The Monaghan Sisters Are Back in Town!
Greater Light Opens as a Gateway to
Nantucket’s Art Colony & Resort Era
Free Community Open House July 20
NANTUCKET, Mass.: Greater Light—its very name elicits the spirit of the summer colony of artists that arose on Nantucket in the 1920s. Sisters Gertrude and Hanna Monaghan were among them, drawn from Philadelphia to this “faraway island in the sea.” With their Quaker belief in Inner Light guiding them, the Monaghans lovingly transformed a livestock barn at 8 Howard Street into a whimsical residence and salon for the arts, calling it Greater Light.
Following two years of thoughtful restoration, the Nantucket Historical Association will open Greater Light to the public with a free community open house on Wednesday, July 20, 2–5 P.M.
Visitors will glimpse the lives of the Monaghans through vivid historic imagery, intimate anecdotes, and oral histories presented in Meet the Monaghans, an interactive touch-screen tour. Hanna’s bedroom, the sitting room, and the studio—replete with their original furnishings, artwork, and personal objects—will be open as exhibits and spaces for quiet reflection, as will the beautiful garden. Works by Nantucket artists inspired by Greater Light, who contributed their artwork for a benefit auction, will be on exhibit this summer.
Through the generosity of its many supporters and a grant from the Nantucket Community Preservation Committee, the NHA completed the major restoration of Greater Light and its charming garden this spring, working with Twig Perkins, Inc., Chip Webster & Associates, and Sullivan Landscaping. Bequeathed to the NHA in the 1970s, Greater Light was open as a house museum until the 1990s when the need for extensive restoration necessitated its closure.
The NHA will use Greater Light as a community venue for lifelong learning in the arts and for small gatherings that extol the arts and culture—exhibitions, poetry readings, plays, musical performances, art classes, and garden parties—much as the Monaghans enjoyed it.
Beginning July 22, Greater Light will be open to visitors on Wednesday and Friday, 4-5 P.M. Admission is free for NHA members; $6 for adults, $3 for youth (ages 6–17). Greater Light is also included in the Historic Houses Walking Tour, which meets daily at the Hadwen House, 96 Main Street, at 2:15 P.M. daily, and visits three historic houses. The walking tour is free for NHA members; $10 for adults, $4 for youth (ages 6–17). For more information about admission to Greater Light, the Whaling Museum, Historic Sites, Walking Tours, and the NHA’s many programs and special events, call 508-228-1894, ext. 0, or visit www.nha.org.