NAHANT — The Nahant Public Library announced on Thursday that it will be hosting a Nahant Reads Together project that will focus on the art and artifact collections of the library.
The project will consist of reading two books: “An Object of Beauty,” by comedian and musician Steve Martin which discusses art collecting, and “Braiding Sweetgrass,” a series of essays on plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
Book discussions will be held at the library every Saturday at 4 p.m during the month of March, beginning on March 5.
Different presenters will appear at the Saturday discussions to highlight different topics and themes that are present in the two books. One of the presenters is Nahant Public Library Director Sharon Hawkes.
“Nahant’s library building and the art on its walls document unique aspects of Nahant history,” said Hawkes. “The art and our Native(-American) artifacts, from when Nahant was a fishing encampment for the Massachusett tribe, tell a story of the town from thousands of years ago, through its time as a vacation resort in the 19th century, and today.”
The artifacts Hawkes will discuss are the fishing spearheads and nets used by the Massachusett tribe in Nahant. There are four panels on display of these Native artifacts.
“(The Massachusetts Tribe) cycled to different sites and fished,” Hawkes said. “Nahant was one of these fishing sites.”
The other presenters will be history professor Dr. Christoph Strobel of UMass Lowell, who will speak on Native-American history in the region, art historian Martha Chiarchiaro, who will discuss the United States landscape painting from the 1800s and Massachusett Sachem Larry Fisher, who will speak about Native tribes in today’s world.
Strobel will speak on March 5, Chiarchiaro on March 12, Fisher on March 19 and Hawkes on March 26.
The Nahant Reads Together project began in 2016. The goal of the project is to entice the community to read different books that discuss modern-day issues and how these issues connect back to the Nahant community. On average, the project has 20-40 participants and takes place twice a year.
Last year, Nahant Public Library centered its Reads Together program on the book, “The Garden of Martyrs” by Michael C. White. The book focuses on Father John Cheverus, his connection to Nahant and prejudice in the United States.
For those who wish to participate in the project, Nahant Public Library is offering “An Object of Beauty” and “Braiding Sweetgrass” for free checkout without the need for a library card.
Masks will be required when entering the library.
