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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
Hollinshead, Cox, and Fleischner Galleries
Inside the Edit: Dolores Allen Littles, Time-Life, and the Island
Discover the work of Dolores Allen Littles and the community of photographers and editors who found both inspiration and connection on Martha’s Vineyard.
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Waggaman Community Gallery
Colin Ruel: The Light is Returning
Colin Ruel’s multimedia exhibition explores generational change, coastal identity, and the evolving realities of life in a shifting economy.
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Grain Gallery
Tom Maley: Dancing in the Field
Tom Maley lived and worked on Martha's Vineyard for most of his life. In 1971 he co-founded the Field Gallery behind his West Tisbury home with friends and fellow artists. His large white outdoor figures became some of the Island's most recognizable landmarks. Maley also painted and led life-drawing sessions that supported many local artists. This exhibition, based on a generous gift from Maley's daughter, will include sculptures, paintings, drawings, and photographs. It will show Maley's working methods, his role in creating a community gallery, and his lasting importance in the Island's artistic life.
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Beim Gallery
Jaws at 50: An Island Story
Our 2025 exhibition Jaws at 50 was one of the Museum’s most popular shows ever, celebrating the Vineyard’s starring role in Steven Spielberg’s classic. Because of that excitement, we’re keeping the story alive with Jaws at 50: An Island Story. This smaller follow-up highlights the Islanders who built sets, piloted boats, and stepped in front of the camera, showing how their creativity and spirit helped bring Amity Island to life.
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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.
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
Under the Cover of Darkness: The Story of the Holmes Hole Liberty Pole
A dramatic story of protest, sabotage, and a bold act of resistance that left its mark on Vineyard history.
Joel Harrison, Stan Strickland and Friends
Joel Harrison, Stan Strickland, Robby Ameen, Chico Huff, and Wes Nagy perform a high-energy Latin jazz set. This dynamic ensemble blends improvisation, global rhythms, and masterful musicianship.
The Game as It Was: Baseball on the Vineyard before the Modern Era
Explore the history of baseball at Waban Park with historian Dan Genovese, and learn how the game was played on the Vineyard over a century ago. Then see it brought to life on July 25 with a vintage base ball game played by 19th-century rules.
An Evening with Dawn Porter
Join acclaimed documentary filmmaker Dawn Porter for an engaging conversation about her award-winning career, creative process, and the stories behind her films. From history and social justice to culture and the arts, Porter’s work has brought some of the most compelling voices and moments of our time to the screen. Hear firsthand from one of today’s leading documentary storytellers.
Island Life Then and Now: A Conversation with Colin Ruel
A conversation with Colin Ruel on his exhibition The Light is Returning and changing Island life across generations.
A Childhood on the Edgartown Waterfront
Poet laureate Steve Ewing shares personal stories of growing up along Edgartown Harbor in the 1950s and beyond. Through memory and storytelling, he reflects on the people, traditions, and changes that shaped waterfront life on the Island.
Voices Preserved: The HBCU Radio Legacy
Celebrate the history and impact of HBCU radio, from archival preservation to its role in shaping culture and community. Featuring speakers from media, academia, and broadcasting, this program highlights both legacy and future. A reception follows.
The KabuJazz Trio featuring Cândida Rose
Cândida Rose joins Santos Spencer and Jack Santos for a KabuJazz Trio performance blending Cape Verdean traditions and jazz. Experience a rich, rhythmic exchange shaped by culture and collaboration.
More Than a Bookstore: Stories from the Front Lines of Island Literary Life
Go behind the scenes at Edgartown Books with owner Mathew Tombers as he shares stories from running one of Martha’s Vineyard’s beloved independent bookstores. From curating books for a seasonal community to hosting acclaimed authors and building a literary gathering place, discover the people, surprises, and everyday magic behind the shelves.
Mid-Summer Celebration with Allie & Paryss
Allie and Paryss perform a soulful mix of gospel, R&B, and soul as part of the Mid-Summer Celebration. This special evening includes music, connection, and a relaxed summer atmosphere.
Ancient Blue: A Hands-On Indigo Workshop for All Ages
Join Rebecca Gilbert and Emily Auchincloss for a hands-on indigo dye workshop using both processed and fresh plant-based materials. Participants will create two hand-dyed bandanas while learning about natural dyeing, sustainable practices, and the history of indigo.
The Way We Wore: Clothing & Textiles During the Revolution
From raw fibers to finished garments, explore how clothing became both necessity and political statement during the Revolution.
The Rubin Brothers
The Rubin Brothers present a lively, interactive show featuring music, circus arts, and audience participation. This high-energy performance is designed for all ages.
A Town Divided: The Cottage City Independence Movement, 1870-1880
Cottage City (now Oak Bluffs) became a town in 1880, but that event was the climax of a decade-long struggle that divided Edgartown against itself. Join MVM research librarian Bow Van Riper for a tale of taxation, representation, dirty tricks, and democracy in action.
Isaac Taylor
Isaac Taylor performs an intimate, atmospheric set rooted in sound, texture, and Island influence. His music offers a reflective and immersive listening experience.
The Great Sheep Heist: Grey’s Raid, 1778
A pivotal British raid that reshaped the Island during the Revolution.
Inside Edgartown Lighthouse: Keepers, Families, and History
Explore the history of Edgartown Lighthouse through the stories of its keepers, families, and relocation to the harbor. Deborah Medders shares insights drawn from years interpreting the Island’s lighthouses.
The First Casualty: Sharper Michael and the Defense of Liberty
A powerful story of courage and loss, tracing the life of a man who died defending his freedom and community.
Kemp Harris
Kemp Harris performs a mix of folk, blues, and African American musical traditions rooted in storytelling and social themes. His music blends personal reflection with a deep sense of community.
Memory Keepers Through Time: Chappaquiddick Wampanoag Conservation as Resistance
Alexis Moreis explores the enduring relationship between the Chappaquiddick Wampanoag people and their ancestral homelands through stories of stewardship, cultural memory, and resilience. This thoughtful talk considers conservation as an act of care, continuity, and connection across generations.
The Offseason: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Claymation
Experience The Offseason, a handcrafted claymation series made on Martha’s Vineyard. Enjoy a screening, the world premiere of a new episode, and a behind-the-scenes look with creators Henry Danielson and Sophia Kolak.
Listen, My Children: Vineyard Legends of the Revolutionary War
Explore the myths, mysteries, and stories that reveal how the Vineyard remembers its Revolutionary past.
Wampanoag Sovereignty, Relationality, and Responsibility
In this online lecture, Brad Lopes (Aquinnah Wampanoag) explores Tribal sovereignty and the evolving relationship between Tribal Nations and the United States. Through key historical moments, he examines how sovereignty has been challenged, alongside the ongoing resistance and persistence of Wampanoag communities.
In Harm’s Way: Martha’s Vineyard and the War at Sea
A fast-paced look at how Vineyard sailors and privateers brought the Revolution to the open sea.
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
