A Sankofa Journey: The African in America
In honor of Black History Month, The John F. Kennedy Museum is proud to welcome an exhibit of mixed media works by artist Robin J. Miller, who specializes in African American heritage themes. Robin Miller’s works includes a variety of materials – paper, fabric, paint, threads, beads and stone.
On display now through June 2025
JFK: The Three Miles Documentary
In June 1963, President John F. Kennedy made a visit that would change America and the rest of the world’s perception of Ireland. Kennedy referred to his visit to Ireland as “the best four days of his life.” One of those days, June 29th, was spent in Galway, known for its long winding promenade, beautiful beaches, and traditional Gaeltacht culture of music, dancing, and the Irish language.
Told by residents present during the presidential visit, JFK: The Three Miles recalls the euphoric excitement in Galway. None had ever experienced such privilege or felt such an atmosphere. They certainly never met someone as famous as the President of the United States.
Listening assisted devices are available.
JFK The Three Miles – Directed by Pamela Finn, Galway, Ireland.
Penn-Colombo Gallery Exhibit
“We Remember John F. Kennedy, Jr.”
Born two weeks after his father was elected President of the United States, John F. Kennedy Jr. grew up in the spotlight. At Hyannis Port on Cape Cod, at the White House during his father’s presidency and years later in Manhattan, JFK Jr. captivated the world.
John, his wife and her sister all died in a plane crash off Cape Cod on July 16, 1999. As his beloved uncle Ted Kennedy said at his funeral “From the first day of his life, John seemed to belong not only to our family, but to the American Family.”
John also belonged to the Cape Cod family. It was here that he enchanted us as a little boy and later beguiled us as an adult visiting the family home in Hannis Port. He felt comfortable walking down Main Street, Hyannis and sometimes visited here at the John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum.
Set in thematic arrangements, “We Remember JFK Jr.” features extraordinary images (some seldom seen) of John Jr. alone, or with his father, mother, sister and wife. Through video, photographs, quotes, text and artifacts, this commemorative exhibit invites visitors to remember John F. Kennedy Jr. who, like his father, had every gift but length of years.
Runs through December 2024.
Sponsored by:
“Presidential Summers: The Kennedys on Cape Cod”
The summers were magical. On Friday evenings, President Kennedy would arrive by helicopter on the lawn of the sprawling Kennedy home in Hyannis Port. He would be lovingly greeted by his children and a flock of nieces and nephews ready to hop on the golf cart and head to the candy store. For JFK weekends on Cape Cod meant renewal, inspiration and fun family times. The President was a golfer and a racing sailor and enjoyed winning at both!
See archival video, special family images, fascinating artifacts and more at this new long-term exhibit.
Exhibit Highlights:
• The Heart & Home: Kennedy Compound
• To Wake as President
• Summers were Magical
• JFK’s Presidency and World Events Timeline
• Sailing the Victura
• Jackie, Jackie, Jackie!
• Happy Birthday, Grandpa
RFK: Ripple of Hope
Special exhibit commemorates Robert F. Kennedy
The John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum special exhibit to commemorate the life and legacy of Robert F. Kennedy continues through 2023. The “RFK: Ripple of Hope” exhibit, was assembled in collaboration with RFK Human Rights Foundation .
“The theme ‘Ripple of Hope’ comes from his most famous and powerful speech delivered in Cape Town, South Africa,” said the exhibit curator Rebecca Pierce-Merrick. “It’s a fitting title for our exhibit as well because that’s exactly what his life of public service created – a ripple of hope that continues to reverberate through the generations since his passing.”
This exhibit begins with Robert Kennedy’s early years within the Kennedy family, including rarely seen images of his time on Cape Cod. The focal point of the exhibit however, covers his time serving as the U.S. Attorney General, his election to the U.S. Senate, and culminating with his inspirational presidential campaign, which began on March 16, 1968 and ended with his death on June 6, 1968.
One particularly poignant part of the exhibit highlights an impromptu speech he gave before a large group of distraught onlookers the night Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in April 1968 just weeks after Kennedy announced his bid for the presidency.
The exhibit includes 45 images and excerpts from Robert Kennedy’s speeches that convey the boundless energy he showed on the campaign trail, often with Ethel and his children at his side. “Ripple of Hope” also has a very moving eight-minute video narrated by Kathleen Kennedy and Joseph P. Kennedy III.
JFK at 100: Life and Legacy
John F. Kennedy’s words inspired not only his generation but continue to inspire generations of people around the globe. How did he become a man so committed to public service? How does his legacy live on? What role did Cape Cod play in shaping his personality? Our exhibition, JFK at 100: Life & Legacy, strives to answer those questions.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born on May 29, 1917. Although he lived only 46 of the past 106 years, he continues to be quoted constantly by world leaders. Thousands of public facilities have been named in his honor. His visions for space travel, civil rights, and nuclear non-proliferation remain a guiding force for how we approach these contemporary topics. JFK at 100: Life & Legacy considers how President Kennedy influenced the full hundred years after his birth.
We begin by telling John F. Kennedy’s story from childhood through election day, when he was known to family and friends as Jack. We tell our story through a carefully curated collection of photographs, many rarely seen: candids taken by friends and family; studio, magazine and newspaper photos; stills from television and video. Many of the images include Jack and his friends and family enjoying themselves at the Cape, their refuge from their busy schedules and the place Jack always considered home.
We’ll continue the journey through President Kennedy’s White House years, including fascinating artifacts from Inauguration Day. Other photos will give important glimpses into President Kennedy’s life in Hyannis Port, which became known as the Summer White House.
The exhibit features the careers of his brothers Bobby and Ted and his lasting influence on space travel, the Peace Corps, advocacy for children with intellectual disabilities, and of course the creation of the Cape Cod National Seashore. Our goal is for visitors to leave with a better sense of Jack Kennedy, the private person, and President John F. Kennedy, influential world leader, and to understand the deep and lasting influence of Cape Cod on the man and his ideas.