1972 

NISDA Community children’s and adult workshops and Sandcastle contest began. Kathy Kelm begins “Start with Art,” a multicultural arts/nature social studies linked arts program at Cyrus Pierce Junior High.  

1973  

NISDA’s “Nantucket School facilities Shuffle” begins. Classes in artist studios, the High School, Coffin School, Academy Hill School.  

1974

NISDA community children’s and adult workshops and Sandcastle Contest began. Kathy Kelm began “Start with Art,” a multicultural arts/nature social studies linked arts program at Cyrus Pierce Junior High. 

1975

Kathy Kelm, faculty at Rhode Island School of Design, began Nantucket RISD Summer Session “Art in Environment: Pattern the Magic Ratio.” Graduate and undergraduate RISD and other college students enrolled from across the country. 

Gordon Peers, Fine Arts Department Head, was a guest critic. RISD students lived in islanders’ homes, among them Clint and Edith Andrews, Kris Van Lieu, and Millie Lou Smith.

1976

NISDA’s “Nantucket facilities shuffle” began. Classes were held in artists’ studios, the high school, the basement of Coffin School, and the top floor of Academy Hill School. 

1977-79

RISD Textile students worked with director Mack Dixon to costume Nantucket Theatre Workshop’s productions Joan of Arc and Alice in Wonderland, earning RISD college credit. Millie Lou Smith donated her home as a classroom and costume studio. 

1978

NISDA began an affiliation with Mass College of Art, Boston, granting college undergraduate & graduate credit. 

GSA HEW awarded NISDA, Boston University, and UMass Amherst building and property at Tom Nevers Navy Base. Town re-use committee voted to change use. Red Brick Building almost became NISDA’s home. 

NISDA programs grew. The Historical Association’s president Leroy True said “Yes!” to allowing the Nantucket Lightship on Straight Wharf with Dick Swain as “Keeper” to provide summer living for NISDA’s college students. 

1979

NISDA leased Sexton Seaview Farm from Dr. Marsh and inaugurated its Community Arts Lecture Series. Among visionaries, historians and futurists who spoke in the early years: Buckminster Fuller, Frederick Frank, Jean Houston, David Macauley, Lowry Burgess, and Howard Gardner. 

1982

NISDA purchased Seaview Farm’s Dairy Barn from Dr. Marsh. Karl Borchert drafted engineering plan, Mr. Rudolph G. Bolling drafted architectural plans. Larry Cronin documented and oversaw facilities. Augie and Rookie Ramos assisted with renovations. 

The NISDA “dorm,” was still the Nantucket Lightship on Straight Wharf. NISDA leased Harbor Cottages on Washington Street for artist, student, and faculty living. 

1983

Bill Rich of Architect, Design Associates sold Harbor Cottages to NISDA & built NISDA’s first kinder trellis in the Seaview Farm Meadow. 

1985 and on

Massachusetts’ Cultural Council awarded NISDA organizational operating support, technical assistance, and grants to partner with Nantucket Public Schools in the development and presentation of multicultural & interdisciplinary programs. NISDA director Kathy Kelm’s Kellogg Fellowship provided research and materials resources. 

1985

NEA grant supported NISDA National Environmental Forum. 

NISDA began Artist-in-Residence Colony at Harbor Cottages, and was featured in Alliance of Artist Communities Book and The Lonely Planet Guide. 

NISDA shared Seaview Farm with community through programs and events including: Public School field trips, community “TV Turn-off,” Big Sisters & Brothers. National Elderhostel “Discover Nantucket” one-week residency and program began. 

1990

NISDA awarded American Teachers Association Journal National Award for Multicultural Arts Curriculum program partnership with Elementary School, with John Miller serving as principal. 

Eunice Haskell Islander Children’s Scholarship began. 

Realty Trust created. Founder gifts to NISDA’s long-range Facilities Campus Plan by John and Marilyn Whitney, Fay Chandler, as well as Aldys Chapman secure foundation of Artist Residency Program at Harbor Cottages. 

1996

Miracle Fish Puppet Theatre gave performance at Seaview Farm and conducted a parade on Main Street. 

1997

NISDA welcomed Nantucket Literacy Center to interim home at NISDA. Harbor Cottage 6 became interim Office and Center. 

1998

NISDA began college internships for college credit at your college and high school assistantship to give island teenagers and visitors the opportunity to assist NISDA’s programs and in return earn tuition free classes. Parents could do work- exchange to augment Eunice Haskell Islander Scholarships. 

Purchased adjacent acre and Long Shed from Dr. Voorhees, thanks to lead gifts from Dr. Voorhees and from the Gunds, Coxes, and Rales matched by NISDA families and friends. Long Shed became studio for ceramics. One acre of land was site for school septic system replacement following yea 

1999

NISDA Ceramic Studio moved from small Milking Shed in Dairy Barn to large 3-bay studio in Long Shed with 10 wheels, 2 kilns, and separate glaze and hand- building area. 

Nantucket Lighthouse School’s founding year was at NISDA’s Seaview Farm. Iacocca Foundation funded NISDA’s community trellis in Farm Meadow. NISDA Silo Gallery Director Betsy Sibley expanded gallery and national participation. 

Molly Sziklas gifted 3.3 acres of Wauwinet Land. Squam house gifted by Denese Dupre and Mark Nunnelly. Nantucket contractors, NISDA faculty, Staff and Nantucketers moved house to site and restored. Long-range plan for Administrative staff and faculty accommodations realized. 

2002

NISDA awarded Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Planning Grant; professional consultants Michael Bachstein, Architect and Rick Charon, Engineer, began design of Long Range Master Plan. Jack Dunn and Neil Parent mentored project. The accomplished objective was the NISDA Folio documenting NISDA’s three properties and buildings. Strategic study and planning for historic and structural restoration for Master Plan. 

Fay Chandler, Artist and Founder of Arts Connection, gave lead gift towards NISDA replacement of Seaview Farm septic system. New septic system for 200 persons engineered and installed in newly purchased meadow. 

2007

New farm water well installed in front meadow. 

2009

In Spring 2009, RISD Architecture Design & Technology students led by RISD Architecture Faculty Laura Brigg and Jonathan Knowles engaged in comprehensive design and research project. The project studied Green Design Plans for NISDA Seaview Farm facilities while considering the highest and best space use, integrated green heating, cooling and insulation systems, and historic restoration, honoring the HDC Guidelines. 

August day-long symposium open to community. Topic: Seaview Farm – Consideration of Programs, Community Use, the Options and Opportunities and Design Studio Universal Use, Property Use, Silo Use and Historic Restoration, Structural Integrity and Solar or Alternative Systems. Lead Presenter: Richard P. Dober, Architect. His firm specialized in Campus Design. Other participants: RISD architecture professors Laura Briggs and Jonathan Knowles; Rob Anderson, Solar 

Installer; Nantucket architects; and NISDA lead administrators and facilities managers and faculty Kathy Kelm, Larry Cronin, Gayle Fraas, and Duncan Slade. 

2009 – Present

NISDA Artist-in-Residence Colony continued to develop and NISDA Seaview Farm programs offered Kinder, Youth, Teen, Generations Together, and Adult evening classes in Photography and Ceramics, Day Classes in Painting and Textiles. College courses and evening lectures continued. 

Three-day “Life is Good” Corporate Meeting held at NISDA Seaview Farm with company founders Bert and John Jacobs. Board members stayed at NISDA Harbor Cottages. 

2014

College credit available through NISDA to island teachers, example Kate Merlini, High School Art Teacher, created a beautiful portfolio and sculpture in environment at Pocomo Point, earned 3 graduate credits. 

2014

Artist-in-Residence Fellowships continued to develop and to connect creative and professional artists at NISDA into the Nantucket community with talks and workshops at NISDA, performances at colony and in town. Example: Jean Marie Keevins (worked for Sesame Street) did her first reading of her Elephant Play at the Handlebar Café. Islanders who presented their artistic work/gave performances/readings included Kevin Stanton and Diane Holgate. 

2015

NISDA Harbor Cottages Artists Residency flooded by Blizzard Juno – 3 feet water; Nantucket community rushed to volunteer clean-up and repair. 

Grey Lady Film, directed by John Shea (affiliated with Theatre Workshop) had 3-day shoot at Seaview Farm, bringing exciting Nantucket community energy; 200 extras, editing, prop, ladder bucket and equipment trucks, editing, and a make-believe community fair. 

NISDA began offering open studios and tutorials at the request of the community and to better accommodate the time requirements of those islanders working jobs or taking shorter vacations. 

2016

White Heron Theatre company set designer worked at Seaview Farm to paint huge canvas sets, bringing beautiful colorful 10’ x 6’ foot canvases to life and demonstrating creative energy for NISDA students to see. 

FEMA announced requirement of upgrade of 200-person septic system at Seaview Farm. NISDA began working with Engineer Don Bracken to comply. 

NISDA provided volunteer artists to help Nantucket Project initiative by assisting renowned artist Wayne White create several large-scale, fantastical puppets. 

NISDA organized and hosted a community reception and conversation as a special event for Nantucket’s Fall 2016 Arts Festival on October 5, 2016. “Storytelling: Seaview Farms and Farms on Nantucket,” gathered people from across the island who came together to share their memories of the island’s agricultural past. 

2017

NISDA was awarded a CPC grant for the first phase of Historic Preservation of Seaview Farm, with work to begin in Fall 2017. NISDA continued to develop its Artists-in-Residence program and expand it both at the Harbor Cottages and at Seaview Farm. 

During Summer 2017 NISDA expanded its open studios to offer summer visitors and islanders greatly expanded access to the ceramics studio and other studios. NISDA reached out to several island social service organization to provide students the opportunity for full scholarships for classes and to participate in the Sand Sculpture and Sand Castle Contest for free. The community has been extremely receptive and has participated in new opportunities to use the facilities. 

The Silo Restoration (CPC-funded) was completed in Fall 2017. For more on this, see the Narrative of NISDA’s Comparable Projects in this application. 

2018

NISDA was awarded a CPC grant for the second phase of Historic Preservation of Seaview Farm’s buildings. 

NISDA partnered with University of Florida Preservation Institute Nantucket to complete a digital documentation of the Harbor Cottages and historical research; this project was the focus of the students’ summer work project. This project created documentation of the historic cottages and the Artists’ Colony for posterity, as several of the cottages will be removed due to the town widening Washington Street. The documentation will help inform NISDA’s potential future replication of the cottages; the Institute’s work was funded by a CPC grant. Marty Hylton, director of University of Florida Preservation Institute Nantucket, presented the results of this project twice to the Nantucket community during summer 2018, once at the Preservation Institute and once at NISDA’s Seaview Farm as part of NISDA’s ongoing free weekly Cultural Lecture series that takes place in the summer. 

NISDA continued to reach out to the whole of Nantucket’s community, again welcoming children from families being protected by Safe Place, to provide these children with the opportunity to enjoy NISDA’s farm setting, to learn about the arts, to create, and to have fun. Other organizations, such as the Boys and Girls Club, dropped by to enjoy the farm. 

NISDA partnered with the Dreamland Theater in an exchange in which actors and directors stayed at NISDA’s Harbor Cottages in Fall 2018 (September 1 – October 15) and NISDA received advertising at the Dreamland. 

Major work was completed on the Long Shed and Dairy Barn (CPC-funded), as outlined in detail in the Narrative of NISDA’s Comparable Projects in this application. 

NISDA’s discussions with the town regarding the widening of Washington Street at the corner where NISDA’s Harbor Colony is located began in 2014 and intensified in 2018. Negotiations took place regarding the town’s interest in widening the road and purchasing a portion of NISDA’s property. As traffic studies showed, the town’s need for more of the land increased, resulting in NISDA losing six cottages (16-bed capacity). 

Major flooding occurred multiple times in winter and spring of 2018 at the Harbor Cottages. 

NISDA began investigating options for lifting the remaining cottages at the Harbor Colony out of the flood zone. 

2019

NISDA was awarded a CPC grant for the third phase of Historic Preservation of Seaview Farm’s buildings. 

NISDA partnered with University of Florida Preservation Institute Nantucket to complete a digital documentation of Seaview Farm using laser scanning, photogrammetry, and drone imaging, among other techniques. Historic American Building Survey (HABS) drawings and documentation will be prepared and submitted to the program; this project was funded by the CPC grant. 

Major ongoing CPC Grant Funded projects were completed on Dairy Barn and Long Shed. Gerardo Nolasco Inc. built Long Shed’s sliding doors. 

Town of Nantucket purchased substantial portion of NISDA’s property at 71 Washington St., corner of Washington and Francis streets. Town approached NISDA in 

2014 to widen road due to increased traffic and larger semi-trucks unable to make the turn. To accommodate, six NISDA Artist residency cottages were demoed on May 28, 2019.

Continued flooding between 2015 and 2018 at 71 Washington necessitating ongoing dry out of cottage contents and furniture, including substantial repair of cottages and electric utilities forced NISDA to investigate Artist Residency Cottage options, including lifting the five remaining Harbor Cottages up out of the flood zone. Don Bracken surveyor/engineer and NISDA explore options to re-establish Artist residency studios lost. 

NISDA’s Kathy Kelm and Land Bank Director Eric Savetsky confer on Land Bank Park to be on 71 Washington Street property. 

NPT, Preservation Institute of Nantucket ongoing dialogue/meetings with Michael May and Mary Bergman of NPT, NISDA’s attorney Marianne Hanley, Brian Pfieffer, and NISDA’s Kathy Kelm and Betsy Sibley toward writing of preservation restriction required for CPC Projects for Seaview Farm. 

IA Septic system replacement at Seaview Farm required by Board of Health. Project began April 2019 with Holdgate Partners’ Jim Hughes. 

NISDA’s Annual Sand Sculpture and Castle Contest at Jetties Beach took place Saturday, July 27, 2019. 

NISDA Seaview Farm historic circular driveway site plan redesigned by Don Bracken as part of negotiations with Mary Wauro and Peter Morrison. 

2020

NISDA continued CPC-funded projects on Long Shed exterior and water remediation conduiting to wetland reclamation swale area. On Dairy Barn finishing and installation of farm doors throughout building and first floor windows carpentry 

COVID necessitated halting NISDA Arts Programs as well as Artist Residencies. 

NISDA Harbor Cottages Artist Residency: investigation of options continued with research and planning discussions and looking into expense to raise cottages out of flood zone in order to maintain residency program. 

55 Wauwinet property – researching idea of re-establishing Artist Residency program there. 

Seaview Farm preservation restriction continued writing by Brian Pfieffer with ongoing review by Marianne Hanley, Kathy Kelm, President and Denese Allen, Treasurer. 

2021

CPC-funded historic restoration continued at Seaview Farm. Focused on completing Dairy Barn second-floor windows. Per recommendation of environmental and engineering consultants, a French drain was installed to direct Eat Fire Springs water that had been penetrating the Long Shed structure into interior causing absorption on back wall and cracking of Long Shed Barn door. Note: Due to rising ground water level Health Department required all septic systems in area to be replaced by IA systems. 

Land Bank purchased Pearl/Madden property in Wauwinet next to NISDA’s Seaview Farm. To open up access to Eat Fire Springs, the Land Bank offered the Heifer Barn to be moved back to NISDA property. 

NISDA Heifer Barn project has substantial INKIND donations in addition to requested CPC Grant IV funds, including the Land Bank covering the cost of moving the building onto NISDA property to Contractor’s discount on all materials and supplies from Marine Lumber. 

NPT – Seaview Farm preservation restriction approval granted from the State recognizing NISDA’s intention to replicate the Heifer Barn for Arts Program space and to re-establish Seaview Farms building profile, including the Historic Heifer Barn. 

2022

NISDA received Town approval for CPC Grant IV for continued historic restoration at Seaview Farm Silo and Long Shed. 

Restoration of the Seaview Farm Dairy Barn continues with locks installed and exterior door planed and painted, attic window repaired from storm damage, front stoop & decking repaired, photo room ceiling and floor painted, center studio ceiling painted, and soffit screening around building installed. 

Plantings along historic driveway installed in Wetland Reclamation area to satisfy Conservation Commission requirements. 

NISDA moves its remaining historic cottages from Town out to its property at 55 Wauwinet Road to re-establish the Offshore Artist Residency (OAR) Program schedule to re-open June 2023. 

Reconstruction on the Residency House at 55 Wauwinet Road continues with excavation, drainage, site grading, new well installed, upgraded 12 Bedroom H-20 Heavy Duty Septic System permitted to be installed, with main house completion anticipated for Fall 2022. 

NISDA hosts its 47th Annual Sandcastle contest at Jetties Beach July 30, 2022. 

2023

NISDA re-opens it's doors to Summer Programming offering classes for Adults, Teen, Youth, Kinder, Generations Together, Cultural Arts Lecture Series, Silo Gallery! 

NISDA hosts its 48th Annual Sandcastle contest at Jetties Beach July 31, 2023. 

NISDA applies receives grant funding from The Nantucket Fund toward the Long Shed Solar Project slotted to begin construction Fall 2024. 

Reconstruction on the Atlantic House at the Offshore Artist Residency is complete and Artist-in-Residence resumes August 2023. 

NISDA forms partnership with Nantucket Public Schools to provide Winter Educational Residency for public school faculty to assist the the island's housing crisis.