This Wednesday, August 6, from 9 am to 12 noon, the Nantucket Historical Association (NHA) is hosting a special Summer of Seams Community Day at Children’s Beach, when all ages can participate in a tradition of community connection that is part of the tapestry of life on Nantucket.
The fun includes hands-on crafts, activities, and demonstrations that tie into and add an interactive aspect to the NHA’s main 2025 exhibit “Behind the Seams: Clothing and Textiles on Nantucket.” And at this event, the public can get a first look at the Community Quilt project that was part of the exhibit. At 11 am, a community fashion show will be held on the Children’s Beach bandstand.
This community gathering is the second time that the NHA has offered a free and family-friendly interpretation of its major exhibit. This year, the Community Day is designed to create a bridge between Nantucket’s rich textile heritage and contemporary community engagement.
“Behind the Seams: Clothing and Textiles on Nantucket” presents a fascinating journey through our island’s history and culture, showcasing more than 150 objects garments and textiles that span centuries of Nantucket life. The variety of garments reveals details about how islanders lived, worked, and celebrated across different social classes and time periods, including items from practical work clothing worn by whalers and their families to elaborate formal wear that reflected the island’s prosperity during the height of the whaling era. The collection includes pieces that demonstrate the global connections fostered by Nantucket’s maritime trade, with fabrics and styles that arrived from distant ports, as well as locally-made items that reflect the island’s unique cultural identity.
Through careful conservation and thoughtful display, these textile treasures illuminate stories of craftsmanship, fashion, economics, and social change that might otherwise remain hidden behind the seams of history. The exhibition continues through November 2 in the Nantucket Whaling Museum.
Rain date for the NHA’s Summer of Seams Community Day at Children’s Beach is Thursday, August 7.
