The big news this summer is the reconstruction of the head of the GMHC Main Pier. This huge timber pier is the heart of the site. It offers unsurpassed views of the harbor and  serves as a work area for visiting schooner crews. It also functions as an outdoor classroom and a popular place for artists to set up their easels. Come August 31st and the third annual Bluenose II Gala (GMHC’s annual fundraiser), the head of the pier will have a new use – as a dance floor!

One of GMHC’s highest priorities this season is making the outdoor features of our site more attractive and informative The photo above shows artist Peter Reiss transforming an ugly gray green tank into a fanciful seascape that represents the plants and animals that live in the tank. The tank is used for research in eelgrass cultivation, a project managed by the MIT Sea Grant Hatchery and Education Center, our tenant and partner. New signage describing eelgrass and its contribution to a healthy marine habit was recently installed adjacent to the tank, turning a once dreary installation into an attractive and educational exhibit.   

Nearby, GMHC board member Geno Mondello is transforming a small shed into a new exhibit focusing on dory fishing. There will be plenty of opportunity to handle artifacts ranging from tub trawls to bailers to hooks and horns. Geno is also building a small wharf on two sides of the shed where he plans to tie up a real dory.  The exhibit is on dry land. If you want to see a dory floating in the harbor, just take a short walk over to the main pier and rowing dock.  The dory exhibit will be up and running by the end of August.