Museum program features maritime artist

Constance Sartor
Marine biologist and artist Constance Sartor, who will be working on a mural in Beaufort, will be featured during a free program on Jan. 9 at the N.C. Maritime Museum. (Submitted photo)

Beaufort, N.C. – A marine biologist and artist whose work can be seen across the globe will soon be making a mark in Beaufort.

Constance Sartor, a self-taught artist who is undergoing graduate studies in coral reef genetics at the University of Guam, will be working this week on creating a mural of a Cuvier’s beaked whale and calf at Bonehenge Whale Center. Join Sartor Jan. 9 at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort, located at 315 Front St., to learn about the work in progress and to also hear about her adventures as an artist and a marine biologist. The free program, which is open to the public, will also showcase local artist and research assistant Nan Bowles’ dolphin mural at Bonehenge, other works in the Bonehenge collection and the use of art to inspire education and conservation of marine animals. Registration for the program is not required, and walk-ins are welcome.

Sartor’s work at Bonehenge, which is expected to open to the public later this year, will be the most recent in a series of murals she has completed in places that are hubs of marine science and education: Guam Marine Laboratory; Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium in Sarasota, Florida; New College in Florida; and Yellowstone National Park among them.

For more information on Sartor, visit fineartamerica.com/profiles/constance-sartor. For information on the program, contact the museum at 252-504-7740 or ncmaritimemuseumbeaufort.com.

About the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort

The North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort reflects coastal life and interprets lighthouses and lifesaving stations, the seafood industry, motorboats, and more. Studies in marine life, science, and ecology are available for all ages. The Beaufort museum is the repository for artifacts from Blackbeard’s wrecked flagship, Queen Anne’s Revenge, among them cannons, grenades, belt buckles and beads. The Harvey W. Smith Watercraft Center teaches boatbuilding for all ages.

The North Carolina Maritime Museum, located at 315 Front Street in Beaufort, is open Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The museum is open to the public with free admission. Donations are always appreciated. For more information about the museum, call 252-504-7740 or visit https://ncmaritimemuseumbeaufort.com/.

The North Carolina Maritime Museum system is comprised of the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras, the North Carolina Maritime Museum at Beaufort and the North Carolina Maritime Museum at Southport. All three museums are part of the Division of State History Museums in the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. The system website is www.ncmaritimemuseums.com.

About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources

The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (NCDNCR) is the state agency with a vision to be the leader in using the state’s natural and cultural resources to build the social, cultural, educational and economic future of North Carolina. NCDNCR’s mission is to improve the quality of life in our state by creating opportunities to experience excellence in the arts, history, libraries and nature in North Carolina by stimulating learning, inspiring creativity, preserving the state’s history, conserving the state’s natural heritage, encouraging recreation and cultural tourism, and promoting economic development.

NCDNCR includes 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, two science museums, three aquariums and Jennette’s Pier, 39 state parks and recreation areas, the N.C. Zoo, the nation’s first state-supported Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, State Preservation Office and the Office of State Archaeology, along with the Division of Land and Water Stewardship. For more information, call 919-807-7300 or visit https://www.ncdcr.gov/.

Submitted by: Cyndi Brown, Public information officer, N.C. Maritime Museums, Beaufort • Hatteras • Southport