Celebrating an Iconic Island Craft

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Co-chairs Karen Butler and Jackie Kupper both describe this unique art of the Nantucket Lightship Basket by saying, “No two are exactly alike, each reflects the creativity and ingenuity of the person who made it.” They encourage everyone to bring their own unique Nantucket lightship basket to the 2023 Baskets & Bubbly celebration and to join the informal basket parade around the museum. “Lightship baskets as a genre have a wonderful history and even more marvelous is the fact that every individual basket has a history of its own as well, which any lightship basket lover is quick to enthusiastically share. Often describing how each embellishment occurred has a profound significance for its owner. These are baskets of which legends are made; at least to those who adorn them,” they added.

The Baskets & Bubbly fundraising online auction continues through July 17. The online auction provides bidders with the exclusive opportunity to bid on more than 60 baskets and basket-related products. The items include gorgeous Nantucket lightship baskets, some with carving and some with rare wood bases, a print by island artist Maggie Meredith and other artwork, lightship basket cuff and other jewelry, a frame woven by Ritch Leone, and some “priceless” island experiences. The Baskets & Bubbly Raise a Stave portion will give guests an opportunity to pledge monetary donations specifically benefitting efforts to teach adults and children this iconic craft; to enrich museum exhibits and enhance the basket collection; and to research and produce a coffee table style book about the history of lightship baskets including modern, creative innovations.

The Nantucket lightship basket has a long history on the 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.

Prior to 2021, the Nantucket Lightship Basket Museum was the central place for viewing this island craft and for learning how to weave. In 2021, an affiliation was made between the Nantucket Lightship Basket Museum (NLBM) and the continued on page 21

Nantucket Historical Association (NHA), and from this came a superb display of Nantucket lightship baskets and their history on the second floor of the NHA’s Hadwen House on upper Main Street. According to Karen Butler and Jackie Kupper, this affiliation has been very beneficial: “our increased outreach into the culture is significant, the end result is tripling the number of visitors to the museum of tourists, summer visitors, and year round residents. The extensive use of social media and all media done jointly with the NHA in a very professional way is beyond the resources we had as a stand alone museum. Collectively it has been amazingly effective.”

The NHA is committed to preserving the Nantucket lightship basket craft by enhancing the permanent lightship basket collection, displaying exhibitions, and teaching children and adults the art form. Baskets & Bubbly supports the Nantucket Lightship Basket Fund at the NHA, which is used solely to carry out its mission and share the history of Nantucket lightship baskets. Niles Parker, the Gosnell Executive Director, says, “We look forward to this summer fundraiser that celebrates the unique history of Nantucket lightship baskets and directly supports the NHA’s efforts to continue to teach, exhibit, and collect this important island craft.” to avoid all “leaves of three” if you’re not sure. Unlike some plants in the blackberry family with three leaves, poison ivy does not have thorns and generally has smooth leaf edges, though sometimes it is “variable toothed.” That basically means it does what it wants when it wants—ugh! Its leaves are generally shiny, though not always: especially when along one of Nantucket’s many dirt roads.

The 2023 Nantucket Lightship Basket exhibit in the Hadwen House at 96 Main Street traces the development of Nantucket Lightship Baskets from their 19thcentury origins to the diverse traditional and experimental forms created by the island’s weavers today. The exhibit holds a special case displaying the many basket purse designs invented by José Reyes, a maker who moved to the island after WWII and revolutionized the form and meaning of Nantucket baskets by experimenting with different shapes, lids, and the addition of ornamental carvings, which soon developed into the “Friendship basket” purse prized by collectors today. Visitors of all ages to the exhibit can even try their hands at weaving a lightship basket.

NLBM is an affiliate of the NHA and retains all funds donated, which can be used to carry out its mission. The NHA and the NLBM have worked together to emphasize teaching the craft and sharing the history of making Nantucket Lightship Baskets. The NHA’s mission is to preserve the history of Nantucket through its programs, collections, and properties.

Baskets & Bubbly tickets are now on sale at nha.org. If you are unable to attend the in-person fundraiser, you may still participate in the online auction at nha.org. Bidding ends July 17.

Despite my severe allergy, there is much to admire about poison ivy. First of all, the berries produced by the plant are a great food source for birds: both migratory and resident populations. The urushiol oil only affects humans, so birds, deer, and other wildlife aren’t affected the way we are. Right now, during July, the berries are fully visible. They are small and white, about the size of a bayberry. Another thing to like about poison ivy? It may soon rise as our overlord. Just kidding, but it does have amazing abilities to thrive with climate change. Warming temperatures and elevated carbon dioxide levels are shown to be beneficial for poison ivy, making it grow faster, bigger, and more potent. Researchers from Duke University conducted a six-year study looking at the effects of elevated carbon dioxide levels on forest plots. They exposed the plots to CO2 levels expected at the end of the 21st century (570ppm). As a result of high greenhouse gas levels, poison ivy increased its biomass by 67 percent more than poison ivy that did not have elevated carbon dioxide levels. It increased in photosynthesis, water use efficiency, growth, and population biomass. In addition to growing faster, poison ivy in the study also produced more urushiol oil. Oh joy! In the future, there will be more poison ivy, the plants will be bigger plants, and the urushiol oil will be more. At least the birds will be happy.

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, recent work on updating the Nantucket Flora led by Kelly Omand of the Nantucket Conservation Foundation, has found that we actually have a second species of poison ivy on island (lucky us!). Toxicodendron rydbergii, also known as western poison-ivy, is distinguished from the “eastern” version as being more prevalent in wet areas including salt marshes. It also grows as a small shrub and does not exhibit a viny form. The western version does not have the hairy looking aerial roots you can see on vines of the other species. Where I have seen it, it almost looks like a small tree rather than its shorter cousin.

Despite its name, western poison-ivy is native to Nantucket. It may be a new species in the flora, but that has more to do with proper identification and taxonomy than anything else. If you think you see it, add the observation to iNaturalist and help us document more occurrences of the species.

I didn’t want to leave us all just hating on this important native species. All kidding aside, it’s not just birds and deer that benefit from this plant. I don’t usually subscribe to the edict that a plant must have human value to be important. But sometimes with a plant like poison ivy, I have to remind myself of the benefits.

Poison ivy can have immeasurable value to shoreline areas due to its salt tolerance and ability to grow in impoverished soils. It can be used as a conservation tool to keep people out of many areas and is an effective barrier and thicket in many coastal locales. Poison ivy plays an important role in protecting the local sand dunes, which are inhospitable to many plants. Few plants can tolerate the desert-like conditions. Along with beach grass, bayberry, and other dune-loving species, poison ivy’s sand stabilizing properties make it essential to protecting our dunes—an important aspect of coastal resiliency.

Lastly, come fall, poison ivy leaves turn a brilliant crimson color. Driving down the Milestone Road, it brings some bright colors to the evergreen pines of our state forest. At least we have that to look forward to.