It’s A Major Award!
THE ARTISTS INDEX IS BEING PRESENTED WITH WHALE’S 2026 GEORGE PERKINS AWARD!
WHALE, the Waterfront Historic Area LeaguE, has informed us that The Artists Index will be presented with a 2026 George Perkins Award, which is given to an individual or organization whose contributions have made a positive impact on the quality of life in Greater New Bedford.
George C. Perkins was one of the founders of WHALE. He also served as its first president. The Artists Index is receiving this award in recognition of our promotion of the cultural sustainability of the creative community of the South Coast, protection of its artistic and cultural heritage from the passage of time, and preservation of its rich diversity for future generations. The award will be presented at WHALE’s 2026 Annual Meeting in June at the Zeiterion performing arts center.
The Artists Index Website Project was inspired in 2009 by a 1989 newspaper ad placed by Mary Jean Blasdale, the former curator of the New Bedford Whaling Museum. Her ad implored, “A name, a birthday, an exhibition date… Mary Jean Blasdale would like to know more about the works of the following New Bedford artists.” Based on her dogged research and the information she received, she wrote the Artists of New Bedford: A biographical dictionary in 1990.
Her example inspired The Artists Index, and our mission continues to be driven by this African proverb:
“You die twice. The first time is when you draw your last breath. The second is when the last person who spoke your name draws theirs.”
The Southcoast Artists Index has evolved from a passion project into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in New Bedford, Massachusetts. We have recorded nearly 300 podcasts as part of our documentation of the lives and legacies of artists from the Southcoast of Massachusetts. The collected data is part of our current collaborative digital archive. It will become the basis of our ultimate project: a searchable, scalable, and shareable database similar to Ancestry.com.
The Southcoast Artists Index Podcasts offer listeners up close, personal, and informative conversations with the makers, performers, supporters, and cultural impresarios of the remarkable creative community of the South Coast. We aim to document every historical and contemporary artist for posterity and create an excellent reference and research resource for everyone, including scholars, genealogists, and educators.
We invite all South Coast artists to contribute their stories to our growing archive. We want to hear about their background, passions, dreams, and accomplishments. Everyone is invited to share any information, documentation, and examples they may have about family, friends, and acquaintances who contributed to this creative community’s history.
We thank WHALE for this meaningful honor. It recognizes and reflects our continuing efforts to document the lives and legacies of the extraordinary artists, organizations, and cultural leaders across the South Coast who inspire and sustain the South Coast’s creative community every day
Please help us continue our quest by following us, sharing our podcasts, sponsoring our programming, and underwriting new documentation activities. Your donations allow us to continue bookmarking our community’s artists’ place in history!
AND WHILE YOU’RE HERE: Please consider donating whatever you can to ensure that our mission continues as we document the legacies of South Coast Artists.
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