Windsor chair making will be part of the first Destinations excursion hosted by the Nantucket Historical Association”s new Destinations program. (Photo courtesy of the Nantucket Historical Association)
The Nantucket Historical Association is introducing NHA Heritage Craft Destinations, a series of travel experiences designed to connect participants directly with regional craft traditions.
The NHA Heritage Craft Program is rooted on Nantucket and reflects the historical association’s efforts to preserve and share cultural knowledge. It is led by Mary Emory Lacoursiere, a master artisan and the artistic director of Heritage Craft. The new Destinations program extends the group’s mission beyond the island through trips to locations where craft traditions remain intrinsically connected to place and identity.
The program will travel to West Sussex, England, in September 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 small-group instruction, guests will learn traditional techniques while crafting an heirloom piece by hand. The trip includes 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.
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. 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.
The fee for members is $8,750 and for non-members, $9,500 for the September program, according to the organization’s website.
“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.”
