Mayflower 400: Legend and legacy

Jo Loosemore

This talk takes us on an epic journey of survival, imagination and ethical choices.

Jo Loosemore, curator of the largest commemorative Mayflower exhibition ever held, Mayflower 400: Legend and Legacy reveals our changing perceptions of this iconic ship, its passengers and an Atlantic journey made 400 years ago. With objects, images and ideas from museums, libraries and archives across the UK, US and the Netherlands, she describes the different ethical considerations the exhibition faced in commemorating the sailing of the Mayflower and the consequences felt by native Americans.

Jo Loosemore is a broadcaster, curator and actor. She has created radio dramas, documentaries and live programmes for the BBC, including World War One at Home (in partnership with the Imperial War Museums), From Brazil to the Battlefield (the story of Exeter’s fighting footballers) and The Listening Project’s national tour (in partnership with the British Library). She is curator of Mayflower 400: Legend and Legacy, the commemorative exhibition for The Box (Plymouth's new History Centre) and the co-curator of the national touring exhibition Wampum: Stories from the Shells of Native America. For more information see her website. 

The Mayflower left Plymouth on 6 September 1620 (what was 6 September in 1620 is now 16 September in our modern Gregorian calendar). This talk took place on 16 September 2021, exactly 401 years after the Mayflower departed from Plymouth, England. 

You can watch a recording of the talk below: 

The Mayflower at Sea (above) and The Landing of the Pilgrims by Charles Lucy (below)