This brief post is to help inform the reader of several ocean/whale-related events in San Francisco next week.  On Tuesday, 9/30, The New Bedford Whaling Museum, the largest in the world and probably the best, is sponsoring a reception in connection with an exhibit it is presenting at the Maritime Museum in the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, 900 Beach Street, San Francisco, California.

Whales are large as are their skeletons.

Admission to the museum, exhibit, and reception are free. The reception (5:30-7:30) will be followed by an optional dinner at McCormick & Kuleto’s at $75/person.

The next day, October 1, will feature several talks in connection with the exhibit.  They too are free, please see the Whaling Museum Invitation for all the details.

I have not seen the exhibit yet, but I did visit the Whaling Museum in Massachusetts earlier this month. It is exceptional, with broad and deep collections of whaling related property, including maps, books, scrimshaw, fine art, glass art, ship parts and models, skeletons, photos, ephemera, moving images, and so forth.

Some of the harpoons on display.

Along with the objects, the museum’s exhibits emphasize the cultural influences of whales and the whaling industry, which for a while, had its world center in New Bedford.

The museum’s explanatory messages are generally excellent. Some are also provocative.