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| Last updated on July 17, 2008 |
The mission of the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum is to preserve and present the maritime heritage of California’s Central Coast, while providing an ongoing educational platform for the study of human interaction with the ocean.
Description:
Without the ongoing preservation and conservation work of the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, much of the rich and exciting maritime history of the founding, growth, and well-being of our American Riviera would be lost. Prior to the museum’s opening, there were no formal preservation efforts, organized collections of artifacts, documents or oral histories available to the public or researchers.
Among the museum’s current collections are many irreplaceable charts, historical film negatives, and shipwreck artifacts requiring special conservation techniques, and thousands of historic items requiring cataloging.
The Maritime Museum strives to provide an exciting atmosphere that fosters an understanding and appreciation of the natural and cultural history of the region through innovative, interactive gallery exhibits, special events and educational programs.
Through collaborations with Dr. Robert Ballard’s Immersion Presents! program, and the Ocean Institute of Dana Point’s Spirit of Dana Point Tall Ship Education Program, the Maritime Museum provides exciting, interactive experiences for our community’s fourth, fifth, and sixth graders. Immersion Presents! provides a week of interactive lessons organized around a science-based research expedition, including live broadcasts from the research site (the 2008 program explores Monterey Bay). The Spirit of Dana Point Tall Ship Program provides local schools with a professionally developed curriculum , aligned with the California state Content Standards, highlighting California’s rich maritime history. Fourth graders read Richard Henry Dana, Jr.’s Two Years Before the Masts, while fifth graders read Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, by Jean Lee Latham. Students then spend the night aboard the Spirit of Dana Point, learning how to navigate, defend, and maintain their ship. The program curriculum offers interdisciplinary lessons in math, science, language arts, social studies, and music, and is immensely popular with both students and their teachers.
Since opening in July 2000, more than 200,000 people have entered the museum to explore our “unburied treasures” and participate in numerous educational and entertaining activities, providing meaningful, lasting lessons and memories about human interaction with the sea– and we are committed to instilling a responsibility for sustaining the life and cultures our oceans support in everyone who visits. Up to 8,000 children benefit annually from our exhibits, education programs, and activities.
Over 150 dedicated volunteers have donated over 60,000 hours of service to the museum. Many of them have trained as docents, becoming experts in the subject of local maritime history, and lead people of all ages on fascinating journeys through the museum’s many collections.
Since the development process began in 1994, the museum has created extensive collaborative relationships with several organizations and all the local museums through the Educator’s Roundtable and the Museum Executive Forum. Public and private schools, including UCSB and Santa Barbara City College, are among the museum’s many partners. Other collaborators include the Chumash Maritime Association, Community Environmental Council, Harbor Patrol, City of Santa Barbara Waterfront Department, Heal the Ocean, Historical Diving Society, JASON Foundation, National Park Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Navy League, Ocean Institute, Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation, Santa Barbara County Education Office, and the U.S. Coast Guard.
While other institutions, such as the Museum of Natural History’s Sea Center, focus on marine life, the Maritime Museum’s objective is to provide education about our local coastal environment as well as about human interaction with and responsible care of the sea.
History:
In 1994, a group of dedicated sailing, diving, and maritime history enthusiasts founded the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum as a California nonprofit, public benefit corporation. Since its inception, the museum’s advisory board, volunteers, and staff have been working hard to plan exhibits for the new museum, raise funds for the building, exhibits, and educational programs.
The museum will serve as a dynamic cultural resource for the community and our visitors. There is no institution in our area which documents Santa Barbara’s maritime heritage. Providing educational opportunities for the youth of our community is a key part of the museum’s educational outreach. During this past year, over 2,400 students and their teachers in Santa Barbara County participated in the museum’s JASON Expedition Program.
The Museum successfully completed a capital campaign in June 1999, raising more than $4 million to fund the initial cost associated with the museums Phase I opening. The museum has surpassed its goal to raise $650 thousand during calendar year 2000, having raised $750 thousand to date. Fundraising is an on going effort and the museum is still seeking donations to complete in many phases of development.
Contact people:
Office fax number: (805) 962-7634
Address:
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113 Harbor Way, Suite 190
Santa Barbara, CA 93109
(See a map) |
Web Site: http://www.sbmm.org
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