Weaving Nantucket’s Past into Its Future

Showcasing over 100 Nantucket lightship baskets from the NLBM, NHA, and private collections.

Each year the NLBM has curated a new exhibit examining some aspect of the lightship basket, recognized as an iconic symbol of the island worldwide. In celebration of the newly formed affiliation between the NLBM and the NHA, the 2021 exhibit is a retrospective of highlights from the past twenty years. Drawing on highlights from the NLBM’s years of illuminating exhibits, the current exhibit traces an arc of artistry and innovation from land-based origins to nineteenth-century lightships into the twenty-first century.