ART! Cape Verdean Art at New Bedford Whaling Museum

New Bedford Whaling Museum Celebrates 50^th Anniversary of Cape Verde Independence from Portugal – 2 Exhibits will Explore the Cape Verdean Experience through the Lens of Contemporary Art and Community Storytelling

Photo, top: Doilies from Brava, ca. 1980. Crocheted cotton

In 2025, communities across the world will celebrate the 50^th anniversary of Cape Verdean independence from Portugal. The New Bedford Whaling Museum is proud to mark the occasion with two exhibits that celebrate and honor New Bedford and the greater South Coast area of New England as home to one of the largest and longest-standing Cape Verdean communities outside of Cabo Verde.

Morabeza: Cape Verdean Community in the South Coast, running until February 24, 2026, will showcase personal stories, oral histories, music, photographs, and artifacts that trace the Cape Verdean diaspora’s journey throughout the South Coast, Rhode Island, and Cape Cod. The exhibition, presented in collaboration with regional institutions and the Museum’s Cape Verdean Advisory Board, will highlight themes of immigration, home, family, cultural identity, music, food, art, religion, and neighborhood. Morabeza, a Cape Verdean Creole word expressing a uniquely Cape Verdean style of hospitality, sets the tone for this exhibition, which underscores the vibrant cultural traditions and continuing transnational connections with Cabo Verde that define the region’s history and identity.

Opening June 13, 2025, Claridade: Cape Verdean Identity in Contemporary Art will explore the Cape Verdean-American and Cape Verdean experience through the lens of contemporary art and community storytelling. Running concurrently in the Wattles Family Gallery through December 7, 2025, Claridade will feature works from contemporary Cape Verdean and Cape Verdean American visual artists and filmmakers whose practices reflect the diverse experiences of the Cape Verdean diaspora. Named after the pioneering Cape Verdean literary review Claridade (1936–1960), the exhibition will include sculpture, fiber arts, mixed media, painting, poetry, and video installation. Artists featured include fiber artist Wanda C. Medina of New Bedford, Providence-based sculptor Christian Gonçalves, multidisciplinary artist Ellen Gallagher, and filmmaker Janilda Bartolomeu.

“These exhibitions celebrate a community that has shaped the cultural and economic landscape of New Bedford and the region at large for generations,” said Amanda McMullen, President & CEO, New Bedford Whaling Museum. “We hope visitors will gain a deeper understanding of the Cape Verdean experience and its lasting impact on our region.”

The Republic of Cabo Verde, once a hub of the early transatlantic slave trade, became a crucial stop for American whaling ships, leading many Cape Verdean crew members to settle in New Bedford. As whaling declined in the early 1900s, Cape Verdean mariners developed a packet trade, ferrying goods and immigrants between the islands and New England on vessels such as Ernestina and Coriolanus.

Between 1800 and 1921, New Bedford became the primary gateway for Cape Verdean immigrants to the United States, earning the moniker “Cape Verdean Ellis Island.” Today, Massachusetts is home to the largest Cape Verdean American population in the country, with over 70,000 residents as of the 2020 Census.

The exhibitions will illuminate the Cape Verdean community’s multifaceted identity through baptismal records, marriage certificates, musical recordings, and personal artifacts that showcase the social clubs, parades, sports, and activism that shaped the community’s growth and resilience. It will also examine the racial and social challenges Cape Verdeans have faced, revealing how their identity has evolved across generations.

Through these exhibitions, the New Bedford Whaling Museum seeks to deepen public understanding of the Cape Verdean community’s legacy in New England and its continuing connections to Cabo Verde. By showcasing personal narratives and contemporary artistic expressions, Morabeza and Claridade will celebrate the Cape Verdean American experience and its vital role in the cultural fabric of the South Coast and beyond.

About the New Bedford Whaling Museum

Anchored in the story of New Bedford’s whaling industry, the Museum documents and shares the diverse stories of this vibrant maritime region and its people, both bygone and current. Founded as the Old Dartmouth Historical Society in 1903, the Museum’s rich history reveals an intimate relationship with the communities it serves. Today, the New Bedford Whaling Museum ignites learning through explorations of art, history, science and culture, rooted in the stories of people, the region and an international seaport. The New Bedford Whaling Museum is the leading cultural institution in the region, attracting more than 100,000 visitors annually.

The cornerstone of New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, the Museum is located at 18 Johnny Cake Hill in the heart of the city’s historic downtown. Between January 2-March 31, the institution is open from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Tuesday-Saturday and from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm on Sunday. Between April 1-December 31, daily hours are 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. The Museum is open until 7 p.m. every second Thursday of the month (on AHA! nights) and closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Admission is free for Museum members; adults $23, seniors (65+) $21, youth $13. For more information, visit www.whalingmuseum.org.