PRESS RELEASE:  Martha’s Vineyard Museum Featured in Season Premiere of PBS Series Treasures Inside the Museum 

Press release: APRIL 2026

Martha’s Vineyard Museum Featured in Season Premiere of PBS Series Treasures Inside the Museum

[VINEYARD HAVEN, MA] – APRIL, 2026 – The Martha’s Vineyard Museum is featured in the Season 7 premiere of Treasures Inside the Museum, the Emmy-nominated PBS television series that explores museums, historic landmarks, and cultural institutions across southern New England. The new season debuted March 15 and is now available to stream online.

Produced by Ocean State Video and Weathervane Communications, the series highlights the objects, collections, and stories that shape regional history while connecting local institutions to broader themes of art, innovation, and community preservation.

Filmed on the Museum’s Vineyard Haven campus, the episode explores several defining elements of the Island’s cultural and maritime heritage through interviews with Museum staff and community experts.

Chief Curator Bonnie Stacy discusses the first-order Fresnel lens from the Gay Head Light, now permanently installed at the Museum. An engineering achievement of the 19th century, the lens — composed of more than 1,000 individual glass prisms — remains a significant surviving maritime artifact in the region and requires ongoing conservation.

Curator of Exhibitions Anna Barber highlights the artistic and human dimensions of 19th-century whaling logbooks, emphasizing how drawings and personal observations recorded at sea reveal both the realities and emotional experiences of whaling voyages.

Research Librarian Bow Van Riper provides historical context on the Island’s maritime economy and cultural life, including stories such as the tragic mutiny aboard the whaleship Globe, one of the most dramatic events in American whaling history.

The episode also features master boat builder Nat Benjamin and Captain Chris Murphy, who speak about the Museum’s stewardship of the historic catboat Vanity. Built in 1929 for Island fishermen and now fully restored, the vessel continues to sail Vineyard waters, serving as a living link to the Island’s working waterfront traditions.

Additional segments explore the long human history of the Museum’s site, where archaeological evidence reveals Indigenous presence dating back thousands of years, as well as the evolving role of the Museum in interpreting both historic and contemporary Island life.

“We are honored to be included in a series that highlights the vital role regional museums play in preserving and sharing local history,” said Heather Seger, Executive Director of the Martha’s Vineyard Museum. “This episode offers viewers a deeper understanding of the objects, research, and people who help keep these stories alive.”

Treasures Inside the Museum airs on PBS stations throughout the region and is available for streaming. 

About Martha’s Vineyard Museum:
The Martha’s Vineyard Museum inspires all people to discover, explore, and strengthen their
connections to the Island and its diverse heritage. Through exhibitions, programs, and a vast
collection of artifacts, photographs, and oral histories, the Museum preserves and shares the
stories of Martha’s Vineyard—past and present. Located in Vineyard Haven, the Museum offers
year-round opportunities for learning and engagement for visitors of all ages. For more
information, visit mvmuseum.org.

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