Stove by a Whale: 20 Men, 3 Boats, 96 Days
Nantucket Historical Association
Nantucket, MA

Opened in May 2015, “Stove by a Whale: 20 Men, 3 Boats, 96 Days” is an exhibition about the sinking of the whaleship Essex by a sperm whale in 1820. The 20 crewmen survived the whale but were forced to fend for themselves in the vast Pacific Ocean with just three whaleboats and limited supplies.

The exhibit features the only surviving artifacts, a life-sized whaleboat that visitors can board and sit in, and character cards portraying Essex crew members. Props from director Ron Howard’s film “In the Heart of the Sea,” which was based on Nat Philbrick’s National Book Award-winning work of the same name, are on loan from Warner Brothers.

Project scope:
Exhibit design
Graphic design and graphic production
Graphic fabrication and installation
Interactive design
Project management

Photography by Jeff Allen, courtesy of the Nantucket Historical Association