Our historic property known as Greater Light is currently a restoration "work in progress." It will be open at certain times throughout the summer. No reservation or  R.S.V.P. is required. Just come.  Despite the challenging economy, our hope is to have the building and the gardens fully restored by the summer of 2011.  

However, why wait to see Greater Light fully restored, when it is such a thrill to get in amongst the sawdust and underlayment!  I'd love to discuss what we have in mind for this Nantucket icon, so if you wish to see it, I intend to be at 8 Howard Street on the following dates; please join me and bring a friend:  Wednesdays, August 4, 11, 18 and 25 and Fridays, August 6, 13, and 27, between 4 and 5 P.M. We continue to be respectful of our neighbors, so please park on Main Street and walk the block or two over to Greater Light. Our thanks again to those many donors who have contributed to Phase I restoration of this important project! 

We are also delighted to have our 33rd August Antiques Show held again under the festive, white air-conditioned tent at Bartlett's Farm, and hope to see you often during our full week of lectures, the gala Preview Party, Antiques Show Dinner, and of course at the show itself-replete with forty-four outstanding antiques dealers. See you under the tent! 

While the busy pace of summer 2010 keeps us on our toes, we also look forward to the summer of 2011, when we shall introduce our new "gateway" Nantucket history film by acclaimed producer Ric Burns.  The year 2011 will bring another very big summer for the NHA, as we continue to work on our mission of preserving and interpreting Nantucket history.  

 
Fair winds, 
Bill Tramposch
Executive Director

 

I am thrilled by the universally positive response to our recently opened major exhibition, "Sometimes think of me": Notable Nantucket Women through the Centuries, which debuted in the Peter Foulger Gallery with a memorable Members Preview on the night of July 1. As with our 'Sconset: 02564 exhibition of 2009, there was a palpable excitement in the air as people took in the carefully balanced presentation of historical portraits, logbooks, and journals and the exquisite work of contemporary needlework artist Susan Boardman, detailing the lives of thirty-four Nantucket women from four centuries. 

I wanted to take the opportunity of this success to explain our exhibition-planning process at the NHA. The process is a remarkably creative and rigorous one that draws inspiration from countless sources in the community-and from museums far and wide-but ultimately evolves through a considered dialogue between myself as chief curator, fellow staff members, and the members of the board-appointed Collections and Exhibitions Committee. The committee meets four or more times a year and rigorously reviews the exhibition plan as it develops. 

First, we work with a five-year exhibition plan at the NHA. All ideas are welcome; indeed, we seek to be one of the most receptive museums to suggestions of all kinds. In the next phase, ideas are constantly filtered, and, most important, vetted to see whether they conform to the NHA's Strategic Plan and our interpretive themes. Even more critically, we test to see whether they shed light on some unexplored area of Nantucket history or on the NHA's rich collections. A final criterion relates to audiences: are there passionate and broad audiences who will find the exhibition compelling and perhaps take an active part in its development and ultimate success? 

As we discovered so well with 'Sconset: 02564, history is alive and well on Nantucket. When we present history, it is our duty to make it relevant and interesting to the people who are living it today. One of the great themes of Nantucket history is the outstanding character and achievement of its women; individually and collectively they form a special constellation of their own. The NHA had never undertaken a retrospective history of this key topic, and it was long overdue. We were more than inspired by the wonderful 2007 Egan Maritime Institute''s exhibition Gutsy Gals: From Hearth to Heavens, Maria Mitchell and Her Sisters, curated by Jascin Leonardo Finger, and we had also worked closely with Susan Boardman to feature her historically inspired embroidered narratives; in fact, Susan's work was "born" in her close study of the NHA logbooks and journals. It was a "perfect storm" of opportunity for us to present one of Nantucket's most important topics, using some of our richest collections and stories, and bringing this history "up to the moment" by including contemporary women as well-after all, the great lesson is that history does not belong in the past alone. We are proud to present this year's exhibition, together with the authoritative and beautifully written companion book by Betsy Tyler. I hope that this glimpse into the exhibition process enlightens the journey.

  
 
"Sometimes think of me": Notable Nantucket Women through the Centuries focuses on the colorful lives and histories of outstanding women from four centuries of Nantucket history. Such fascinating individuals as Wampanoag maiden Wonoma, whaling wife and journal keeper Eliza Brock, whaling wife and journal illustrator Susan Veeder, scientist Maria Mitchell, abolitionist Mary Ellen Pleasant, and several contemporary Nantucket women are presented in lively detail using the NHA's rich collections of artifacts, logbooks, and manuscript material. 

The exhibition features thirty-four individuals whose lives are the subjects of "embroidered narratives" by Nantucket needlework artist Susan Boardman. In the great tradition of historic Nantucket schoolgirl samplers, as well as the legacy of whaling illustrations in logbooks and journals, Boardman's embroidered narratives have grown to encompass a history-in-brief of the women of Nantucket from the earliest Native American period to contemporary times. Her work covers the lives of some of the most exemplary Nantucket women whose spirit of independence, resourcefulness, and ambition, often in the face of their husbands' long absences at sea, have made them much admired in American history. 

An important feature of the exhibition is the accompanying book-length catalog, written by island historian and NHA Research Fellow Betsy Tyler. The catalog fills a major gap in the Nantucket literature as an accessible, thoroughly researched history of a broad range of outstanding island women, past and present. This beautiful soft-cover book is available for $35 from the Museum Shop, or it may be purchased online at http://www.nha.org/shop/index.html or by calling 508-228-5785. 

"Sometimes think of me" will be on display during museum hours through November 8. 

 

The exhibition Visions of Her: Portrait Photography by Nantucket Youth opened to a full house on May 28 and will be on display through November 8. The exhibition features modern portraits of Nantucket women taken by teens from the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club and Nantucket High School. The photographs showcase the essence of women that the young photographers admire as well as the island itself.  Bonus film interviews offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the creative spirit of the project.

 
Lookout (n) : The act of observing or keeping watch. A high place or structure commanding a wide view, used for observation.

Enjoy the last of three magical twilight evenings atop the Whaling Museum on Monday, August 2.  The NHA requests the pleasure of your company on the rooftop observation deck for a Caribbean-themed evening. $50 per person includes light fare by Fusion of Flavor, DJ, and drinks at dusk with a never-ending view. Come prepared to do the limbo!

6 - 8 P.M. 

 

Sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Museums is a partnership with more than 600 museums across America that are offering free admission to all active-duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day 2010. The NHA is pleased to extend this program through December 31, 2010.

Free admission is available to active-duty military and their immediate family members (military ID holder and five immediate family members), including active-duty Reserve and active-duty National Guard.