NANTUCKET, MA – The Nantucket Lightship Basket Museum (NLBM) and Nantucket Historical Association (NHA) plan to host the NLBM summer fundraiser, Baskets & Bubbly 2021, through an online auction from July 18–25. Karen Butler and Jackie Kupper chair this year’s fundraiser.
The auction will include over 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, and many more unique pieces.
A Baskets & Bubbly Garden Event to officially close the online auction, will be held in the garden of the Hadwen House, at 96 Main Street, from 4–6pm on Sunday, July 25. More information and a ticket announcement will be coming soon.
“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,” says 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.
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The NLBM’s mission is to promote the awareness and appreciation of lightship baskets and their makers, by educating and engaging the public about the complexity of this art form unique to Nantucket, and placing it within a broader context of related crafts.