The Martha’s Vineyard Museum heads to Vineyard Haven on Tuesday to learn from Islanders themselves about the history and personality of their town. The work is part of an effort to develop a permanent exhibit on Vineyard history funded by a $39,903 National Endowment for the Humanities grant.

“A lot of people come to the museum and they expect to find out what Martha’s Vineyard history is,” said chief curator Bonnie Stacy. “Right now we have the exhibit Your Town, Our Island which gives little tidbits from each town, but there’s nothing that is beginning to end and covers all the communities and groups of people that have made this place their home.”

Before the future exhibit can be assembled, museum staff members have been fanning out across the Island to hear what the public is interested in saying about their corner of the Vineyard and what they’d like to see covered. The museum has already conducted forums in the three up-Island towns, and although attendance was sparse Ms. Stacy said the voices of the community were strong.

“There is one common theme that all of the participants have mentioned independently and that’s the changing face of the Vineyard,” she said. One of the most visible features of the changing face of up-Island towns has been the transition from mostly open agricultural space to wooded land.

In Aquinnah participants described their town’s remoteness and status as the end of the Island where few down-Islanders ventured. In Chilmark participants asserted their town’s neglected reputation for whaling.

“Everybody thinks of Edgartown when they think of whaling but a lot of whaling captains lived in Chilmark too,” said Ms. Stacy, who added that the museum would be well served to add a Noman’s Land boat to its collection. The unique fishing boats designed and constructed in Chilmark are notable for their unusual two-prow design.

In West Tisbury there was enthusiasm for an exploration of the town’s ancient ways, a subject Ms. Stacy said would make a fascinating Islandwide study.

“How did people get from one place to another on all of these ancient ways?” she said.

Next Tuesday at the Vineyard Haven Library the museum is inviting residents of that town to share their own stories about their hometown, followed by a forum in Oak Bluffs in March and one in Edgartown in April.

“The question is: What are the stories that the townspeople think are important to be told about their town and that resonate with them?” said Ms. Stacy. “They get to tell the museum what they think is important, not have the museum decide what we think is important.”

The Martha’s Vineyard Museum will hold its Tisbury community forum at the Vineyard Haven Public Library on Tuesday, Feb. 8 from 7 to 8 p.m. All are welcome.