Seabag Visible Storage Center To Open

Collections Manager Cipperly Good shows off a few of the ship models on display in the new Seabag Visible Storage Center.

July 18, 2011 – Penobscot Marine Museum will open an innovative new type of artifact display with the inauguration of the Seabag Visible Storage Center on Saturday, July 23. The new facility, which the museum describes as a cross between a formal exhibit and curatorial storage, will make more than 100 additional items available to museum visitors and researchers.

"We have so many fascinating items in storage that the public rarely sees because formal exhibit space is limited," said Collections Manager Cipperly Good. "By removing the constraints of a formal exhibit while still maintaining proper artifact storage conditions, the Seabag Visible Storage Center allows us to cycle new items for public display on a regular basis." Good added that a computer in the center will provide access to the museum's object database, allowing users to look up details on any artifact, whether on display in the Seabag or in regular storage.

Among the items that will be on display initially in the 1,424-square foot facility are an Australian war club, a model of a West Indian whaling boat, an intricately carved nineteenth-century Chinese table, nautical artifacts ranging from ditty boxes to ship's wheels, and paintings of ships, ship captains, and ship captains' wives. Funding for the facility was provided by the Davis Family Foundation and the Maine Humanities Council.

Museum officials will officially open the new facility at 2:00 p.m., after which the display will remain open until 5:00 p.m. The ribbon-cutting ceremony is part of Penobscot Bay Day, the museum's 75th anniversary celebration that features live music, guided tours, nautical skills demonstrations, a silent auction, and birthday cake for all. Penobscot Bay Day runs from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 23, and admission is free.

For the two weeks following Penobscot Bay Day, the Seabag Visible Storage Center will be open Monday through Friday, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m., with weekend hours to be announced. For later dates and more information, contact the museum's Admission Center at 207-548-0334.