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A fifth-generation captain who pilots charters aboard Island Queen II, Vera Meredith is featured in CBMM’s forthcoming special exhibition Her Helm.

A fifth-generation captain who pilots charters aboard Island Queen II, Vera Meredith is featured in CBMM’s forthcoming Her Helm special exhibition. (Photo courtesy Kristin Rutkowski)

ST. MICHAELS, Md., Aug. 18, 2023 – The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is pleased to announce a forthcoming special exhibition showcasing the work of photographer Kristin Rutkowski to highlight women who captain vessels on the Chesapeake Bay.

On public view starting Sept. 8, Her Helm: Portraits of Women on the Chesapeake brings a selection of photos from Rutkowski’s portrait project of the same name to the Van Lennep Auditorium. CBMM will host an exhibition-opening artist talk with Rutkowski on Thursday, Sept. 14 at 5:30pm. Registration is available now at bit.ly/HerHelm, with both in-person and virtual attendance options at a suggested ticket price of $8 per person.

With this two-year project, Rutkowski sought to challenge gendered stereotypes of who commands the wheel aboard vessels that ply the Bay.

“Women have long had vital roles in the Chesapeake’s fisheries and as skilled mariners,” CBMM’s Director of Curatorial Affairs & Exhibitions Jen Dolde said. “Nonetheless, their contributions frequently were not documented, or are not given the attention their contributions warrant. Kristin Rutkowski’s images boldly represent these women, and the oral histories give voice to their determination and passion.”

CBMM will open a new special exhibition, Her Helm: Portraits of Women on the Chesapeake, on Sept. 8 in the Van Lennep Auditorium, showcasing the work of photographer Kristin Rutkowski (pictured here) to highlight women who captain vessels on the Bay.

CBMM will open a new special exhibition, Her Helm: Portraits of Women on the Chesapeake, next month in the Van Lennep Auditorium, showcasing the work of photographer Kristin Rutkowski (pictured here) to highlight women who captain vessels on the Bay. (Photo courtesy Kristin Rutkowski)

A Maryland-based portrait photographer, Rutkowski traveled the region to feature more than 50 women who make their own way on the water, discovering a network of recreational power boaters and sailors, charter boat and tug captains, maritime and environmental educators, and delivery boat and ferry operators. Each of them, she found, experienced unique obstacles and challenges as they built their confidence and capability on the water.

Captured in their element along the docks and waterways or at the helm of their vessels, these women are empowered through Rutkowski’s lens. The paragraphs accompanying each portrait spotlight the captains’ accomplishments and capture their voices using their own words from informal interviews with the photographer. CBMM’s parallel oral history project will record life history interviews with more than a dozen of the women featured in “Her Helm.”

The full collection of Rutkowski’s portraits will be featured in a soon-to-be published “Her Helm” book.

“I’m excited to share the Her Helm project, and the amazing women involved, with the friends of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum,” Rutkowski said. “CBMM’s mission to record and promote life and culture around the Bay makes it the perfect place to recognize the contributions and leadership of these women. I’m incredibly grateful for CBMM’s support in sharing this project and recognizing the importance of celebrating this demographic, of helping to normalize the fact that women are in charge of boats.”

CBMM’s Her Helm exhibition features a selection of Kristin Rutkowski’s photo portraits of women who captain vessels on the Chesapeake Bay, including Kate Dumhart of the schooner Sultana.

CBMM’s Her Helm exhibition features a selection of Kristin Rutkowski’s photo portraits of women who captain vessels on the Bay, including Kate Dumhart of the schooner Sultana. (Photo courtesy Kristin Rutkowski)

Entrance to view Her Helm is included with general admission, which is free for CBMM members. This exhibition is funded through CBMM’s Regional Folklife Center under the Maryland Traditions program of the Maryland State Arts Council.

CBMM will offer programming around the exhibition over the coming months, starting with Rutkowski’s Sept. 14 talk.

On Oct. 23 at 5:30pm, Captain Judy Bixler will speak about her experiences at the helm of the Oxford-Bellevue Ferry over the past two decades. Registration for the program, “Her Helm: The Oxford-Bellevue Ferry Tale,” is now at bit.ly/FerryTale. The suggested cost is $8 per person, with both in-person and virtual options available.

Jack Messick poses with his grandson Josh and great-grandson Thomas on his most recent visit to CBMM on Dec. 30, 2022. Photo courtesy Scott Messick.

Jack Messick poses with his grandson Josh and great-grandson Thomas on his most recent visit to CBMM on Dec. 30, 2022. Photo courtesy Scott Messick.

By Eric Detweiler, Communications Specialist

Each year, Jack and Rose Messick welcome their four sons and their families back home to Reliance, Md., a few days after Christmas. It’s become a much-anticipated get-together for an Eastern Shore family whose roots have spread beyond the region. 

This time around, the Messicks’ holiday celebration included a field trip to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum for an opportunity to connect with a unique chapter in family history. 

The group–13 in all hailing from three different states and ranging in age from 2 to 84–made the journey to CBMM on Dec. 30 to see the 1879 Hooper Strait Lighthouse, the historic screwpile lighthouse on which Jack’s father, Harold, served as the assistant keeper from 19391942. 

“It kind of came up out of the blue,” said Scott Messick, the second-oldest son and a longtime CBMM member. “We got to talking about the lighthouse, and my sister-in-law from Cincinnati was saying she’d never been. We said, ‘Alright, let’s go.’” 

Harold Messick is featured on the wall of keepers spanning from the lighthouse’s origin in 1879 until it was automated in 1954. 

The display features a photo from the early 1950s of Harold with his wife Alice, daughter Annalee, and young Jack, donated by the family to CBMM’s collection along with some of Harold’s personal items, including pieces of a uniform, from his career working on the Hooper Strait Lighthouse as well as the Hoopers Island and Choptank River lighthouses. There’s also a quote from Harold about how much he enjoyed spending time in that light with Annalee. 

Jack’s sons Stu, Scott, Chris, and Jason never knew their grandfather, but through the years, they’ve relished the chance to learn his story and share it with others. It was a proud moment for the family to see his service recognized as part of the exhibition in the lighthouse that was relocated to CBMM’s Navy Point in 1966. 

“The cool part for me is my kids are both born in Ohio, so they’ve never seen anything like this,” said Chris Messick, who made the trip from Cincinnati with his wife Caroline and children Julian (age 13) and Clarissa (10). “To have them see their great-grandfather and my dad in that picture and start to understand the history a little bit was really special.” 

Jack Messick (far left) poses with his family—sister Annalee, father Harold, and mother Alice—in the photo currently that hangs on display in the 1879 Hooper Strait Lighthouse at CBMM. 1284.0001, gift of Jack Messick.

Jack Messick (far left) poses with his family—sister Annalee, father Harold, and mother Alice—in the photo currently that hangs on display in the 1879 Hooper Strait Lighthouse at CBMM. 1284.0001, gift of Jack Messick.

Jack Messick was just a toddler while his father was stationed on the Hooper Strait Lighthouse, but he’s got a slew of fascinating memories of the Choptank River Lighthouse. 

The recent CBMM visit served as a spark for Jack to recount his summer stays with his father on the light. 

Starting at age 10, Jack enjoyed unforgettable days filled with fishing, swimming, and playing with the resident pup Chop, and he also found pleasure in helping with the daily work, including swabbing the decks, polishing, painting, and helping his father with trimming the wick of the light’s kerosene lantern and recharging the smaller, unattended beacons down the river. 

“I’m very proud of my father’s service,” said Jack Messick, a former Marine officer who retired after a long career as a Dorchester County educator. “He was very diligent in what he did. He worked on the water most of his life, and I just know how important his sense of duty was. I like to think I picked that up from him. He had that sense that he was going to do his job the best he could for as long as he could.” 

“My father was not unique in that sense,” Messick added. “All the lighthouse keepers that he ever knew or worked with had that same work ethic. Even in the worst conditions, you’d stay with your light as long as you could.” 

With his family, Jack Messick told a story that particularly illustrated that point. He recalled being on the light when his father sprang into action to help a family whose boat was stranded near the light. 

After towing the boat to safe port in Oxford, the man offered his father $10 as thanks. Young Jack was surprised at his father’s polite refusal of the tip for his service. 

“I think that was a lifetime lesson for me,” Jack remembered. “At the time, I thought, ‘Well, that’s two Red Ryder BB guns.’ That $10 would’ve bought me two, but he wouldn’t take it. To me, that says a lot about who he was.”

For the rest of the family, hearing that tale for the first time offered a window into the world that shaped Jack. 

“It stuck with him,” Scott Messick said. “He’s taught that lesson. Not the same way. Because I’d never heard it that way before, but he’s taught that lesson to us. 

“Do your job. Do unto others. That’s how we’ve always lived. I never thought it would’ve come from my grandfather.” 

Harold Messick's lighthouse keeper's hat worn while serving at the Hooper Strait Lighthouse from 1939 to c.1942. 1979.48.1, gift of Annalee M. Rieck.

Harold Messick’s lighthouse keeper’s hat worn while serving at the Hooper Strait Lighthouse from 1939 to c.1942. 1979.48.1, gift of Annalee M. Rieck.

That’s not the only family connection the Messicks discovered on this trip to CBMM. 

In the Oystering on the Chesapeake exhibition, there are oyster tongs emblazoned with “Messick Bros” on the shaft that were handcrafted by relatives in a shop in Harold Messick’s hometown of Bivalve, Md., that has been producing them for generations. 

Scott Messick has been supporting CBMM for years. He’s made regular visits for member events and hands-on workshops, and his son Andrew once completed an internship with CBMM’s curatorial team. 

Strolling campus with four generations of Messicks, including two of his sons and his grandson Thomas, Scott noticed the tongs that bore his family name for the first time. That fun find only added to a day to remember at CBMM for the group. 

“It’s a joy to me to be part of it and feel like I’m part of it,” Scott Messick said. “I enjoy being a member. I enjoy taking people there. I tell people they should go see it, and I say, ‘While you’re there, look for my dad.’”

Stephen Walker’s oil painting, “Bay Life,” is among the works featured in CBMM’s exhibition The Changing Chesapeake, which opens on March 1.

Stephen Walker’s oil painting, “Bay Life,” is among the works featured in CBMM’s exhibition The Changing Chesapeake, which opens on March 1.

ST. MICHAELS, Md., Jan. 10, 2023– The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s exhibition, The Changing Chesapeakewill open to the public on Wednesday, March 1 in the Steamboat Building gallery.

Artists were asked to reflect on how climate change and the impact of humans on the environment shapes their Chesapeake community, how the way they identify with and are inspired by the Chesapeake has evolved, what they would want someone 100 years from now to know about life and community traditions in the Chesapeake, and their vision for the future of life in the region.

The Changing Chesapeake will invite guests to explore the perspectives of artists from across Maryland and surrounding areas. The works were selected through a community panelist review process and include traditional media such as photography and painting, as well as stop-motion animation, found-object art, quilting, original songwriting, embroidery, poetry, and sculpture.

A photo-artistic montage featured in CBMM’s upcoming exhibition The Changing Chesapeake, Tom Payne’s “Tangier Abandoned” presents a fantastical depiction of Tangier Island underwater, which may become Tangier’s eventual fate.

A photo-artistic montage featured in CBMM’s upcoming exhibition The Changing Chesapeake, Tom Payne’s “Tangier Abandoned” presents a fantastical depiction of Tangier Island underwater, which may become Tangier’s eventual fate.

Just a few of the unique works featured: Peter Panyon’s music video, “Can’t Work the River,” presents the first-person perspective of a waterman facing a disappearing livelihood. Using quilt and crochet techniques, Laura Guertin’s fiber artwork, “Ghosts of the Coast,” portrays a window that frames its titular spirits, which are trees dying from saltwater intrusion. Writer Anna Marhefka’s creative nonfiction piece, “And still, she beckons,” reflects on her relationship with the Bay as a child and adult through memories of boating and fishing.

Sharon Dennis’ painting “Anchor of Hope Cemetery” portrays graves dating to the Revolutionary War falling into the water along an eroding shoreline. In his photo-artistic montage “Tangier Abandoned,” Tom Payne presents a fantastical depiction of Tangier Island underwater, which may become Tangier’s eventual fate. An oil painting by Sharon Malley, “Momfords Poynt from Space” examines the beauty and gracefulness of rivers as they intersect the land, by imagining John Smith’s map of the Chesapeake from space.

CBMM’s upcoming exhibition The Changing Chesapeake gathers perspectives of artists from across Maryland and surrounding areas, including Louisa Zendt’s oil painting, “Prime Time.”

CBMM’s upcoming exhibition The Changing Chesapeake gathers perspectives of artists from across Maryland and surrounding areas, including Louisa Zendt’s oil painting, “Prime Time.”

“Our concept for The Changing Chesapeake was to break down barriers and encourage artists of all types and experience levels to find their voice, share their personal histories, passions, fears, and hopes, and convey how the Chesapeake shapes and is shaped by individual and community identities,” said Curator and Folklife Center Manager Jen Dolde. “These artworks document how cultural traditions are evolving and transforming in an era of dynamic change. They are a human response to environmental, economic, and internal and external factors that often seem beyond our control.”

The panel selected more than 75 works, which will be on exhibition through Feb. 25, 2024, with public programming slated for spring 2023. CBMM members and the selected artists will be invited to view the exhibition and mingle during an opening event on Thursday, March 2 from 6-7pm. CBMM members can register now at bit.ly/ChangingChesapeakeOpening.

The Changing Chesapeake is funded through CBMM’s Regional Folklife Center under the Maryland Traditions program of the Maryland State Arts Council. Viewing this exhibition is included with general CBMM admission and free for CBMM members. Visit cbmm.org to learn more.

Department of Natural Resources Biologist Donald Webster stands alongside a “ghost forest” in Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Dorchester County holding measuring stick marking the level of potential sea level rise in 2100. Photograph by Michael O. Snyder. Works like these, showing the effects of climate change, will be on display at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum beginning in September. Visit cbmm.org to learn more.

Department of Natural Resources Biologist Donald Webster stands alongside a “ghost forest” in Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Dorchester County holding measuring stick marking the level of potential sea level rise in 2100. Photograph by Michael O. Snyder. Works like these, showing the effects of climate change, will be on display at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum beginning in September. Visit cbmm.org to learn more.

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is pleased to announce a new special exhibition arriving soon at its St. Michaels, Md., campus, The Coming Coast. Opening Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022, the exhibition will feature works by Michael O. Snyder on display both in a traditional gallery setting in CBMM’s Van Lennep Auditorium and in a larger scale outdoors on its campus.

Informed by his training as an environmental scientist and inspired by his passion for the beauty and wildness of the natural world, Snyder’s pieces explore the effects of climate change on the Chesapeake Bay region and beyond. Images from Snyder’s Eroding Edges and The Coming Coast series confront the impact of environmental change on both landscape and culture.

“Within yards of the Miles River, visitors will encounter banner-sized images and quotes from Michael O. Snyder’s probing interviews with the scientists and leaders confronting and working to combat climate change in their communities,” says Curator and Folklife Center Manager Jen Dolde. “Inside, Snyder’s photographs of the coastal communities of Alaska, the Mississippi Delta, and British Columbia are juxtaposed with the seafood harvesting towns of the Chesapeake, where watermen face the erosion of their landscapes, their lifestyles, and their cultural identities in only a few generations.”

Entrance to see The Coming Coast is included with general admission, which is free for CBMM members. To learn more about the perks and privileges of membership, visit cbmm.org/membership.

Michael O. Snyder’s documentary work is funded through The Bertha Foundation, Climate Central, National Geographic, The Blue Earth Alliance, The Arctic Institute, and The National Trust for Historic Preservation.