By K. David Weidner, Ph.D., Executive Director
Over the years, we’ve hosted many events – the Annual Lighting, Juried Art Shows, new exhibitions – that have gotten me excited with anticipation; however, this year’s opening is without a doubt a highlight. 2022 will be my sixth opening day since becoming Executive Director and I could not be more thrilled. 2020 and 2021 were filled with uncertainty as the pandemic raged on, impacting our world, our community, our businesses and every aspect of our lives. This year is different – there are just so many great things to look forward to. Here are a few of them.
The Inclined Elevator Is Ready
Being able to finally say that our new front door is ready is simply an amazing feeling. The elevator is completed, certified and most important, ready to transport visitors up High Pole Hill, treating them to spectacular views along the way.
This was a monumental project, taking two years to complete and, thankfully, it’s done. Our contractors did an incredible job and we are very grateful for them. We did it!
The inclined elevator will be available to ticketed visitors and PMPM members during the 2022 season. In addition to online, tickets will be available to purchase at a kiosk adjacent to the elevator entrance on Bradford Street. Tickets will be needed to access the elevator.
We will be having a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday, June 1 at 11:00am to formally welcome the elevator into service and we hope to see you at this historical event. It is truly the dawn of a new era for the Pilgrim Monument and the town of Provincetown.
Exhibits
We are very pleased to be partnering with The Generations Project to create a new permanent exhibit called An Anecdotal LGBTQ+ History of the Last Century of Provincetown. Across two walls, this new addition to our collection will feature stories told at the Generation Project’s annual live events in Provincetown and a documentary series, Remnants: An Excavation of Provincetown. Together, they will construct a vibrant portrait of Provincetown’s LGBTQ+ history over the past one hundred years. Here is a preview of the documentary:
The Hat Sisters exhibit will also be getting a much needed refresh and we’re excited to bring that to you this year as well.
New Juried Art Exhibition with PAAM
For another year, the Provincetown Art Association and Museum (PAAM) and PMPM will partner to host the Juried Art Exhibition. We are happy to welcome a new season of artists from far and wide as we showcase their incredible works in the East Wing of the Provincetown Museum. We hope you will visit and view these amazing pieces which will be on display throughout the 2022 season.
Wonderful Causes and Observances
We are looking forward to a new season of lighting up the Pilgrim Monument in support of great causes like Autism Acceptance Month.
Raisi
ng awareness for efforts like these are paramount to our mission. This year, in addition to going blue for Autism, we are sharing our support for the people of Ukraine by joining Town Hall and covering the Monument in yellow and blue.We are also eagerly anticipating raising flags in celebration of independence: Again this year, we will lift the Pan African flag on Juneteenth and the Jamaican flag on August 6.
New Trustees
The Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum starts off the new season with new faces on our Board of
Trustees. We are ecstatic to welcome Don Collins, Ira Grolman, Dr. Paul Gray and Steven Peters as new Trustees to help our organization grow as a beacon of TRUTH. These new members ensure that our leadership accurately reflects the diverse communities that PMPM represents and serves.
We are most grateful for their service to our Board.
Time to get elevated!
We cannot wait to see you at PMPM this year. We will open on Friday, April 1 and will welcome patrons six days a week (closed on Tuesdays) from 10:00am to 5:00pm. Last admission into the Museum will be at 4:00pm. Last climb of the Monument will be at 4:15pm.
Tickets are available for purchase online and at the kiosk on Bradford Street.
See you at PMPM in 2022! It’s going to be a great year!
Please help our mission of TRUTH – Tolerance | Respect | Unity | Trust | Her/History. Your support allows us to keep challenging the status quo, and ourselves, to deliver the most accurate version of history.