As the New Hampshire Boat Museum (NHBM) prepares to open on Saturday, May 24, newly appointed Executive Director Devon Kurtz is setting a dynamic course for its future. “We’re looking at what we already do well and how to expand it,” he said. “We’re inviting people to come see exhibits and also engage in programs and events at the museum.”
Kurtz, who joined NHBM on April 1, brings a wide-ranging background in museum education, public history, and immersive programming. His vision for NHBM is rooted in both professional experience and personal passion. “This is more than a job change—it’s a homecoming,” he said. “I’ve worked in historic villages, traditional museums, and even on revolutionary war sites, but the opportunity to connect people with the story of boating, leisure, and lake life here in New Hampshire is uniquely exciting.”
Before joining NHBM, Kurtz held roles at various institutions—from developing educational programs and interpreting 1830s trades at Old Sturbridge Village to exploring the American Revolution and Transcendentalist movement at the Concord Museum. He also spent time at a medieval museum, expanding into European history and mythology. Most recently, he worked in the Blackstone River Valley (MA and RI), where he collaborated with the National Park Service to explore the regional impacts of early American Industrial Revolution.
Right now, however, Kurtz is focused on the future: “We’re not just preserving the past—we’re actively building a museum experience for the next generation of visitors,” he explained. “This includes boat rides, restoration work, workshops, and digital storytelling. We’re designing the museum as a living space for learning and exploration.”
Kurtz’s leadership comes at a time of growth for NHBM. The new facility in Moultonborough, which opened last year, includes interpretive exhibits, interactive displays, and a “reinvigorated” programming calendar. Upcoming plans include launching “sales sheets” for boats in the collection—modeled after real estate listings—that will provide visitors with each vessel’s specs, stories, and histories. NHBM will also expand its model boat building school and explore new technologies to engage virtual audiences and seasonal visitors.
His connection to the Lakes Region is deeply personal. During the pandemic, he and his wife bought a 15-foot rowing dory and began exploring the area’s waterways. “Some of my best work meetings happened on a lake,” he said. “That experience reinforced how central boating is to life and leisure here and how much potential there is for the museum to reflect that.”
With a scholarly background that includes research on 18th-century tavern culture, Kurtz has long been drawn to how people spend their free time. “People have always worked hard, but what fascinates me is what they do with their leisure,” he said. “Boating, fishing, games, model making—these stories are rich and deeply human.”
Looking ahead, Kurtz plans to position NHBM as a cultural hub for locals and visitors alike. “We’re asking, ‘How do we engage residents, second-home owners, and vacationers? How do we keep the conversation going year-round?’ The possibilities are wide open.”
About NHBM
Founded in 1992 by antique and classic boating enthusiasts, NHBM offers dynamic exhibits and engaging events and programs tailored to the diverse boating lifestyles and values of people of all ages. NHBM exhibits, events and programming covers everything from boat charters, boat trips and race boats to canoes, wooden boats, outboard motors, sculling, sailing sunfish, and Lyman and Johnson motors. Some of our hands-on programs take place on Lake Winnipesaukee. NHBM is sponsored in part by Home Comfort, North Water Marine, Goodhue Boat Company, Belletetes, Eastern Propane and Oil, Kingswood Press and Design Studios, and Watermark Marine.