In 1981, attorney and civil rights activist Vernon Jordan gave the Commencement Address at the University of Pennsylvania. His daughter Vicky was in the graduating class and Mr. Jordan was awarded an honorary degree by Penn president Sheldon Hackney.

Two trailblazing artists and their relationship is the theme of historian Henry Adams’s book Tom and Jack: The Intertwined Lives of Thomas Hart Benton and Jackson Pollock. Abstract impressionist Mr. Pollock let the paint fall where it may, while Mr. Benton’s style was the polar opposite. Mr. Pollock was a student of Benton’s.

The Martha’s Vineyard Museum announces the appointment of Daniel Waters as its new development director effective immediately.

Mr. Waters is a long-time resident of West Tisbury and earned his bachelor’s degree in English at Wesleyan University. He was instrumental in the formation of the Martha’s Vineyard Cultural Council, garnering a 2005 Leadership Circle Award from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. He became a trustee for the West Tisbury Public Library, cowriting a $2.98 million grant for construction of the new library.

The Martha’s Vineyard Museum celebrated its 90th birthday on Saturday by holding its annual Evening of Discovery gala on the grounds of its future site, the former Marine Hospital in Vineyard Haven. Three-hundred forty-two guests paid $200 to attend the event — the largest number of attendees since the museum’s summer dinners began 15 years ago.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation announced in a ceremony at the Gay Head Cliffs Wednesday morning that it had named the Gay Head Light to its 2013 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.

The arts took center stage in Vineyard Haven this week as three cultural organizations received grants from the state. Selectmen also voted to approve creating an application to form the Vineyard Haven Harbor Cultural District.

On Monday, the Vineyard Playhouse, the Martha’s Vineyard Museum and the Martha’s Vineyard Film Center were awarded capital grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund. Of the 10 projects funded in the southeast region, three are in Vineyard Haven.

Whether your interests lie in lighthouses or in the luminescent quality of a watercolor, Martha’s Vineyard Museum has something to offer this summer. The museum is open year-round and begins the summer season with an opening party on Friday, June 14 from 7 to 9 p.m. at 59 School street in Edgartown.

Maritime souvenirs from Vineyard mariners who sailed in the 19th and early 20th century are the subject of the exhibit A Taste for the Exotic: Mementos from Around the Globe. Whether they were chasing whales or shipping goods, the mariners collected items that documented their oceanic travels.

The exhibit opens on Friday, May 24, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum, 59 School street in Edgartown.

Youngsters can travel back to the days when whalers and sailors engraved images on whale bone as part of the Edgartown Board of Trade’s Pink and Green Weekend. Since it is a Pink and Green Weekend, youngsters will carve their own scrimshaw art out of pink and green soap. The scrimshaw event is offered at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum Library, 59 School street in Edgartown, beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 11. Reservations are required for an accurate count of materials. Cost is $5 per child.

The Martha’s Vineyard Museum is hosting a reception tonight, March 15, for its latest spotlight gallery. These are short-term galleries devoted to rarely seen collections, new acquisitions and curators’ favorites. The latest spotlight was curated by the museum’s Facebook fans and Twitter followers. Over the past few weeks, these friends have voted on their favorite objects in the museum collection. The winners are now on exhibit.