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Island artists find strength in numbers during the off-season
The group formed during the commercial dead of Nantucket's winter last year to host craft shows with the draw of many skills and abilities, including weaving, pottery and woodworking. Most of the artisans practice their crafts fulltime. All of them are year-rounders. Currently, the collective includes 14 artisans, and they want to invite you to a little craft party at Preservation Institute: Nantucket the Saturday after Thanksgiving. "This is the year's biggest shopping day, and we don't get those people shopping at our studios," explained collective member and founder Barbara Toole. "So we rented the space, and then we got the people." Toole conceived of the Nantucket Artisans Collective a little over a year ago. "My vision was to have some sort of an artisans' collective, a venue for people who don't have a place to show their work," said Toole, who began hosting craft shows at her own home and studio. Only a handful of people participated in the first show, but Toole began inviting a few more artisans with every show. Soon, the group needed a larger venue and began hosting day exhibits in Toole's backyard. She began advertising for the then-unnamed group, and it grew, until last summer, they hosted a show on the lawn outside the Methodist Church. "I wanted to put a sign up with a name," said Toole - and so the name Nantucket Artisans Collective was picked right then, just in time to get the sign up. Today, the purpose of Nantucket Artisans Collective is to "collectively show and sell our art and also foster camaraderie among likeminded island artists," Toole said. Generally, the one-day shows have drawn anywhere from 20 to 200, and have sometimes assumed the air of an outdoor cocktail party. The Nantucket Artisans Collective includes Sarah Wright, Christie Lefebvre, David Lazarus, Glenora Smith, Jean Petty and Paul McCarthy, Katie DeHeart, Nate and Beau Barber, Joyce Jaskula, Kate Terwilliger Smith, Miki Lovett, Holly Kuske, Karin Sheppard and Heidi Weddendorf. Weaver Karin Sheppard said that the collective is geared towards artists who would "rather create than do the business stuff." "We joined this group in the winter to support each other, because we were all in the same boat, doing our thing year round," Sheppard said. "As a group, as a collective, we come up with ways we can support each other and create more venues. It's been a good thing to know you're not alone in your home, struggling. It's good to look forward to something." As an example of the "something," Sheppard mentioned the show that the collective hosted during this year's Daffodil Festival - which served as something of a light at the end of the winter tunnel for the independent artisans who had been working solo through the winter. Sheppard said that the collective is different from the Artists' Association "in that there are no rules or guidelines." "It's just a supportive group," Sheppard said. "We can also get together when someone has a need for support. You've got someone else to bounce the idea off of." For the post-Thanksgiving show, Toole is bringing a series of fish and penguins inspired, in part, by her son-in-law. "A year ago, my daughter told me that my son-in-law liked penguins, and that I should make one for him, and I laughed at her. Then I made one and loved it," Toole said. "Then, I made a few more and sold them. So know I've made a lot more. And that brought about the fish." Sheppard, who will be selling throws, shawls, scarves and sundry "beautiful hand-woven items" at the collective's next show, said, "It's nice for people to buy something made by someone here on Nantucket, not something that was made in Korea." The work of the Nantucket Artisans Collective is homemade but, sometimes, also homegrown; many of the artists have been practicing their craft here for decades, some for their entire lives. Raised on Nantucket, Sheppard learned to weave at Nantucket Looms. Today, she works out of a converted scallop shanty on looms that once belonged to Margaretta Nettles. Brothers Beau and Nate Barber are island natives whose father, a carpenter, first introduced them to woodworking when they were children. "My dad created a good environment to become a good carpenter," said Nate, who added that he and Beau began fashioning pieces on their own - experimenting and learning as they went along - when they were kids. They worked their way up to building cabinets and even working on homes as they got older. After college, Beau attended the Masterpiece Furniture School in Mendocino, Cali., studying under James Bowie, one of the most renowned American furniture craftsmen. Beau returned to Nantucket with what he'd learned, and shared it with Nate. Three years ago, the two founded Barber Brothers Furniture and Cabinet. "I would say our style is very flexible; we can do anything," Nate said. "We adapt, and we work with all of our customers to create something they want that's high quality construction, and that's something only they have." The Barber brothers began attending art shows and taking commissions. Toole invited them to join the Collective when she set up a table next to theirs during last year's craft show. At the post-Thanksgiving show on Friday, the Barbers will have an assortment of furniture, mostly tables and chests, ranging in price from $900 - $9,000. Much of the Barbers' commissions are dependent on word of mouth and local support - from groups including the AAN, the Small Friends summer show and island interior decorators - so the Nantucket Artisans Guild has been helpful. "It's a good group of local people who can help sustain each other," Nate said. "It's a little guild of artists, and people like Barbara and Karin are really helpful for us." I ARTISANS COLLECTIVE
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