by Suzanne Daub
Some are plain, beautiful in their simplicity and deeply colored by age. Others are elaborately constructed and adorned with carvings of ivory and ebony, scrimshaw, gold, and gems. They are round, oval, square, and even heart-shaped. Many are made to be totes and purses, with others designed as wine coasters, bread baskets, vases, mirror frames, ornaments, and even cradles.
This Wednesday, August 14, the Nantucket Historical Association will host its annual summer fundraiser, Baskets & Bubbly, to support the island’s iconic craft of Nantucket lightship baskets with a Celebration Under the Whale in their Nantucket Whaling Museum. Held from 5 to 7 pm, the event promises to be a fun summer gathering to bring your favorite lightship basket and enjoy hors d’oeuvres and bubbly. Tickets are available at nha.org.
“A Nantucket lightship basket, no two exactly alike, reflects the creativity and ingenuity of the person who made it,” commented co-chairs Sandie Owens and Karen Butler. “We encourage those who own a Nantucket lightship basket to carry it on your arm to share with all at this event. This annual tradition of an informal basket parade has been ongoing for many years [during Baskets & Bubbly]. We will look forward to seeing everyone at the celebration.”
In addition to the in-person event, there is a Baskets & Bubbly online auction that began on August 3 and continues through August 14. The auction includes more than 60 lightship baskets and basket-related items, with a “Buy Now” option on some items. This virtual auction offers the opportunity to bid on exquisitely handcrafted items, including an antique basket with mahogany base donated by Sylvia Antiques, a stunning 15-inch open round Nantucket in a Basket with mahogany base inlaid with a silhouette of Nantucket in quilted maple by Karen Palmer, a beautiful Goddess of the Sea basket woven by Kathleen Myers, an exquisite miniature Holly and Hydrangea basket by Ashlie Emery woven in honor of Jackie Kupper, and many more unique baskets destined to be heirlooms. In addition to lightship baskets, the auction includes art by G.S. Hill, Barbara Capizzo, Rose Gonnella, Maggie Meredith, and Linda Casey, as well as several Nantucket experiences, and jewelry by Melissa Dudley, Jerry Brown, and Allison Levy.
The Nantucket lightship basket has a long history on our island. During the early 1800s, they were robust and practical for storage and used as carrying baskets. They were in wide use in the island’s stores, workshops, and homes. As the island transitioned from a whaling economy to a tourist economy in the 1860s, the work baskets became a popular keepsake of an island visit.
To learn more about the development of Nantucket lightship baskets from their 19-century origins to the diverse traditional and experimental forms created by islands weavers today, visit the Nantucket Lightship Baskets exhibit in the Hadwen House on upper Main Street. It highlights individual makers across time and feature the José Reyes workshop and a special case displaying the many basket purse designs he invented before settling on the iconic form still prized by collectors today. The Nantucket Historical Association’s Decorative Arts program offers a number of basketthemed workshops for youth and adults: details at nha.org.
The Nantucket Historical Association is committed to preserving the iconic Nantucket lightship basket craft by enhancing the permanent lightship basket collection, displaying exhibitions, and teaching children and adults the art form. The Nantucket Lightship Basket Fund at the NHA is used solely to carry out this mission and share the history of Nantucket Lightship baskets.