On September 9th a new exhibit is opening up at the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center, called Women’s Work: At Sea, On shore, At Home, In the Community. The exhibit will shine a light on the many roles women play in commercial fishing communities.
As Carolyn Latti, who was one of the few women maritime attorneys on the East Coast when she started out as an attorney over 25 years ago, states how important it is to understand women have played a vital unrecognized role in the fishing industry over the years. This exhibit which will be at the Heritage Center until March 2022 is the perfect opportunity to learn about women’s roles in the fishing industry.
Through photographs and oral histories, the exhibit profiles more than sixty women from fishing communities in Massachusetts, Maine, and Rhode Island, and amplifies the voices and experience of women who work in what is often perceived to be a male-dominated world. The exhibit features the photography of Shareen Davis, Markham Starr, and Phil Mello, and draws on oral history interviews conducted over the past 15 years.
Visitors will meet women who work on deck as fishermen and scientists, onshore as welders and electricians, women who own businesses and boats, and women who advocate on behalf of the fishing industry. In addition, the exhibit explores topics ranging from “What do You Call a Woman who Fishes?” to “Women in Myths and Marketing.”
Take time to go visit the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center and explore this important Exhibit. www.fishingheritagecenter.org.
