Renowned contemporary artist Kevin Sampson is bringing his radical craft to Mystic Seaport Museum. Join Kevin in his "pop-up" art studio behind the Membership Building and watch him create a new piece for the exhibition of his works currently on display in the C.D. Mallory Building.

Kevin uses a unique artistic practice in which he transforms found materials such as cement, bones, tiles, fabric, paints, and wood into powerful sculptures. His piece USS Kye Kye Kule, uses a donated Bevin's skiff as its foundation, and he is culling items from across the Museum grounds to make it. 

Kevin's residency at the Museum began Saturday and runs through Saturday, July 14. The exhibition, Monument Man, will be open in the C.D. Mallory Building through Spring 2019.

Arts on the Quad returns! Pack your blanket or lawn chairs and find your perfect spot for viewing. This summer the series hosts a variety of speakers and activities paired with live performances that celebrate the Museum’s diverse exhibitions. You’re invited to bring your own picnic and non-alcoholic beverages. A cash bar and concession snacks will be available. Visitors will have access to the featured gallery for the evening. Please park in North Lot and enter via the Thompson Exhibition Building. In the event of rain, performances will take place in a covered location on the Museum grounds. Rain location seating is limited and on a first-come first-served basis.

Admission: $10 suggested donation

Gate opens at 5 p.m. 

Speakers start at 5:30 p.m. 

Performances start at 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, July 14: Monument Man

Meet the Museum’s first artist-in-residence, Kevin Sampson, the nationally renowned artist from Newark, N.J., who transforms found materials such as cement, bones, tiles, fabric, paints, and wood into powerful sculptures that speak to family, memory, and loss through the lens of the African-American experience. Then enjoy Sounds Great, a quartet from the Eastern CT Symphony Orchestra that will perform Mozart, Beethoven, jazz works by Ellington and Gershwin, Sea Songs, and other musical delights. 

The Kevin Sampson exhibition Monument Man, in the C.D. Mallory Building, will be free and open to the public between 5 and 8 p.m.

Sunday, July 29: The Vikings Begin

Award-winning author James L. Nelson will discuss the fascinating history of Viking raiding, settling, and assimilation into Irish culture.

The American-Canadian group The American Rogues take the stage. They are known for their epic, multi-instrumental sound that crosses the musical landscape to include jigs, reels, hornpipes, ballads, originals, covers, soundtracks, patriotic and military music, Irish foot-stompers, and more.

The Vikings Begin exhibition in the Collins Gallery will be free and open to the public between 5 and 8 p.m.