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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
Saltzman Cabinet of Curiosities
Vanity: The Last Working Catboat
Built over the winter of 1928-29 by Edgartown boatbuilder Manuel Swartz Roberts for commercial fisherman Thomas Pease and his son Oscar, the catboat Vanity worked the waters of Martha’s Vineyard for over half a century. In this exhibit, explore the life of the last working catboat of Martha’s Vineyard through artifacts, photographs, archival materials, and film footage.
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The Grain Family, Hollinshead, Cox, and Fleischner Galleries
Jaws at 50: A Deeper Dive
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of JAWS, the Martha’s Vineyard Museum is proud to present the first-ever comprehensive exhibition dedicated to the film's production on Martha’s Vineyard. Through photographs, oral histories, original art, and movie props, this exhibit will delve into how the Island became the fictional Amity Island, showcasing the Vineyarders who brought the movie to life and the enduring legacy of Spielberg's blockbuster.
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Adele H. Waggaman Community Gallery
Mermaid Farm: Beauty & Struggle
Curated by seasonal visitor Lexi Van Valkenburgh, this exhibition explores the past and present of farming on Martha’s Vineyard. Once predominantly agricultural, the Island has seen much of its farmland lost to development. Through a series of photographs taken by Van Valkenburgh at Mermaid Farm—one of only two remaining dairy farms—the exhibit traces the Island’s agricultural history and tells the story of a family deeply rooted in the land.
READ MORECOLLECTION HIGHLIGHTS
Woven Bag
Contemporary Wampanoag artists and artisans help us picture the world of their ancestors, the first inhabitants of this Island, by making objects using old and new materials while drawing on old and new techniques.
Mary Norton Sampler
Mary H. Norton made this sampler in Holmes Hole (now Vineyard Haven) when she was around 12 years old.
Jagging Wheel
Though most familiar in the form of whales’ teeth carved with pictures of ships, scrimshaw was an extremely varied art.
Chappy
Mary Drake Coles learned to paint during childhood summers on Martha’s Vineyard, in her teens in Provincetown, and later at Smith College, in Paris, Majorca, Haiti, and New York.
Zeb Tilton Portrait
Benton found inspiration on Martha’s Vineyard from his first visits to the Island in the 1920s until his death in 1975.
Dancing Dolls (Brinquinho)
Mary Paiva Drouin, the daughter of a first-generation Portuguese immigrant family, recalls how her family’s cherished “dancing dolls” in traditional Portuguese dress were paraded through the streets of Oak Bluffs during the Holy Ghost Festival.
Brickman’s Shirt
One of the earliest Jewish families to settle here, the Brickmans operated a shoe business on Main Street in Vineyard Haven that became Brickman’s department store.
Dial Telephone Service Comes to Aquinnah
This photograph, staged in May 1955 to celebrate the introduction of dial telephone service in Chilmark and Gay Head, captures the tension between tradition and modernity.
Gislaine Portrait
In 2017, the Museum exhibited photographer Mila Lowe’s “Local Immigrants Project.” Lowe undertook the project to document the wide diversity of recent immigrants to the Island.
Luce Dressing Box
Captain Richard G. Luce presented this box to his daughter, Abbie Bradford Luce, upon returning from one of his many long voyages.
Life Preserver
Life preserver from the City of Columbus, which crashed on the underwater rocks of Devil’s Bridge in January 1884 when a gash was torn in the hull and seawater rushed into the steamer.
Priscilla Pearl Necklaces
Manufactured in Hyannis at the Priscilla Laboratory, these glass and herring scale “pearls” were named “Priscilla Pearls” and sold around the country through mail order and at Lina Call’s Priscilla Pearl Shop in Edgartown.
Violin
Owned by E. Gale Huntington, this violin was possibly carried around Cape Horn on a voyage by Menemsha fisherman Lyman Cottle.
Monohansett
Monohansett (1862), depicted in this painting by J. P. Winegar, was the first reliable steam ferry to serve Martha’s Vineyard.
Fall River Line Advertisement
Palatial “night boats” like Plymouth connected New York and Martha’s Vineyard.
“Enchanted Isle” Poster
This 1934 travel poster promoted the Vineyard as a playground of the rich and stylish.
Islander
Islander, which operated from 1950-2007, revolutionized ferry service to the Vineyard.
Island Queen Advertisement
Summer “excursion boats” like the Island Queen carried day tourists to Oak Bluffs.
Provincetown-Boston Airlines Timetable
Provincetown-Boston Airline was the Island’s leading air carrier for 40 years.
Islander and Island Home
Islander (1950) passes her successor Island Home (2007) in Vineyard Haven Harbor.
Satinet Sample
Hard-wearing satinet cloth: the West Tisbury woolen mill’s signature product.
Vanderhoops at Aquinnah Circle
Harrison and Selina Vanderhoop selling Wampanoag crafts at Aquinnah Circle.
King’s Paint Mill
Clay pigments from King’s Paint Mill in Chilmark tinted the houses of southern New England.
Bricks on Pier
The signature product of the Roaring Brook brickyard awaits shipment to the mainland.
Erford Burt Bass Boat
One of Erford Burt’s signature “bass boats” in the basin at Burt’s Boatyard on the Lagoon.
Model of the SS Drottingholm
Van Ryper offered its customers affordable “models of ships on which you’ve sailed.”
Dairy Cooperative Bottle
Martha’s Vineyard Cooperative Dairy helped the Island’s small farmers, but could not compete with mainland producers.
Chilmark Chocolates Sign
Chilmark Chocolates was known for its delicious product, and its community spirit.
Black Dog Catalog
The Black Dog began as a year-round restaurant, but became a lifestyle brand.
Harpoon
The ancestors of the Wampanoag people who live here now fished using harpoons such as this one, which was found along the shore in Aquinnah.
Joseph Belain Portrait
Over the course of 20 whaling voyages, Aquinnah-born Joseph Belain (1848-1926), served as harpooner, second mate, first mate, and twice as a replacement master.
Whale and Porpoise Oil Samples
Beginning in the mid-19th century and ending in the 1940s, William F. Nye Company of New Bedford refined and processed whale and porpoise oil for various purposes.
Nomansland Codfish Box
Salted and dried cod was sold to Fischer Brothers of Vineyard Haven, who packaged it in wooden boxes like this one and sold it locally as well as shipping it to New Bedford and Providence.
Eel Pot
Before the 20th century, eels were caught and eaten in great numbers by islanders, who captured them in the fall and winter using pots like this one.
Menemsha Swordfishing Fleet
Equipped by a tall mast for lookouts and a long narrow platform for the harpooner jutting out from the bow, “Sword boats” supplied a market in which swordfish was seen as a delicacy.
“Dorothy and Everett” Weathervane
Using the vessels he knew as inspiration, local fisherman Jimmy Morgan made weathervanes and sold them in his small shop in Menemsha to supplement his income.
Photograph of Fishermen
Fishermen could once make a good living selling the fish they caught in net traps along the northwest shore of the Vineyard.
Chart of Holmes Hole
This view of Holmes Hole (now Vineyard Haven) harbor in 1781 looks familiar at first glance, but a closer look reveals unfamiliar features.
The Harbor of Holmes Hole
Twelve years before this chart was drawn in 1847, the citizens of Holmes Hole blocked Bass Creek with a worn-out schooner filled with rocks, making way for Water Street and Union Wharf.
Martha’s Vineyard Railroad Train on the Beach
The Martha’s Vineyard Railroad operated from 1872 to 1896, carrying passengers from the Oak Bluffs steamer wharf to the outskirts of Edgartown, then to Katama.
1938 Beach Road Flooding
This photograph, looking down Beach Road toward Five Corners, was taken during the 1938 Hurricane.
Bathhouse Debris on Oak Bluffs Steamer Wharf
Bathhouses were a fixture of Oak Bluffs — a monument to the social customs of a bygone era — until September 1944, when the Great Atlantic Hurricane struck the Island.
Bunker on South Beach
This concrete structure, used to train World War II naval aviators, originally stood in the dunes behind the beach; by the late 1960s or early 1970s, it stood at the water’s edge.
Moving the Gay Head Light
The brick tower of the current Gay Head Light was built in 1856, and by the early twenty-first century, erosion had left it dangerously close to the edge of the cliffs.
EVENTS
The Whole Table: A Dialogue on Food, Care and Community
This isn’t a conversation about the “right” way to eat—it’s about understanding the choices we make around food and the values that shape them. In today’s fast-paced world, this conversation offers a chance to slow down and think practically and meaningfully about what we eat, how it’s sourced, and why it matters. From fishing and foraging to cooking and spiritual practice, join us on Sunday, August 17 as our panel brings real-world insight into how food connects us to place, culture, and each other.
Tales of Edgartown: The Way We Wore: Island Textiles & Fashion, 1642–1850
Spend your Monday evenings in the Legacy Gardens at the historic Cooke House, where local historians and storytellers bring Edgartown’s expansive past to life. Each week features a new speaker sharing a distinct chapter of Island history and culture. Enjoy light refreshments, meaningful conversation, and the experience of an outdoor summer lecture series.
The Farmer and The Shark
On Tuesday, August 19th, don’t miss this exclusive special screening of The Farmer & the Shark, the gripping documentary that unveils the hidden story behind Martha’s Vineyard legend Craig Kingsbury and his extraordinary influence on Steven Spielberg’s Jaws. Stay for a rare and fascinating discussion with award-winning filmmaker John Campopiano, veteran producer Rick DiGregorio, Jaws historian Jim Beller, and Craig Kingsbury’s daughter, Kristen Kingsbury Henshaw, as they share never-before-heard stories and behind-the-scenes details about this iconic film’s local heartbeat.
Global Rhythms: Peter Halperin and the Group Therapy Band
Celebrate the vibrant cultures that shape our Island community through music and storytelling. Each week, world-class musicians take the stage to share not only their sound, but the personal and cultural stories behind it. Join us Wednesday evenings this summer for a series that moves to the beat of connection, tradition, and discovery.
THIS EVENING’S PERFORMANCE: Peter Halperin and the Group Therapy Band
Jaws@50 Screening & Celebration with Wendy Benchley
Join us for a screening and conversation with Wendy Benchley on Friday, August 22 at 5:00pm. The Museum invites you to dive into a thrilling evening celebrating the legacy of the film that changed cinema- and our relationship with the ocean- forever.
Experience Jaws@50: The Definitive Inside Story, the acclaimed new feature documentary released this summer, explores the making of Jaws and its profound cultural and ocean conservation impact.
The screening will be followed by an intimate conversation with Wendy Benchley, Executive Producer of the film and renowned ocean advocate, whose late husband, Peter Benchley, wrote the iconic novel Jaws and co-wrote its legendary screenplay.
Tales of Edgartown: Whaling Port to Summer Resort
Spend your Monday evenings in the Legacy Gardens at the historic Cooke House, where local historians and storytellers bring Edgartown’s expansive past to life. Each week features a new speaker sharing a distinct chapter of Island history and culture. Enjoy light refreshments, meaningful conversation, and the experience of an outdoor summer lecture series.
Global Rhythms: Jim Thomas Spirituals Choir
Celebrate the vibrant cultures that shape our Island community through music and storytelling. Each week, world-class musicians take the stage to share not only their sound, but the personal and cultural stories behind it. Join us Wednesday evenings this summer for a series that moves to the beat of connection, tradition, and discovery.
THIS EVENING’S PERFORMANCE: Jim Thomas Spirituals Choir
MY FATHER’S NAME: A father’s secret. A daughter’s reckoning. A nation’s dark legacy.
Join us on Thursday, August 28 for a screening of the award-winning documentary short, MY FATHER’S NAME, followed by a conversation with director Susanna Styron and Executive Producer Connie Royster.
MY FATHER’S NAME tells the intimate story of Jan Frazier’s attempt to uncover the truth about her father’s participation in a lynching, find a way to hold her family accountable, and face the dawning awareness of her own unconscious racism. What begins as a search for answers becomes a reckoning with conflicted love, buried histories, and the uncomfortable truths many white Americans still struggle to face.
New Moon Naked-Eye Stargazing: An Indigenous Night Under the Stars
Join us in the Bodman Courtyard at Museum on Friday, August 29 for New Moon Naked-Eye Stargazing—an evening of Indigenous storytelling, celestial connection, and awe-inspiring skywatching. Set during the darkest skies of the month, this special event invites families and sky-curious souls to gather under the stars and witness the cosmos in its most vivid, moonless brilliance.
Indigenous Knowledge Meets Shark Science with Steve Crawford
This isn’t your typical shark talk. Researcher Steve Crawford takes a different approach, centering the voices and knowledge of Indigenous peoples and coastal communities—wisdom passed down for generations yet often absent from mainstream science. Join us on Saturday, August 30th for an eye-opening conversation that connects science with centuries of human connection to these remarkable animals.
Alice S. Wentworth: Last of the Vineyard Schooners
On September 4, author and model shipwright Tom Lauria brings the story of the Alice S. Wentworth—the last great coasting schooner to call Martha’s Vineyard home—back to life.Drawing from his new book, Alice S. Wentworth: The Schooner, Her People, and The Model, Tom shares his research into the vessel and the people who sailed her, alongside the meticulous process of creating a museum-quality model in her honor.
A Late-Summer Picnic on the Hill
Celebrate the magic of late summer with an unforgettable evening picnic at MV Museum on Sunday, September 7. Settle in on the hill overlooking the Lagoon as the sky shifts from golden hour to twilight, casting its glow over one of the Island’s most scenic spots.
Savor the live jazz rhythms of The Jeremy Berlin Trio, enjoy local bites and drinks for purchase from First Light Café, or bring your own picnic, bottle, and blanket, play lawn games and more.
History Matters: An Evening with the Words of David McCullough
Join Dorie McCullough Lawson on Thursday, October 9, for a conversation about her father’s final book, History Matters. As David McCullough’s daughter, editor, and creative partner for nearly three decades, Dorie offers a close view of how he brought the past to life.
The collection gathers essays that reflect McCullough’s lifelong belief that history is not a list of dates. It is people, choices, and consequences that help us understand the present. Many of the pieces are published here for the first time. Together they highlight themes that shaped his work, including optimism, determination, and character, at a moment when the nation approaches its 250th year.
The Sound of Jaws: John Williams and the Score That Changed Everything
Everyone knows the two terrifying notes that launched the Jaws theme—and with it, an entire era of cinematic sound. But what followed those notes transformed film music forever. Join us on Thursday, October 23 as acclaimed journalist and author Tim Greiving for a riveting dive into John Williams: A Composer’s Life, the first major biography of the man behind the music that shaped generations.
VISIT OUR CAMPUS
With an exciting slate of exhibits, guest speakers, and community events, there’s always something new to discover at MVM.
OPEN 10 – 5
TUESDAY – SUNDAY
YEAR-ROUND
100,000+
ITEMS IN
OUR COLLECTION
Explore maps, manuscripts, objects, photos, oral histories, and much more.
2,500
FEET FROM THE
FERRY DOCK
Our Vineyard Haven campus is just a 10-minute walk from the Steamship Authority terminal.
100
YEARS OF SERVING THE ISLAND COMMUNITY
We are committed to collecting, preserving, and sharing all facets of the Island’s story, from the familiar to the untold.
LEARN
We provide thought-provoking and engaging learning experiences for students of all ages.
RESEARCH
We bring the Island’s history and culture to life through research and resources that encourage curiosity and compassion.
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Your support empowers us to continue inspiring, educating, and strengthening our community.
“We believe in the mission and vision of the MV Museum. We want our grandchildren to love and appreciate this Island’s history, art, and culture as much as we do, so it is very important to us that the Museum continues to grow and thrive!”
BARBARA COUCH
