyles, Executive Director of Mass Humanities, at the Fishing Heritage Center’s 5th Anniversary Celebration and Grand Opening of More than a Job.

Gallery

Stand Clear the Line: Swordfishing on the SouthCoast

On view April 2024 – September 2024

Stand Clear the Line: Swordfishing on the SouthCoast explores the history, past and present, of commercial swordfishing along Massachusetts’ SouthCoast. New England fishermen have hunted swordfish for over 200 years, first with harpoons and then with pelagic longline. Swordfish continue to capture the imagination of fishermen from coast to coast. The exhibit features a restored swordfish pulpit and harpoon darts, models and decorated swordfish bills, photographs and video footage, and oral histories from some of Massachusetts’ swordfishing families. 
Stand Clear the Line: Swordfishing on the SouthCoast and related programming are supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Eversource, and a grant from the Westport Cultural Council Community Grants, a local agency supported by the Helen E. Ellis Charitable Trust administered by the Bank of America and the Westport Community Gift Fund. Additional funding provided by the Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Marion, Mattapoisett, and New Bedford Cultural Councils.
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