Join 3rd EyE hosts Chan Grant (BIG CHAN) and Lonelle Walker
as they stream live from the Communal Space.
Virtual Stage creative performers include The Glass Horse Project, Capalot CC, Myles Goulart, and Jason Johnson.
Drag artists are Complete Destruction, Kirbie Fullyloaded, Rusty Hammer, Secret Queen, and Yung Onyx.
Live art creations by Rad Future and community spotlights from South Coast LGBTQ Network.
Right after the Block Party head over to Twitch for the AHA! Pride Dance Party
with DJs Ace on Earth, Caloric, and Honeydrop.
Brought to you by the Queer Arts Council of New Bedford.
You can catch the stream live on Facebook or watch it projected on the big screen
in the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park Garden.
explore new bedford’s
vibrant culture this
summer in the seaport
This month our AHA! partners are offering a variety of both virtual and IRL (in-real-life) programs.
Look for the Virtual and IRL icons to help you plan your AHA! activities.
Virtual
IRL
Click For Tips To Help Get The Most Out Of Your Vaha! Experience
AHA! In The Afternoon
Our downtown New Bedford museums, galleries and institutions are open for visitors.
Visit their websites for more info about current hours, programs, exhibits and COVID19 safety protocols.
New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center
Open on AHA! 10am – 4pm
Plus open IRL for AHA! from 5-8pm (see listing below)
Click For More Info
New Bedford Port Society
including Seamen’s Bethel & Mariner’s Home
Open on AHA! 10am – 4pm
Click For More Info
New Bedford Whaling Museum
Open on AHA! 9am – 5pm with reserved timed admission
Plus virtual AHA! programming at 6pm (see listing below)
Click For More Info
New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park
Open on AHA! 10am – 4pm
Plus IRL AHA! programming at 1:30 & 6pm (see listing below)
Click For More Info
Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museum
Open on AHA! 10am – 4pm
Plus virtual AHA! programming at 5:30pm (see listing below)
Click For More Info
New Bedford Art Museum / Artworks!
Open on AHA! 10am-4pm with reserved timed admission
Plus IRL AHA! programming from 5-7pm (see listing below)
Click For More Info
Please consider shopping or dining in DNB to help support our small biz community.
Follow DNB, Inc. on Facebook /dnbinc or Instagram @dnbinc for updates about downtown dining and retail shopping.
Celebrating your Art, History
& Architecture from home?
Order up some take-out or delivery from one of your favorite downtown eateries and enjoy all the VAHA! programming from the comfort of your couch.
Click For Dining Options
(V)AHA! Programs
Celebrate Pride Month with the
South Coast LGBTQ+ Network
Any Time
Out of the ShadowsOn October 11, 2020, The South Coast LGBTQ+ Network celebrated National Coming Out Day. Since then, they have heard from so many people whose own stories they wanted to share. Here’s a short video featuring the stories of people in the South Coast who came “Out of the Shadows” with the hope of inspiring others to do the same.
Click To Watch Breaking New Ground
On April 1, 2021, The South Coast LGBTQ+ Network welcomed friends and supporters from the local government, arts community, police department, and houses of worship, to a tour of the future South Coast LGBTQ+ Community Center on 60 Eighth Street in downtown New Bedford.
Click To Watch
5-8pm at Gallery X
Kaleidoscope: Art Through Your Eyes
A showcase & sale of the work of local LGBTQ+ artists.
Pillars & Pride in the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park Garden
1:30-3pm
3rd Eye Unlimited Presents
The 5 Pillars of Hip Hop, Part 2
Stop by for:
– live djing with 16 year old DJ Vincentenced
– live performances by Liv, Sophia from Dream Out Loud,
D-Rock, Nevaeh and Shay Mae Lee
Hosted by Lonelle Walker
This is the second of 5 monthly events (May- September) where we will explore the 5 pillars of hip hop (Knowledge, B-Boy/Girl, Graffiti, MC’ing, DJ’ing) through performance, visual art, and sharing. Find out more about what the 5 pillars are, the history of these traditions and where their influences originate.
Click To RSVP For Updates & Reminders
6pm
Watch the VAHA! Pride Digital Block projected on the big screen.
3-6pm at the New Bedford Public Library
Take & Make Tissue Paper Paint Kits
Stop by the Library to pick up your take home Tissue Paper Paint Kit. Great for all ages – while supplies last.
4-6pm on Pier 3
See Walley the Trash Skimmer in Action
Presented by Community Boating Center,
Port of New Bedford and Clean Ocean Access
Stop by to learn more about the marine trash skimmer in New Bedford Harbor and what we all can do to help prevent marine debris. Click To Learn More About Walley’s Work
Vaccine Parking Lot PopUps
4-7pm in the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center Parking Lot
Walk-Up vaccines available (Moderna and Johnson & Johnson).
No fee and no insurance needed,
Plus live music with the SouthCoast Brass Band, Fun 107 live broadcast, free hamburgers and hotdogs, and the Rainbow Ice Cream Truck.
4-8pm in the Coastal New England Credit Union Parking Lot
Walk-Up vaccines available (Johnson & Johnson).
No fee and no insurance needed,
5pm on Facebook
VAHA! Mini Concert
Hosted by Scott Bishop
A pre-recorded concert featuring a pair of musicians with South Coast connections performing in downtown New Bedford businesses.
Chan Grant, mainly known by her stage name “BIG CHAN”, is a 25 year-old Hip-Hop/R&B artist and songwriter from New Bedford. A songwriter since she was 8 years old, music has always played a huge role in CHAN’s life. In 2016, she decided to take music more seriously, recording her first Soundcloud track. CHAN then realized that this was her passion. Since then, BIG CHAN has realized three mixtapes and continues to release singles. CHAN has also collaborated with many local artists.
Big Chan online:
Instagram and Twitter: @bigchannb
SoundCloud
ITunes
& check out Plan’s Place – Big Chan’s small business start-up
The Communal Space, a diverse art and community space and modern art gallery, provides an equitable co-working and creative environment for multi-cultural communities in the historic Downtown of New Bedford. You can find The Communal Space at 246 Union Street.
The Communal Space online:
Facebook
Instagram
Yaya Ortiz describes herself as a “Ukulele girl inspired by artists that paved the way before me.” She brings Texas grit, soul and honesty, and a unique and powerful voice, to the South Coast music scene.
Yaya online:
SoundCloud
Instagram
The MadLila is an eclectic vintage and preloved clothing shop at the corner of Union & Purchase Streets in downtown New Bedford.
The MadLila online:
website
Facebook
Instagram
Click To RSVP For Updates & Reminders
Click To Watch
5-7pm in Custom House Park
& Wings Court
CarterMOBILE
Join the New Bedford Art Museum’s artMOBILE for the “CarterMOBILE”! NBAM Art Educators will be at Custom House Square/Wings Court with a few of their exhibition partners from the New Bedford Historical Society, New Bedford Free Public Library, New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, and UMass Dartmouth CVPA. Stop by to celebrate NBAM’s newest exhibition, UnCommon Threads: The Works of Ruth E. Carter. There will be fun creative activities, free art supply kits, and more.
5-8pm at the New Bedford Fishing
Heritage Center
New Exhibit!
More than a Job:
Work and Community in New Bedford’s Fishing IndustryThe exhibit explores the industry in New Bedford beginning in the 1900s by considering sustainability, labor unions, diversity, family, community and the “American dream.” It illustrates what the industry does and represents through the voices and stories of those in it. Experience the sound of the fog horn, a mayday call, or a vessel’s engine. View model vessels and various artifacts fishermen have pulled up in their nets, including a mastodon tooth and a Russian belt buckle. Plus decades-old footage spliced with present-day film, which in combination show what has and has not changed in the industry.
5-7pm on the Drawing Room Front Porch
Live Music with Molly O’Leary
Molly O’Leary is a singer-songwriter from New Bedford, Massachusetts. Growing up, Molly took lessons with Rebecca Correia, participated in programming at Dream Out Loud, performed at Cafe Arpeggio’s open mic nights, and watched her older brother, Tom O’Leary, play the drums in several bands. Thanks to these experiences, Molly fell in love with music and songwriting.
Molly’s style has been described as folk, country, and indie. She performs at restaurants, nursing homes, and popular events, such as the New Bedford Folk Festival.“Holding Space,” her first album recorded in a studio with a full band thanks to her Kickstarter backers, will be out this August 2021. Click To RSVP For Updates & Reminders
5-7pm
in the First Unitarian Church NB Garden
Groovin in the Garden!Stop by to help with the Love Is Love community art project.
5-7pm at Alison Wells Art Gallery
Celebrate Pride Month with Alison Wells Get creative at the mini Rainbow Craft Table. Saxophonist “Manny” Escobar will be bringing his eclectic blend of straight-ahead jazz, soul, and contemporary classics with a live performance outside the gallery. Inside, enjoy original paintings, new giclee prints, artist note cards and guest artists. *It is requested that masks be worn when inside the gallery.*
5-7pm at Pour Farm Tavern
Opening Reception!
New Paintings by Patrick Moore
Swing By The South End
5-8pm at the Kilburn Mill
Celebrate Pride Month at the Judith Klein Art Gallery
127 W. Rodney French Blvd
Use main entrance
2nd floor Suit 2-87
Killburn Open House Stop by from 5-8pm to visit over 20 artist studios, galleries and shops. Shop for fine arts, crafts and more.
127 W. Rodney French Blvd
Enter at Door #4
The Artisan Center is on the 2nd floor
5:30-7pm at the Rotch-Jones-Duff
House & Garden Museum
Open House at the Mansion
Bring a picnic, relax on our lawn, and chat with historic interpreters. Visitors can also enjoy brief guided tours of the mansion, lawn games, and refreshments.
Click To RSVP For Updates & Reminders
5:30pm & 7:15pm
in the Fiber Optic Center parking lot
Enjoy jazz music under the Jazz Wall!
The Return of Centre Street Sessions
Presented by Fiber Optic Center & Whaling City Sound
Enjoy a live performance by Cape Cod-based guitarist Pat Ryan, with Dan Pappas on keyboards, Rick Andre on drums, and Fernando Huergo on bass.
History & Architecture
with the NB Preservation Society
6pm at the Rotch Rodman House,
388 County Street
VIP3 Walking Tour:
Notable People in New Bedford History
This Walking Tour will highlight people as well as places significant in the development of New Bedford.
The VIP’s include: Joseph Rotch, 1704-1784; Joseph Grinnell, 1788-1885; John H. Clifford, 1809-1876; The Crapo Family, Henry Howland Crapo, 1804-1869 William W. Crapo, 1830-1926, Henry H. Crapo, 1862-1951; William W. Swain, 1793-1858 and Lydia Swain, 1793-1878; The Pierce Family, Andrew G. Pierce, 1829-1903, Otis N. Pierce Jr, 1939-1932, Edward T. Pierce, 1855-1935, Andrew T. Pierce Jr, 1864-1950; Basil Brewer, 1883-1975.
Any Time
Downtown New Bedford – The Definitive Tour Take a walking tour of historic downtown New Bedford with your guide Bruce Barnes. Visit some of the definitive downtown landmarks including the New Bedford Free Public Library, City Hall and many of the most important and beautiful commercial buildings including banks and department stores.Click To Watch
Historic Property of the Week:
an in-depth look at a historic property in the city.New Bedford Historical Vignettes:
An in-depth look at a historically significant event, place or space.
This month’s historical vignette features the Railroad Depots of New Bedford’s Past.Click To View
6pm on Zoom
Registration Required
Calling in the Calling Out Culture, with Loretta J. Ross
A Virtual New Bedford Lyceum Lecture
presented by the New Bedford Whaling Museum
Can we build a unified and strategic human rights movement that weaves our strengths together and uses our differences as a platform for modeling a positive future? Loretta J. Ross, an award-winning, nationally-recognized expert on racism and racial justice, women’s rights, and human rights, believes we can.
Join the New Bedford Lyceum for a candid discussion with feminist and anti-racist scholar-activist Loretta J. Ross. Ross’ work emphasizes the intersectionality of social justice issues and how intersectionality can fuel transformation. She is a visiting associate professor at Smith College (Northampton, MA) in the Program for the Study of Women and Gender, teaching courses on white supremacy, race and culture in America, human rights, and calling in the calling out culture. Ross’ new book, Calling in the Calling Out Culture, is forthcoming in Fall 2021. Click To RSVP For Updates & Reminders Click To Register
6pm at Gallery X
Rep. Antonio Cabral Presents
Woman of the Year Award to Liz DiCarlo In Recognition of being awarded the Commonwealth Heroines of 2020 Award by The Massachusetts Commission on The Status of Women for her enduring commitment to Marriage Equality and to the marginalized members of the Greater New Bedford community.
6-9pm at the CVPA Star Store
Timed Ticket Required
Marc St. Pierre: Black & White
The University Art Gallery is proud to present Black & White, an exhibition by the beloved UMass Dartmouth professor Marc St. Pierre (June 23, 1952 – December 2, 2019), featuring a selection of mixed media drawings and collage with encaustic, as well as black and white photography.
Drawings created between 2008 and 2012, layered geometric elements and abstract forms to create a rich and poignant experience filled with wonder and exploration. They took inspiration from the ‘man-made’, architectural plans, diagrams and maps of early explorers. In his artist statement from 2012 Marc said, “As the drawing process evolves, organic shapes and gestural lines are introduced over the groundwork in transparent overlays. This provides a counterpoint to the precision associated with the geometry and acts as a multiple exposure in photography. This pictorial space becomes a dialog of random marks that combines the constructed with the unsystematic. My drawings intend to move the eye within an abstract and shallow picture plane in a gradual release of time”.
Click To RSVP For Updates & RemindersClick For Timed Tickets
6:30pm on the steps of City Hall
Day of Portugal Flag Raising & Opening Ceremony
7pm on YouTube
Festival Theatre Presents James Beaman:
In Conversation with Armand Marchand
An interview with NBFT Founder Armand Marchand and Alumnus James Beaman on his career as a female impersonator.
James Beaman is a classically trained actor who has performed in virtually every genre, including a nearly decades-long career as a female impersonator with his award winning solo shows as Lauren Bacall and Marlene Dietrich. Recent theatre credits: Albin/Zaza in La Cage Aux Folles, Riverside Theatre; Max in The Sound of Music, Northern Stage; Miss Tracy Mills in The Legend of Georgia McBride, TheatreSquared; and Captain Hook in Peter Pan at North Shore Music Theatre. James starred as Sir Robin in the First National Tour of Monty Python’s Spamalot, and has originated roles in two new musicals: The Road To Qatar! and Frog Kiss. Film: Till We Meet Again. Television: Law & Order: SVU; Succession. www.jamesbeaman.com
7pm on Zoom
Anomaly Poetry Open Mic
Hang out with the Anomaly poets in the Zoom Room to hear original works and poems hand-picked by readers.
Click To RSVP For Updates & Reminders
You will receive a notification when Zoom info is posted (about 2 hours prior to showtime).
Any Time
Westport Artists in Residence Program (WARP)
The Westport Cultural Council is pleased to announce the Westport Artists in Residence Program (WARP). During the months of June, July and August three artists will immerse themselves in the beauty of the Westport Woods Conservation Park landscape to create separate public installations for visitors to enjoy. Roberley Bell is the first artist in residence and will be starting work on June 7th. She creates sculpture and site-specific public projects that explore aspects of our environment by abstracting natural forms, appropriating manufactured objects and repurposing artifacts to craft fantastical landscapes. She is interested in the space where the artificial meets the real and with deconstructing notions of idealized views of nature. Bell strives to employ our imagination and our senses even as we are forced to examine our relationships with the spaces around us. Click To Watch A Video Of Roberley’s Process
6pm at South Coast Surface Design
Marine Heatwaves Exhibit & Talk
Featuring art work by Deb Ehrens and an Artist & Scientist Talk with Ehrens and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute Scientists: Caroline Ummenhofer, PhD., and Svenja Ryan, PhD.
On view will be Deb Ehrens’ artistic interpretation of Marine Heatwaves. In collaboration with these Climate Scientists, Deb Ehrens represents how data from the past is being mined to better understand our current day climate and the effects of the Marine Heatwaves.
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