Massachusetts Made

By Andrew Collins | Sponsored by the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism

From the intricately handwoven baskets of indigenous peoples to the elegantly simple furniture produced by Shaker communities, crafting items for daily living and lifelong inspiration has always been a part of Massachusetts history. So many products of the Commonwealth’s past are still treasures today: Dedham pottery, Sandwich glass, and Nantucket lightship baskets, to name a few.

This rich lineage continues into modern times, thanks to the artisans and expert makers thriving in every corner of Massachusetts. Often drawing on the colors and even the materials of the state’s landscape, their creations fill workshops, studios, and galleries across the Commonwealth — a lure for holiday shoppers, but a gift to all in every season.

Industrial Heritage

Even while they proudly handcraft their wares, many Massachusetts artisans call back to the state’s industrial past, when towns and cities including Lowell, Sandwich, and Gardner were famed for their production of textiles, glassware, furniture, and more. At Nantucket Looms, founded on Nantucket’s Main Street in 1968, traditional handlooms are used to turn all-natural fibers into soft, luxurious blankets and other home textiles. At the other end of the state, the Housatonic family behind Mostrom & Chase Handweavers make everything from table linens to scarves with a craftsmanship that befits Hancock Shaker Village, one of the many museums and craft shops that stock their offerings.

One of the biggest names in the glassblowing world can be found in the village of Shelburne Falls, the home of Josh Simpson Glass. Having honed his craft for more than 50 years, Simpson is widely known for one-of-a-kind “Planet” orbs that hold fanciful swirls of shapes and colors. His work is held in the collections of such institutions as the Corning Museum of Glass and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; you can also see it at Simpson’s own Salmon Falls Gallery. About half an hour to the east, in Gill, Sam French reveals the artistry at the heart of fine furniture with his Gill CC Woodworks. In French’s hands, sustainably harvested lumber becomes beautiful custom-made tables, desks, and other wood creations. A recent commission for Smith College’s Neilson Library shows how his work complements a space designed by one of the world’s greatest architects, Maya Lin.

Even the humble candle ties back into Massachusetts’s industrial history — after all, New Bedford was once known as “The City That Lit the World” for all the oil and candles it produced at the height of the whaling era. That time is long past, but the state’s artisans still help light the way with unique hand-poured candles, including those from small, women-owned businesses such as Maggie Dwyer’s Cape Cod Soy Candle in Barnstable, and Kerry Kip’s Minot in Hull.

Timeless Crafts

In the Wampanoag culture, clam shells were fashioned into wampum beads for ceremony, adornment, and trade—a tradition that comes to life in the work of Elizabeth James-Perry of the Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe. Named an NEA National Heritage Fellow in 2023, the Dartmouth-based artist hand-carves wampum to make exquisite necklaces, earrings, and other expressions of indigenous artistry.

Another craft rooted in natural materials, pottery, takes all forms across the Commonwealth. Acclaimed Northampton potter James Guggina makes intricately decorated ceramics using a variety of techniques, including sgraffito, and fires them by hand in his kiln. Boston-based Jill Rosenwald and her team of artisans create a widely popular line of cheerfully painted bowls, trays, pots, and even lamp bases in Rosenwald’s Fort Point studio. In Shelburne Falls, meanwhile, Stephen Earp plays with ceramic styles and traditions to create eye-catching redware and delftware.

A member and past president of the Northeast Basketmakers Guild, Wendy G. Jensen incorporates Shaker and indigenous influences into her hand-shaped baskets, which often feature willow that she grows and harvests herself on her Monterey property. For Nantucket lightship baskets, head to the island itself to see how this Massachusetts-grown craft is still flourishing in the hands of modern-day artisans such as Tim Parsons and his daughter, Caitlin Parsons.

North Chelmsford woodworker John Welch of John Francis Designs became known to restaurant chefs and passionate home cooks for his spoons and serving boards; lately he’s been making a splash with his artful ravioli molds. For hand-turned bowls beloved by Oprah Winfrey, look to the Gill workshop of Spencer Peterman, who upcycles maple, oak, cherry, and other wood from fallen trees, mainly in Western Massachusetts.

Having perfected his skills for more than a half century, master silversmith Peter Erickson represents a family business that dates back to 1932. At its studio and showroom in Gardner, Erickson Silver uses hammers, anvils, and torches to hand-fabricate flatware, utensils, and jewelry in meticulously detailed patterns.

And on Martha’s Vineyard, Tuck & Holand carries on a folk art that’s long been an icon in Massachusetts coastal communities: weathervane sculptures. For more than two decades, artist Anthony Holand has helmed the studio founded in the ’70s by his late business partner, Travis Tuck. Their art has earned fans worldwide (including Steven Spielberg) but is also well loved at home, where a Tuck & Holand weathervane sits atop the Steamship Authority terminal in Oak Bluffs.