Nantucket Historical Association Unveils NHA Heritage Craft Destinations, A New Global Cultural Travel Initiative
Rooted in the Nantucket Historical Association’s mission to preserve, interpret, and share cultural stories through immersive education and exchange, the initiative explores global traditions of craftsmanship, community, and place.
NANTUCKET, MA — The Nantucket Historical Association (NHA) announces the continued expansion of its Heritage Craft program with the introduction of NHA Heritage Craft Destinations, a series of highly curated travel experiences extending the organization’s mission of preservation, education, and cultural storytelling beyond Nantucket through place-based immersive residencies. Designed to connect participants directly with regional craft traditions, the initiative explores both international and domestic destinations where making remains deeply rooted in local culture, history, and community.
The NHA Heritage Craft Program brings together leading artisans, historians, and cultural practitioners through immersive, hands-on experiences rooted on Nantucket. Led by master artisan and Artistic Director of Heritage Craft Mary Emory Lacoursiere, the program reflects the NHA’s broader commitment to preserving and sharing cultural knowledge through participation, interpretation, and public engagement. NHA Heritage Craft Destinations extends this approach beyond the island through curated experiences to locations where craft traditions remain intrinsically connected to place and identity. Combining expert instruction with meaningful access to local institutions, makers, and environments, the program offers participants a direct and contextual understanding of craft as a living cultural practice.
In September 2026, the program will travel to West Sussex, England for a week-long Windsor chair-making residency. Set within the English countryside, participants will work closely with master artisans at the Windsor Workshop to create their own Nantucket Windsor chair, a historic form represented in the NHA’s collection. Through intensive, small-group instruction, guests will learn traditional techniques while crafting a fully realized heirloom piece by hand. The experience extends beyond the workshop to include a thoughtfully curated residency, with accommodations at The Black Horse in Amberley, a restored country inn known for its design-led sensibility and hyper-local approach to food and hospitality. With daily transfers, seasonal dining, and professional shipping of completed work included, the program offers a seamless integration of making, place, and cultural exchange.
In October 2026, the NHA will present a second residency in London at Hampton Court Palace, developed in partnership with the Royal School of Needlework. This five-day program focuses on embroidery and textile arts, offering participants rare access to one of Britain’s most revered craft institutions. The experience begins in London with curator-led visits to major exhibitions and cultural institutions, before continuing to the historic home of the Royal School of Needlework. There, participants will gain behind-the-scenes access to collections, conservation studios, and archives, followed by an intensive, hands-on embroidery course led by expert tutors. The program also includes private lectures, guided tours, and intimate gatherings with leading practitioners, alongside accommodations at the Kimpton Fitzroy London, a landmark hotel in Bloomsbury that serves as an elegant base throughout the residency.
Through Heritage Craft Destinations, the Nantucket Historical Association expands its mission of preservation by creating new opportunities for cultural exchange, education, and engagement beyond the island. By pairing Nantucket-based programming with select domestic and international cultural journeys, the NHA continues to connect audiences with the enduring stories embedded within craftsmanship, material culture, and traditional making practices, reinforcing the organization’s commitment to sharing diverse histories through immersive and contemporary forms of participation. As Mary Emory Lacoursiere said, “Heritage Craft Destinations allows us to step beyond the island while staying deeply grounded in our mission, creating meaningful encounters with place, material, and tradition that reveal how craft continues to shape cultural identity across different regions and practices.”
To learn more about The Nantucket Historical Association’s Heritage Craft workshop offerings, visit here.
About the Nantucket Historical Association
The Nantucket Historical Association preserves, interprets, and shares the diverse stories of Nantucket with all audiences through its collections, properties, programs, and research.
Contact kate.e@alphakilo.com for further information