Stave & Cane: Nantucket Baskets

June 10 – September 20, 2026

Nantucket baskets have emerged as a celebrated icon of Nantucket Island craft. With origins linked to maritime lore, Nantucket Lightship history, and Wampanoag weaving traditions, Nantucket baskets have deep roots in the island’s culture and economy. Popularized during the nineteenth century, Nantucket baskets served a utilitarian purpose as storage and carrying baskets, becoming widely available for sale in shops. As interest in the baskets grew, workshops became available, and makers passed their knowledge down from one generation to the next.

Nantucket baskets are woven from rattan staves and cane. From these simple elements, decades of artistic ingenuity and reverence for traditional weaving techniques were born. Today, basket makers and weavers on Nantucket and Cape Cod lend a variety of artistic approaches to the time-honored tradition of Nantucket baskets. Some continue practicing in the style of historic, early modern baskets. Others lend their own artistic perspective and creative use of materials, while still others create conversations between the old and the new in their work. Though materials and approaches may have changed, the continued practice of Nantucket baskets speaks to an admiration of tradition and fine craft. Stave & Cane traces the origin stories, shares the evolution of Nantucket baskets as a popular craft, and celebrates the artistic ingenuity, creative collaborations, and unique stories behind contemporary basket-making.

This exhibition is co-curated by John Kaminiski, Nantucket basket maker, and Leeann Ream, Cahoon Museum of American Art curator.

Sponsored by

William Babcock
Bruce and Polly Behrens
Anne Bockhoff
Jessica Rapp Grassetti
Grant Pattison
Janice & Bruce Richards