THIS MONTH BROUGHT TO YOU BY

Start Your AHA! Adventure At The New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park Visitor Center 
The AHA! website will be available for you to look at along with Park staff and volunteers ready to answer any questions you may have. The Visitor Center (33 William St) is
open 10am-8pm on AHA! 

AHA! Happens Rain Or Shine
Be sure to check the AHA! event page, Facebook page and Instagram Stories as well as website and social for participating event partners for info about location changes, program rescheduling and cancellations.

Planning  To AHA! IRL?
All of the AHA! partners have their own masking requirements. We recommend you carry a mask with you at all times so you don’t miss out on any of the AHA! festivities.

Be sure to stop at one of the many fantastic downtown restaurants after your AHA! stroll!

Schedule

3:00 PM

4:00 PM

Massachusetts Mammals & Their Environments

New Bedford Whaling Museum, 18 Johnny Cake Hill

We are BIG fans of mammals! Join seniors from UMASS Dartmouth’s Mammal Biology class as they present their capstone projects at the New Bedford Whaling Museum. From mice to whales and everything in between, there is lots to hear and learn about at this month’s AHA event.  After hearing from the students, explore all three levels of the New Bedford Whaling Museum for FREE and search for our favorite mammal – the whale – in our popular scavenger hunt.

Ends: 7:00pm

Free Henna with Mandy & Mass Audubon Activities at New Bedford Main Library’s Youth Services

613 Pleasant Street

Join us on AHA! nights for a free henna tattoo by Mandy from Wicked Good Henna!

There is no registration  required and will be available while supplies last. Hope to see you there!

This program is supported by a grant from the New Bedford Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

Stop by Mass Audubon’s table to learn all about the monarch butterfly and its incredible yearly migration! You’ll get to look at books and biofacts about the butterfly, and plant native seeds that will help pollinators!

Ends: 6:30pm

The Pollinator Show

TL6 The Gallery, 100 William Street

Stop by TL6 to view the new exhibition “The Pollinator Show”, a show about all different pollinators and their importance. As part of the Earth day celebration, TL6 will be handing out free packets of wild flower seeds! The people-powered parade will be going right by the shop. The Gallery staff and friends will release the white fluff from the milkweed to act as environmentally friendly confetti, they invite people to help release the milkweed fluff, it is gorgeous to see it all float in the air above the parade!

4:30 PM

Zoo Friends!

New Bedford Free Public Library, 613 Pleasant Street

Join Zoo staff at the Buttonwood Park Zoo’s table on the lawn of the New Bedford Free Public Library to play an awesome science game, learn about all of our amazing upcoming events and programs, and meet one of our very own animal friends. You can even enter our raffle for a chance to win a 1-year family membership to the Zoo!

Ends: 6:00pm

Behind the Scenes: Under Where?

Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museum, 396 County Street

Get a glimpse of museum areas and objects not normally on view.  Manager of Collections and Interpretation, Lauren Prescott, shows undergarments from the collection and how they would have been layered. Enjoy refreshments while visiting. Admission is free as a part of AHA! night.

Ends: 6:00pm

5:00 PM

Law of Salvage: Queer Stories of the South Coast

33 William Street New Bedford, MA 02740

Drop in at any time to chat with Beatrice and Elaine Alder about their show, Law of Salvage: Queer Stories of the South Coast, which will be on view until late April.

Hear directly from the artists about their inspiration and process over the last three months.

Throughout their residency, the artists have collaborated on textile, ceramic, written word, and printmaking to imagine and expand upon known queer history. Their pieces riff on traditional crafts–quilts and scrimshaw–and gendered divisions of labor to disrupt the binary and represent the unacknowledged queer laborers who built New Bedford.

Elaine (e/em/eir) designs and creates functional art that blurs the boundary between craft and fine arts, nature and artifice. Using sustainable and found materials, e practices a broad array of disciplines, from weaving, knitting, and quilting to botanical printing, photography, and collage. Motifs from the natural world–playful textures, and evocations of plant and animal forms–unite eir body of work. Driven by curiosity, tenderness, and hope for the future, Elaine uses diverse media to explore the relationships between humans and their ecosystem partners, including non-human animals, plants, and fungi.

Beatrice (they/she) is a writer and teacher, descended from Jewish immigrant garment workers and New Bedford whalers. Beatrice’s historical fiction and zines draw from archival sources, family folklore, and oral traditions to give voice to unacknowledged queer ancestors. By piecing together letters, images, and other fragments, Beatrice creates patchwork histories that show their seams and leave room for queer joy. Through storytelling, she hopes to bring silenced figures back into the fold of history–not as tragedies or flukes, but as the heroes of their own tales.

Ends: 7:00 PM

Earth & Heart

Market Street Stage, Market Street

Little People’s College will be marching in the “Love Mother Earth” procession. Did you know, Earth & Heart are spelled with the same letters?! The children will display earth and heart banners and shirts as they march and encourage the 3 Rs. All LPC families and graduates are invited to join us!

New Exhibitions & Live Music!

Gallery X, 169 William Street
On view in the Main Gallery: “Mindfulness” a community exhibition of peace, serenity, and opening your eyes to the world around you.
In the Frederick Douglass Gallery: “Color & Whimsy” a solo exhibition of paintings by Gallery X member, and board president, David LeComte.
“Gallery X Unplugged” (6:00 – 8:00pm) featuring Donn & Ian Legge. Guitarist Donn Legge joined by his son, Ian Legge, the Punk Cellist!
Gallery X Unplugged is a free music series sponsored in part by Symphony Music Shop and a grant from the New Bedford Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Mass Cultural Council.
Ends: 8:00pm

EARTH EVE PARADE!

New Bedford Free Public Library, 613 Pleasant Street

Spring is here and the streets will be filled with music, hands-on activities and ways to appreciate the earth and our environment. The People Powered Procession is Massachusetts’ only Eco-float Procession with anything a person group can wear, roll or carry. Starts at the Library at 613 Pleasant Street. Gather at 5:00pm at the Library stage for announcements, a performance by New Bedford High School Show Chorus, New Bedford Food Tours crowing of the the Pastel de Nata Throwdown Champion, and more! Hosted by MC Tem Blessed. End back at the Library to enjoy pizza by Domino’s. Come out and enjoy the fun!

Parade participants include: UMASS Dartmouth Pep Band, SouthCoast Brass Band, Brewer Banners, Buzzards Bay Coalition and the Boys and Girls Club, Little People’s College, Allen’s Pond Audubon Sanctuary, Community Boating, Buttonwood Park Zoo, Vineyard Wind, New Bedford Food Tours, New Bedford High School Show Chorus, Betsy B. Winslow School, Our Sisters School, Way Cool Sunday School from the First Unitarian Church in New Bedford, and Mass Audubon with New Bedford Parks and Recreation.

Sound in Space, Sound in Place

New Bedford Art Museum/ArtWorks, 608 Pleasant Street

Stop by the NBAM for the exciting opening reception of their contemporary sound art exhibition: Sound in Space, Sound in Place.

The exhibition features a collaborative work by established sound artists John Driscoll and Phil Edelstein—the richly exploratory sound installation Cluster Fields (2018–2023)—as well as New Bedford Soundscape, a crowdsourced collection of audio recordings by New Bedford residents, Sonic Textures of Place, experimental sound works by UMass Dartmouth students in Professor Walker Downey’s Spring 2023 sound art seminar, NBWaves, an EP by Scapeghost, and Whirly Chorus by Tess Oldfield. It will be a sensory experience like no other!

Ends: 7:00pm

Make Your Own Bird Feeder, Grow Your Own Vegetables

634 Purchase St (Pilgrim United Church Home)

Celebrate “Sustainable SouthCoast” by joining Pilgrim United Church of Christ and Mercy Meals & More to create your own Bird Feeder from recyclables and grow your own vegetables.  Supplies and refreshments provided.

Ends: 7:00pm

Exhibit Opening – From the Hold: Photographs of the Port (1880-1980)

Fishing Heritage Center, 38 Bethel Street

Exhibit Opening: From the Hold: The Port in Photos (1880-1980)

Step back in time with our newest gallery exhibit “From the Hold: The Port in Photos (1880-1980)!” Produced in partnership with Spinner Publications, the exhibit features a over 40 images from Spinner’s vast archives. Images chronicle change over time in the ports of New Bedford and Fairhaven, from fish processing to vessels to the ways we celebrate America’s most valuable port. The Center is open free of charge on AHA! Night.

“From the Hold: The Port in Photos (1880-1980)” is sponsored by the Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Marion, Mattapoisett, New Bedford, and Westport Cultural Councils, as well as the Massachusetts Cultural Council, BayCoast Bank, and a Community Impact Grant from Eversource.

Ends: 7:00 PM

New Bedford: Our Woven Story

Corson MakerSpace at New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, 33 William Street

Presented by DATMA and Our Sisters’ School

Join us for a night celebrating textiles, art, and fashion with with artist Maxwell Emcays, DATMA, and Our Sisters’ School. 

Learn about DATMA’s Shelter 2023 public art season and get involved with Chicago-based artist Maxwell Emcays’ new community art installation — coming to downtown New Bedford in June 2023.

Explore textile through fashion with Our Sisters’ School students, who will be showcasing their up-cycled and repurposed fashion designs, and hosting hands-on activities with 3D-printing fabrics and exploring textile design in real time.

Contribute a piece of fabric (suggested donation: 12″ x 12″ or smaller) during the event — to be repurposed for Emcay’s summer installation!

Learn more at datma.org/events

Ends: 7:00pm

Meet the Illustrator with South Coast Almanac

The Drawing Room, 22 William Street

The Drawing Room is open for late night shopping until 8pm and our special guests this month include our friends from the South Coast Almanac.  Their team is joined by illustrator Margo Connolly-Masson who designed the cover art as well as the artwork for the  Fall River versus New Bedford feature article of their Early Spring issue.  South Coast Almanac discovered Margo’s illustrative style in The Drawing Room over the winter and initiated a conversation with their Creative Director and Masson.  Stop by from 5:30-7:00 pm to see the work, celebrate Margo and the team, and receive a complimentary issue, hot off the presses!

Tis the season for locally grown fresh cut flower bouquets from our friends at Weatherlow Farms, fine wine and beer selections; and special guest, Matt Dowd from Homegrown Distribution will join us for a craft beer tasting and small batch mead.  Artful gifts created by the dozens of regional artists who showcase their work in our shop are available for your perusal.

Stop in and discover something beautiful.

We’re thrilled to host the South Coast Almanac celebration of this new issue.  Thursday, April 13th for AHA! Night; and don’t forget we’ll be open until 8pm for late night shopping!

 

Ends: 8:00pm

Collage It! at Alison Wells Fine Art Gallery

106 William Street

Reuse and repurpose magazine paper at our Aha ART Table for this month’s Sustainable Southcoast theme.

Make a Fun and creative surreal paper collage character, hybrid animal or imaginative scene with only magazine images  and clippings.

Also view and shop our original paintings, prints, note cards and more in our  gallery. Lots to do, see and experience.

Ends: 8pm

5:30 PM

Tour the Zeiterion

Zeiterion Theatre, 684 Purchase Street

Join us for a special behind-the-curtain tour of the quirky spaces not typically seen by the public.

Tours start at 5:30pm and 6:30pm.

6:00 PM

UMass Dartmouth 2023 MFA Thesis Exhibition

Star Store Gallery, 715 Purchase Street

Stop by the CVPA at the UMass Dartmouth Star Store Galleries to view this year’s MFA Thesis Exhibition.

Exhibiting Artists: Ellery Ekleberry, Alexandra Danielle Landry, Azin Majooni, Jeff Smudde.

There will be another Opening Reception: Saturday, April 1 from 3:00 -5:00pm. Invited Guest Critic Lectures: Ruth Erickson, Mannion Family Senior Curator at the ICA Boston: Thursday, April 13, 10:30 am. Ed Panar, 2022 Guggenheim Fellow in Photography: Thursday, April 27, 10 am.

All events are free and open to the public.

Ends: 8:00pm

6:30 PM

Sustainable Southcoast

Workers Art Center, 560 Pleasant Street

Join the Worker’s Art Center for an interactive series of activities focused on Global Citizenship Education (GCE) and involve preservice teachers, local in-service teachers, and community members.
The theme of “Sustainable Southcoast” will be explored through 4 of the Sustainable Development Goals with a focus on Global Citizenship Education (GCE).

Ends: 8:30pm

The Shed: An AHA! Night Jam Session at The Z

Zeiterion Theatre, 684 Purchase Street

Musicians! Grab your instruments and head to The Z for a jam session led by sax player and music educator Emmanuel “Manny” Escobar in The Z Lounge on the corner of Purchase and Spring Streets. Shed all your cares, enjoy live music, improv and jam out with us. Musicians, vocalists, and audience welcome and no prior jam experience is necessary. Enter the “woodshed” to practice and have fun! Cash bar available.

Ends: 8:00pm

Seaport Sessions: Sarah Donner and Hooly J Chan

Hewn, 760 Purchase Street

Please join us at Hewn for the April Seaport Session! Our featured artists are Sarah Donner and Hooly J Chan, performing songs from their puppet-based musical about the North Atlantic right whales, The Beauty Below, along with other songs from their respective repertoires.

 Sarah Donner is an alt pop singer/songwriter who has embraced her inner cat lady. Her songs teeter back and forth between playful, nerd core, and ballads, all tied together with bright melodies and driving, energetic instrumentals. Sarah Donner’s music has been featured on Conan O’Brien’s blog, NPR, Buzzfeed, i09, Showtime, and CBS. Sarah’s collaboration with internet cartoonist and game-creator The Oatmeal catapulted Sarah into weblebrity status with over four million views on YouTube alone.

Sarah Donner links:

Website: www.sarahdonner.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/sarahdonnerBandcamp: https://sarahdonner.bandcamp.com/Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sarah-donner/260084246YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/lilymaideFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahdonnerInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahdonnerparty/Moby Kit website: https://mobykitrescue.org

Hooly J Chan is a singer/songwriter, performance artist and puppeteer living and working in the South Coast of Massachusetts. Hooly, who self identifies as an alien or fairy writes and creates music to heal, question and re-imagine ourselves and our world. Hooly moves through life by writing songs and has released two albums and an EP since 2020. Hooly is currently working on recording their third full length album!

Hooly J Chan links:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hoolyjchan

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6bHhG1DFxG6in7PNlrsVN4

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/juliette-terry-909950709

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/hooly-j-chan/1504756279

This month’s host is Hewn, located at 760 Purchase Street in Downtown New Bedford. Hewn is a non-gendered clothing & accessories shop, selling a curated mix of new & second-hand items.

7:00 PM

Hip Hop Cypher!

CO+ Creative Center, 137 Union Street

What is a cypher? A hip hop cypher is an informal, improvised, freestyle cyclical rapping session where people take turns. The AHA! Cyphers will be happening from April – September at the Co-Creative Center from 7:00 – 9:00pm. The Cyphers will feature a local emcee and producer who will be highlight and featured during the cyphers. The featured emcee will improvisationally rhyme over instrumentals in a rap cypher that will also include the emcees from the public. The featured producer will be highlighted with a 30 minute segment of their instrumental that the emcees will rhyme over. The featured emcee will also have a 30 minute performance set at the end of the cypher. The Cyphers will include rhyming games and will be family friendly and open to public participation. The cyphers will be hosted by Hendrick Hernandez and Bristol County Castro from Sleepless In New England as well as by Iean Mogan of MIDI Studios. We want thank our funders the New England Foundation for the Arts.

Ends: 9:00pm

7:30 PM

8:00 PM

Neal McCarthy Electric Band

The Pour Farm Tavern, 780 Purchase Street

Keep the night going with live music by the Neal McCarthy Electric Band from 8:00pm – 11:30pm.

Serving up your favorite libations. Tavern open until 2:00am, kitchen open until 8:45pm.