This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Research Library at the Nantucket Historical Association. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the internet.
Summary
The Nantucket School of Needlery opened in the 1960s, and contributed to the revival of handcrafts on the island until its relocation to North Adams, Mass., in 1975. In 2014, the Nantucket Historical Association collaborated with student researchers from the University of Massachusetts Boston to collect interviews from formers students: Elizabeth Gilbert, Suzanne Gardner, and Susan Boardman. Interviews were conducted by Daniel Morast, Katie Fortier, and Laura Kintz. Collection consists of three audio interviews with transcriptions.
Collection Details
- Collection Number:
- MS555
- Title:
- Nantucket School of Needlery Oral History Collection.
- Date(s):
- 2014
- Creator:
- Nantucket Historical Association.
- Repository:
- Nantucket Historical Association
- Language:
- Material is in English.
Information for Users
Restrictions to Access: No restrictions. Open for research.
Restrictions to Use: No usage restrictions.
Copyright Notice: Copyright is retained by the authors of items in this collection, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Preferred Citation: [identification of item], in the Nantucket School of Needlery Oral History Collection, Nantucket Historical Association.
Acquisitions Information:
Received from Elizabeth Gilbert in 2014 (Acc. RL2014.94); Suzanne Gardner in 2014 (Acc. RL2014.95); and Susan Boardman in 2014 (Acc. RL2014.96).
Sensitive Materials Statement:Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual’s private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the Nantucket Historical Association assumes no responsibility.
Related Collections
- MS 539 Nantucket Needlery Collection, 1959-1983. Nantucket Historical Association.
- MS549 Julie Beinecke Stackpole Collection on Mary Ann Beinecke, 1961-2018. Nantucket Historical Association.
- MS550 Mary Ann Beinecke Papers, 1963-1975. Nantucket Historical Association
Subject Headings
-
Personal Names
- Gilbert, Elizabeth.
- Boardman, Susan.
- Fortier, Katie.
- Gardner, Suzanne.
- Kintz, Laura.
- Morast, Daniel.
-
Corporate Names
- Nantucket School of Needlery
-
Topical Terms
- Needlework
Biographical Information
The Nantucket School of Needlery was founded by Mary Anne Beinecke (1927-2014) in the latter half of the 1960s. Originally located on Harbour Square on Straight Wharf and at 2 India Street in 1968, the school brought needlework experts from around the world to Nantucket, Mass. In addition to offering summer courses on Island, taught by the Nantucket Needlewomen, the School hosted international guest experts in many aspects of needlework and design. The School introduced Beinecke’s Home-Study Extension Course in 1969 as a distance-learning correspondence course that offered thirty-five lessons to be completed over approximately three years for a certificate. In 1975, the school moved to North Adams, Mass., becoming part of Mary Ann Beinecke’s new business, Textile Studios. The efforts of the Nantucket School of Needlery represent a portion of the craft revival taking place on island in the 1960s and 1970s.
In November 2014, the Nantucket Historical Association collaborated with student researchers from the University of Massachusetts Boston to collect interviews from formers students. Interviews were conducted by Daniel Morast, Katie Fortier, and Laura Kintz.
Scope and Content
Collection consists of three audio interviews with transcriptions.
Contents
OH-39: Interview with Elizabeth Gilbert, 2014 (Link)
OH-40: Interview with Susan Boardman, 2014 (Link)
OH-41: Interview with Suzanne Gardner, 2014 (Link)
Processing Information
Processed by NHA staff.
Finding aid by Alex McGrath, February 2020.