The Mariners’ Museum is brewing an exhibition for coffee lovers
The Mariners’ Museum is brewing an exhibition for coffee lovers
NEWPORT NEWS, VA—The Mariners’ Museum is hosting a traveling exhibition about the world’s most popular beverage. Coffee: The World in Your Cup opens February 21, 2015.
Coffee: The World in Your Cup explores how one of the most widely traded commodities affects cultures, economies and habitats around the world. Visitors will learn about people who produce and harvest coffee and the efforts to ensure they earn a fair wage.They will also explore the botany of coffee, the effects of caffeine on human health, and the art and science of producing the perfect cup.
“Coffee has always been, and remains, a commodity traded primarily by sea,” Museum Curator Marc Nucup said. “We have a chance to take a traveling show that is relevant to the maritime world and add items from the Museum’s collection to enhance the maritime theme.” Some of these items include replicas of several late 18th century documents showing coffee as a cargo and a coffee service that was owned by Commodore Isaac Hull, commander of the USS Constitution.
Interactive elements of the exhibition feature a coffee aroma display, a 125 pound “try to lift” coffee sack, as well as special events with coffee tastings and coffee art workshops. The Museum Shop will be selling two special blends of coffee roasted for the Museum by The Rogue Elephant in Hampton, VA. The two blends are Deep Brew Sea and The Mariners’ Blend.
The second Saturday of the month, from March – August, guests are invited to the Museum for tastings from local roasters and coffee-art projects for both adults and children. On select Thursdays, February-April, the Museum will host The Coffee Bar, an after-hours social event. These events will include hands-on coffee activities, access to the exhibition, light refreshments and signature coffee drinks.
This exhibition has been organized by the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington, Seattle. Major sponsorship has been provided by The Boeing Company, Microsoft Corporation, Starbucks Coffee Company, and the University of Washington.
Coffee: The World in our Cup is open from February 21 through September 7, 2015.
Media Preview: Friday, February 13, 2015. Please call ahead to schedule a time to tour with an exhibition curator. Contact Crystal Breede at (757) 591-7713 or cbreede@marinersmuseum.org.
The Mariners’ Museum, an educational, non-profit institution accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, preserves and interprets maritime history through an international collection of ship models, figureheads, paintings and other maritime artifacts. For hours and information, visit MarinersMuseum.org, call (757) 596-2222 or write to The Mariners’ Museum, 100 Museum Drive, Newport News, VA 23606.
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