See a rare, restored panorama painting at New Bedford Whaling Museum: Things To Do

“What do you want to do?”

If you need an answer to this age-old question for making plans, we’ve got you covered.

In Things To Do, we take a look at, well, things to do, happening every week in the Greater Fall River area and around the SouthCoast.

From weekdays to weekends, there’s always plenty going on.

And we’re not only taking a look at what’s happening this week, we’re also giving you a heads up for events that are coming soon.

This week, we’ve got a rare painting that's been restored at the Whaling Museum, the annual Christmas in Fall River concert, an upcoming show for students, and a poetry battle.

So when someone asks you what you want to do, you’ve got your plans ready to go.

Here are Things To Do around Fall River and beyond this week:

Rare panorama painting restored at Whaling Museum

The New Bedford Whaling Museum, 18 Johnny Cake Hill, has unveiled the conserved “Panorama of a Whaling Voyage.” The painting by Charles Sidney Raleigh is one of only eight known panorama paintings in the United States, according to a press release from the Whaling Museum. The museum is home to two panorama paintings. The restoration is the result of a national grant through the “Save America’s Treasures” program, and the conservation effort was led by Gianfranco Pocobene, the Chief Paintings and Research Conservator at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Pocobene is also the acting principal at Gianfranco Pocobene Studio, where he specializes in the conservation of easel paintings from private and institutional collections and murals in public and private buildings, according to the release.

Raleigh’s original 275-foot-long panorama included 22 whaling scenes following the 1870-74 voyage of the ship Niger, which sailed out of New Bedford in 1870. This conserved painting is one of the 22 panels, and the results of the conservation were unveiled on Dec. 13. This conservation effort was funded by the National Park Service in collaboration with the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. See this painting, along with lots more art and artifacts at the Whaling Museum, which is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit whalingmuseum.org.

Christmas in Fall River concert features Sons of Serendip

Just before the big day itself, on Friday, Dec. 22, enjoy a musical evening at the 5th annual Christmas in Fall River concert. It will be held at the Nagle Auditorium at B.M.C. Durfee High School, 460 Elsbree St., at 7:30 p.m. A performance by The Khourys and the B.M.C Durfee Chorus will open the show, and the featured act is “America’s Got Talent” finalists and classical crossover quartet Sons of Serendip. Tickets are $10, and all proceeds will go to the Community Christmas Toy Drive, an initiative by the City of Fall River, Mayor Paul Coogan, and Law Enforcement Assisting Families. Tickets are available at Mayor Paul Coogan’s Office and online at https://cityoffallriver.ticketspice.com/5th-annual-christmas-in-fall-river-concert.

Learning outside the classroom: Zeiterion Schooltime series goes on the road

The Zeiterion Performing Art Center is taking its Schooltime series on the road, with presentations at New Bedford High School and UMass Dartmouth. This is a chance for students to experience the power of the performing arts. The next performance will be on Tuesday, Dec. 19, at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., in the Main Auditorium at UMass Dartmouth. “The Lightning Thief” is for grades 3 to 6, following the story of Percy Jackson, set to rock ‘n’ roll. To purchase tickets, visit https://www.zeiterion.org/learn/landing. For every 10 tickets purchased, The Z offers a free one, to help accommodate chaperones.

Coming soon: Poetry battle final round at New Bedford Art Museum

The final round of “Echoes of Expression” will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 27, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the New Bedford Art Museum, 608 Pleasant St. The poetry battle is free for all to attend, as the finalists wield their poetic prowess in the hopes of being crowned champion. For more information, visit https://newbedfordart.org/peoples-poetry.

Have a community event or activity you’d like to see featured? Send us an email at  [email protected] or [email protected].

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Things To Do: Whaling Museum restores rare panorama painting