Spring 2013 - Tufts University School of Dental Medicine

first impression
A Handy Craft
During the 19th century, sailors aboard the “lightships” (floating lighthouses)
off the Nantucket South Shoals developed the craft of weaving rattan baskets
with a solid wood base. Now known as Nantucket lightship baskets, they are
prized as examples of American folk art. Lauren Murphy, D13, started making
the baskets when she was 9. Later, when she was weighing which branch of
the health sciences to pursue, the baskets offered a clue. “I thought about
medicine, veterinary, everything,” says Murphy, of Hingham, Mass. “But I love
working with my hands, so dentistry was the perfect fit.” The patience and
attention to detail needed to complete a basket are the same skills needed in
the clinic, she says. “I say the baskets led me to dentistry.”
photo: john soares