Tickets are on sale now for a very special event to be held on July 25. In the spirit of unity that brought the two organizations into an affiliation, the Nantucket Lightship Basket Museum (NLBM) and Nantucket Historical Association (NHA) are jointly hosting the popular annual NLBM summer fundraiser, Baskets & Bubbly. For 2021, the event will include an online auction that opens July 18 and continues to July 25, when an in-person celebration will be held 4 to 6 pm.
The auction will include more than 25 lightship baskets and basket-related items, making it a one-of-a-kind event. This virtual auction will offer buyers the opportunity to bid on exquisitely handcrafted items, including a Manny Dias basket tray, a Michael Kane woven bracelet embellished with scrimshaw, a Karol Lindquist oval basket, and many more unique pieces.
The Baskets & Bubbly Garden event that officially closes the online auction on July 25 will be held in the garden of the Hadwen House at 96 Main Street, where light hors d’oeuvres and bubbly will be served as participants tour exhibits.
“What inspires us is that every Nantucket lightship basket is one-of-a-kind incorporating the heart of the person who made it. Both of us are profoundly excited and desire to do what we can to preserve this iconic craft and its history,” commented cochairs Karen Butler and Jackie Kupper.
As an affiliate of the NHA, the NLBM retains all funds donated, which can be used to carry out its mission. The NLBM’s ongoing emphasis is teaching the craft and sharing the history of making Nantucket lightship baskets. Ultimately, a new gallery dedicated to Nantucket craft, named the Nantucket Lightship Basket Museum Gallery within the NHA’s Broad Street campus, will be created.
The NHA’s mission is to preserve and interpret the history of Nantucket through its programs, collections, and properties, to promote the island’s significance and foster an appreciation of it among all audiences.
