Museum to Install Temporary Exhibit Showcasing Legacy of Toledo-based Great Lakes Vessel Photographer

July 7, 2021 (Toledo, Ohio) – On Friday, July 16 the National Museum of the Great Lakes will open their first in-house, temporary exhibit since the onset of the pandemic titled Jim Hoffman: The Photographic Life of Toledo’s Original Boatnerd. The exhibit features the work of Toledoan Jim Hoffman, who passed away on November 7, 2020. Considered a legend among fellow boatnerds, Jim’s photographs are instantly recognizable by most Great Lakes shipping photographers.

“Jim was a fixture on the Maumee River and was loved by boatnerds near and far,” says Paul LaMarre, III, Jim’s longtime friend who also serves on the Board of Directors at the National Museum of the Great Lakes and is the Director of the Port of Monroe in Michigan. “The National Museum of the Great Lakes is proud to be able to honor and recognize his legacy and life’s passion.”

Jim and his small boat were often the first thing greeting sailors on freighters entering Toledo. Through the years Jim’s photos have been featured and shared both in print and online. In 2020, Jim was honored as the Great Lakes Historian of the Year by the Marine Historical Society of Detroit, one of the few photographers ever chosen.

The exhibit, installed in remembrance of his legacy and love for Great Lakes vessels, will give guests the opportunity to walk alongside his life’s passion and live his photographic memories. It will be available for viewing through Labor Day. Admission is free for members and included with museum admission for non-members. Visitors will also receive a complimentary print from his photographic collection. For more information visit our event page here.