Abbe Museum Staff Rocked #MuseumSelfieDay

January 20th was ‪#‎MuseumSelfieDay‬, and the Abbe staff had way too much fun snapping photos all around the Museum. There happened to be a lot going on that day in and around our main gallery as we prepare for our new core exhibit, People of the First Light, which made our photo opps all the more interesting!

We think we won #MuseumSelfieDay, for sure. At least on Facebook. Hop on over and search for "#MuseumSelfieDay" to see for yourself.

What Does Decolonization Mean?

As the only museum in the world dedicated to Wabanaki art, history, and culture, the Abbe works closely with the Wabanaki Nations, sharing authority for the documentation and interpretation of Native culture. We are committed to an ongoing process of better understanding Wabanaki culture, history, and values, and with this in mind, we have a new vision for the Abbe, one that is  groundbreaking, ambitious, and thrilling:

The Abbe Museum will reflect and realize the values of decolonization in all of its practices, working with the Wabanaki Nations to share their stories, history, and culture with a broader audience.

You might be wondering what decolonization means, orwhat it looks like in a museum setting. You’re not alone; it’s not a well-known word or practice, but it’s gaining speed and we’re proud to be a leading resource and model that the museum field turns to for ideas, solutions, and strategies for comprehensive museum decolonization.

Susan Miller, Seminole, describes decolonization as a process designed to shed and recover from the ill effects of colonization. Amy Lonetree, Ho-Chunk, states in her outstanding publication Decolonizing Museums, that “a decolonizing museum practice must involve assisting (tribal) communities in addressing the legacies of unresolved grief.”

Generally speaking, museums have historically controlled their audiences’ understanding of Native people,  sovereignty, and culture by leaving Native people and communities out of the planning and processes of museum practices. In the end, there was little to no consultation and collaboration with Native people on exhibits, archaeology, culture, history, fashion, food, music, placenames, burial remains, spirituality, education, and much, much more. This practice is certainly evolving, but the museum field has a long road to travel, righting these inequities of the past and planning for a collaborating present and future.

The principles of decolonization inform how the Abbe builds, understands, and exhibits its collections, and they affect who shapes and tells the stories in our galleries and programs. Decolonization is part of our governance and policy and practice, the training of all staff (including those who greet and educate visitors), and even determines what is sold in our Museum shops.

We’ve got big ideas for the future, and ourstrategic planincludes designing and installing a new core exhibit, producing the Abbe Museum Indian Market, expanding our dialogue-based programming, implementing a new and improved web presence, developing an archaeology advisory committee, and creating an online collections database. We plan to share updates, projects, and milestones on the website and blog each week, so be sure to visit often (and ask questions)!

This new plan and vision are the result of years of discussions, interviews, research, writing, and testing. The plan represents a critical transition in the history of the Abbe, and it’s a journey we’re excited to embark on!

Peacebuilding at the Abbe

The World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates is the largest annual event in peacemaking. Needless to say, attending an event such as this is an incredibly daunting task—especially when you’ve been chosen to be the first Native youth delegate to attend.

Why was I chosen? Could they not find someone better? What if I speak too strongly, or am not strong enough? What if I misrepresent my people? What if?

These questions raced through my mind at what seemed like a thousand times per second as I checked in at the Bar Harbor International Airport. With my hand drum and my mother’s eagle feather tucked into a compartment on the wing of the tiny plane, I embarked on a journey that already felt like one of the most significant and terrifying experiences of my life. 

I was excited to be able to hear from the Nobel Laureate’s directly—last year, due to various political reasons, the Summit was postponed and I attended the Global Youth Peace Indaba in Capetown, South Africa, instead. I knew that the Summit would be very different from the Indaba, and the chance to be able to ask questions of today’s leading peacemakers made me feel nervous and intimidated. I arrived in Barcelona, Spain, prepared to consider ways in which peacebuilding can be incorporated into my work at the Abbe Museum and armed with the goal of creating the first Native Youth Delegation to the Summit in 2016. After visiting the city in high school and spending three months there as an undergraduate, it was as if I was returning to a home away from home.

Plaza Espanya, Barcelona

After one brief evening of getting to know the other delegates, the Summit began like a whirlwind. The opening ceremony and sessions took place at the Universitat de Barcelona and began with a welcome by the mayor of the city, Ada Colau. I found that even though I hadn’t heard the Catalán language since I left the city in 2008, I understood the majority of what was said! Not only did Mayor Colau express gratitude to the Laureates and Secretariat for choosing Barcelona, but she also set the tone for the rest of the Summit by publicly stating that Barcelona would welcome Syrian refugees. This led to larger discussions regarding refugees, with other Laureates pointing out the fact that this is not a new humanitarian crisis, and that the root causes of war must be eliminated in order to create peace. Laureate Mairead Maguire, from Northern Ireland, stated that eliminating the roots of war—specifically, ending militarism—would ultimately be up to young people. She believes that the youth is more ingenious than previous generations, and she apologized to the youth delegates for the world that would one day be handed to us.

Me and Nobel Laureate Mairead Maguire.

Laureate Mohammed Yunus, from Bangladesh, echoed Maguire’s message, stating that creating a new civilization is the mission of our generation. He stated that, with 20 million refugees around the globe, the world needs direction from the peace Laureates. His message was that the concentration of wealth and the unemployment of young people worldwide ultimately makes for an unsustainable society; he encouraged that we, as human beings, are not job seekers but job creators and that unemployment is the artificial creation of wrong-thinking. If we are to achieve the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals by the year 2030, then we, as young people, needed to take action. These goals are meant to serve as guiding steps to achieving sustainable world peace.

Each of the youth delegations nominated two participants to contribute to the creation of the 2015 Youth Declaration of Peace, which would be composed of declarations pertaining to each of the Sustainable Development Goals. Students and young activists from around the world discussed ways in which we, as young people, can work to achieve these goals, and working with my colleagues from LUISS (Libera Università Internazionale degli Studio Sociali Guido Carli), Oxford University, and PeaceJam, the following was written to accompany goal number ten, “Reducing Inequalities:”    

Financial inequality, ongoing colonization, refusal of reconciliation, institutionalized and non-institutionalized discrimination, and the disparate distribution and development of agricultural and medical resources are just a few of the challenges concerning the reduction of inequality; the role of youth is key to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals through raising awareness and constantly learning; an effective preliminary solution for eliminating these social constructs is to encourage the unconditional appreciation of all human life (The Youth Declaration of Peace).

Me and other Youth Delegates after the American Friends Service Committee Workshop.

I knew that the Youth Declaration was going to be read during the closing ceremony of the Summit, but I was still surprised when my colleagues informed me that, while I was in the restroom, they had unanimously decided that I would read our section. Aloud. On a stage. In front of all the participating Laureates. The next morning, I met with the other delegates assigned to read the declaration and prepared to read in front of the world’s leaders in peacebuilding. I was, to say the least, absolutely terrified, and have never been more thankful for my theater degree. With my drum keeping my hands steady and my mother’s feather giving me strength, I walked on stage with representatives from the other delegations.

Me at Font Magica, Barcelona

My experiences in Barcelona were far too many for me to effectively summarize in one blog post. I reconnected with old friends while making amazing new ones; returned to a city that I adore; was able to ask questions of incredible peace builders including Jody Williams (a driving force in the launching of an international campaign against landmines), Tawakkol Karman (she has been called the "Iron Woman" and "Mother of the Revolution"), and Frederik Willem de Klerk (the former State President of South Africa!), and excitedly told anyone that would listen how the Abbe tackles social justice issues in a museum setting. Now, I’m conducting research to create the FIRST EVER Native Youth Delegation to the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates for 2016, and couldn’t be more excited to be a part of this history!

Me and Nobel Laureate Jody Williams

There were an infinite amount of meaningful messages received at the Summit. If I were to boil all of these messages down into core lessons, they would be as follows: Mohammed Yunus taught me that youth is key to making change; Mairead Maguire reaffirmed that dialogue is essential to making peace; Frederik Willem de Klerk encouraged that reconciliation is essential to decolonization, and Jody Williams stressed that empathy must be converted into action. With these lessons being added to my peacebuilding toolkit, it is my hope to share these messages with other Indigenous youth and ultimately contribute to the cultivation of sustainable peace, and create a world that my grandchildren will be proud to be a part of.

Thank you to the American Friends Service Committee, an amazing organization that made my journey possible.

Addition to the Abbe Museum Collections

Maliseet artist Gina Brooks and the Abbe's Director of Collections & Interpretation, Julia Clark

TheDiane Kopec Collection Fund at the Abbe Museum was created to acquire works by living Native American artists. The collection reflects the vitality and vibrancy of Native American art today, and we recently added a birchbark box by Maliseet artist Gina Brooks to this important collection.

The imagery on the box includes the wampum pattern representing the Wabanaki Confederacy, the people holding up that confederacy, and on the lid, the double curve that represents the unity of the four tribes. Native people sent and received Wampum woven into belts as a form of communication. Through the geometric patterns of the beads, Native people wove wampum designs to remember and recall important events like oral histories, treaties, and agreements. These belts were brought back and forth from important events, and passed down from generation to generation.

Gina Brooks, Maliseet, is from St. Mary’s First Nation in New Brunswick, Canada, and resides in nearby Fredericton. She considers herself an artist informed by Wabanaki traditional knowledge, and her art includes brown ash basketry, porcupine quill and birch bark basketry, carving, and print making. Her original prints include acrylic and ink, and lithographs, monotypes, and copper etch plating. Her basketry and print art has been commissioned by private art collectors and Aboriginal organizations across Canada, and her work has been exhibited at the Charlotte Street Arts Center in Fredericton, Sudbury Nature Center in St. Andrews, (Weaving Traditions), and is featured in the New Brunswick Museum’s Wabanaki contemporary art collection.

Free Teacher Workshop

Abbe Museum Welcomes New Trustees

The Abbe Museum has added four new Trustees to its Board of Directors, bringing the total number of Trustees to 19. The new appointees – Abbe Levin, Margo Lukens, Patti Selig, and Chris Sockalexis – assumed their new roles on August 12, 2015.

“We are excited to welcome our incoming class,” said Abbe Museum President/CEO, Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko. “Our new members bring talents and new perspectives that will complement and strengthen our already impressive Board. We have spent time building a Board that is reflective of our community, our organizational needs, and our mission, and that care and commitment has certainly paid off. It is a pleasure to work alongside the Abbe Trustees as we strengthen the Abbe Museum’s presence locally and statewide.”

Abbe Levin is a cultural development consultant, and has served as the Cultural Tourism Coordinator for the Maine Office of Tourism since 2007. In addition, Levin works with a wide range of organizations and projects to assist with the preservation and promotion of cultural resources. She currently serves on the Maine Development Foundation’s Maine Downtown Center Advisory Council and the Sheepscot Valley Children’s House Board of Directors. Levin lives in Boothbay with her husband, and has two sons.

Margo Lukens is a professor in the University of Maine Department of English, and presently serves as chair of the Department of New Media and director of academic programs in Innovation Engineering. Her research interests include Wabanaki literary and storytelling history, Native American and First Nations plays and playwrights, innovation, and making whiteness visible to white people. Her work has included producing and directing Native American plays on campus and in the region, and generally participating in as much theater as possible.

Patti Selig’s first exposure to the Abbe was in the 1980s as she and her family discovered the Museum while visiting Sieur de Monts. She and her family lived in Ocean City, Maryland for 40 years where her husband owned a large construction company and she worked as a psychologist. She spent 20 years as a faculty member and department chair with the University of Maryland system, and when she retired from her career in higher education in 2005, she and her husband purchased the Cranberry Hill Inn in Southwest Harbor. She has been active as a volunteer for the Abbe for many years, serving on the Gala Committee, the Culinary Arts committee, and working at the front desk as a greeter.

Chris Sockalexis, Penobscot, is the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Penobscot Nation, and has served on the Abbe Museum Native Advisory Council since 2012. He has a BA in Anthropology from the University of Maine with his primary focus being on Maine Archaeology. He is currently conducting research for his Masters of Science degree at the University of Maine Climate Change Institute. Sockalexis is also a flintkapper with knowledge of the ancient art and technique of stone and bone tool production. Sockalexis is also an avid canoe/kayak paddler who loves being out in the Maine woods and on the waterways that his ancestors have traveled for thousands of years. He lives with his wife Jill and her daughter Taylor in Winterport, and is the proud father of Shannon, Willow, and Em.

The Abbe Museum Trustees also include: Ann Cox Halkett (Chair), Richard Cleary (Vice Chair), Katherine Stroud Bucklin (Secretary), Jeff Dalrymple (Treasurer), David Moses Bridges, Joseph F. Cistone, Linda K. Dunn, William Haviland, Jamie Bissonette Lewey, Barbara E. McLeod, Jennifer Neptune, Douglas Sharpe, Curtis Simard, Steve Wessler, Sandra K. Wilcox, and Honorary Trustees Alice Wellman and Darren J. Ranco.

September is #changemakers month at the Abbe

Please come be #changemakers with us! 

As we close out our fiscal year at the end of September, the race is on to hit our annual fund goal of $100,000. The Abbe's September #changemakers campaign is about passionate, ambitious, and proud friends helping us inspire new learning about the Wabanaki Nations with every visit, and that also includes the Abbe Museum staff!

Our staff is stepping up to be loud, creative #changemakers. With your help we've moved the needle closer to our goal, and with gifts of $100, $500, or $1,000 we'll surely hit our mark by the end of the month. If we reach our goal, the Abbe staff is prepared to do some really creative things. Head on over to the Abbe websiteto find out what everyone is prepared to do!

Abbe Museum Awarded $150,000 Grant

The Abbe Museum has been awarded a $150,000 Museums for America grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The grant is 1 of 217 awarded to museum projects across the US – totaling more than $25 million – and will fund the design, fabrication, and installation of the Abbe’s new permanent exhibit,  People of the First Light, which will open in the spring of 2016.

“We are beyond excited about this opportunity, especially because of what it means for the Abbe in terms of preparing for the immediate future,” said Abbe President/CEO Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko. “During the course of the past year in planning for our new strategic plan, numerous community conversations occurred and some of those resulted in identifying specific financial sustainability strategies that influence our exhibit planning efforts. The conversations all pointed to the need for a permanent exhibit, and thanks to IMLS, we’ll be able to give our visitors and communities exactly what they asked for!”

Located in the Abbe’s downtown Bar Harbor facility, the exhibit will occupy approximately 2,100 square feet. Its content, artifacts, images, and interactive and participatory elements will be informed by the Abbe’s recently adopted interpretive framework and input from its Native Advisory Council and Native advisors.

People of the First Light will use design and content to bring the visitor into the Wabanaki universe. The cyclical nature of time will be strongly reflected in the design of the exhibit, and time depth will be presented in a non-linear pattern. The exhibit will incorporate the many ways of knowing about Wabanaki history and culture.

“Thanks to this grant, the Abbe will enhance current and future exhibit and programmatic interpretations, expose visitors to multiple voices in presenting information about the Wabanaki people – with the Wabanaki voice as the primary one – and give visitors an understanding of how the colonization of Maine has impacted and continues to impact the Wabanaki people and their culture,” said Julia Clark, director of collections and interpretation.  

While the exhibit is considered permanent (15-20 year cycle), it will be constructed so that topics can be easily updated to reflect changing events, and the evolving conversations with Wabanaki advisors will be a guide if updates are needed. Audiences will find their experience relevant and engaging each time they visi People of the First Light.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 35,000 museums. Its mission is to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement. IMLS’s grant making, policy development, and research help libraries and museums deliver valuable services that make it possible for communities and individuals to thrive. To learn more, visi www.imls.gov. 

Wabanaki Artists take top spots at Santa Fe Indian Market

For the past 90 years, Santa Fe Indian Market has been bringing together the most talented Native American artists from around the US. As the largest Native arts fair in the world, the market covered the Santa Fe Plaza and surrounding streets this past weekend, and consisted of a myriad of events — galas, art openings, music and experiences, fashion shows, and the much anticipated juried art show. Several Wabanaki artists were in attendance this year, and a couple are coming back to the East Coast with some impressive ribbons.

Abbe Museum Fellow Emma Soctomah, Passamaquoddy, won first and second place in the Youth Division, which is her third consecutive year winning the top two spots.

Sara Sockbeson, Penobscot, won first place in Miniatures and second place in Contemporary. Her two winning baskets featured deer antler handles, which she sliced into cross-sections and then carved and polished each one, drilling a hole through the center. Sarah has said that all the antler handles she makes are unique for each basket.

Abbe Museum Educator George Neptune, Passamaquoddy, received an Honorable Mention in Traditional Basketry. George has admitted that he likes turning his baskets into sculptures, and that they’re all slight adaptations on traditional methods he has been taught.

The market is definitely a meeting of buyer and artist, but it proves year on year to be so much more than just that. It’s a place where artists gather to share their creations, their traditions, and their stories. It helps make possible the continuation of traditional life, whether on a pueblo outside Santa Fe or in a small town in Maine.

More official results of all the winners will be posted soon. The Best of Show winners list is currently available on the Santa Fe Indian Market website.

Congratulations to all the Wabanaki artists!

2015 Abbe Field School in photos

It was a perfect week for the 24th annual Abbe Museum Field School. Not just because of the weather, but lots of amazing items were uncovered: a variety of pottery, stone and bone tools, food bone remains, and one of the spears found was in immaculate condition.

Participants worked

with Maine State Archaeologist Dr. Arthur Spiess on the Tranquility Farm coastal shell midden site, and conducted excavations, practiced mapping the site, and learned about the analysis of artifacts. Now begins the process of cleaning, cataloging, and preserving the important findings from this year’s dig and making them available for research and education.

Annual Meeting Highlights

The Abbe's 2015 Annual Meeting was held on Wednesday, August 12th and we covered a lot of ground as we reported on fiscal year 2014, as well as our plans for the future. There were demonstrations by four Native artists, a sneak peek at our new strategic plan, and we honored an outgoing Trustee with the highest award bestowed by the Abbe.

Back in July, the Abbe named its 2015 Wabanaki Artist Fellows, recognizing three exceptionally creative individuals with a track record of achievement and the potential for significant artist contributions in the future: Donna Brown, Penobscot; Ganessa Frey, Penobscot; and Emma Soctomah, Passamaquoddy. These fellowships were made possible through support from Dawnland, LLC, the concessioner in Acadia National Park, who was in attendance at the Annual Meeting. All three Fellows gave demonstrations during the Annual Meeting, delighting guests with their art and answering any questions.

Ganessa Frey discussed basketmaking with Abbe supporters Joe and Cathy Gerstner.

Emma Soctomah admitted that artwork is very important to her, and she spends much of her time outside of school making baskets. She's off to the Santa Fe Indian Market this month to try and win some more awards. 

Donna Brown discussed her traditional beadwork with Abbe Trustee Sandy Wilcox.

The fellowships awarded are intended to provide support for travel, lodging, and other costs associated with exhibiting at Indian art markets in Maine and New Mexico. Emma and Ganessa will attend the 2015 Southwestern Association for Indian Art’s Santa Fe Indian Market (SWAIA), and Donna attended the 2015 Native American Festival and Basketmakers Market last month.

Gabriel Frey, Passamaquoddy, also gave a basketmaking demonstration. A utility basketmaker, Gabe uses his family's traditional knowledge and style to create beautifully woven, sturdily built utility baskets that can be used for a variety of purposes.

Gabe Frey (far right) carries on the tradition, high quality, and style of his grandfather who taught him, while incorporating his own individual aesthetic, forms, and decorative weaves. 

The Golden Trowel Award, the highest award bestowed by the Abbe, was presented to Art Spiess for his invaluable contributions in making the Abbe Museum's annual Field school happen. This school has been an integral part of the Abbe’s archaeological work since the 1980s, and is one of the most significant ways we teach about archaeology and engage people in this important way of learning more about Wabanaki history and culture. The success of the field school over the years has been due in large part to the outstanding contributions of archaeologists, anthropologists, historians, and educators from around Maine. And for the past nine years, nobody has been as essential to that success at Art Spiess.

Art received his PhD in Anthropology from Harvard University in 1978, and he began his career at the Maine Historic Preservation Commission that same year. Art has been on the Board of The Maine Archaeological Society for more than 20 years, and he serves as the Editor of Archaeology of Eastern North America for the Eastern States Archaeological Federation.

Art has generously given his time and expertise to the field school, leading this outstanding annual learning experience. He has also been key in helping the Abbe keep our practices and policies around archaeological research and collections up-to-date with current standards and legal requirements. He has guided archaeology in Maine for over four decades of work at the Maine Historic Preservation Commission, and his depth of knowledge has been essential to the success of the field school.

Abbe's Director of Collections & Interpretation presented Art with the Golden Trowel Award.

The night ended on an exciting note: the Abbe's new strategic plan. This plan will guide the next phase of the Museum’s growth and development, from its adoption in 2015, through the next five to seven years. Our mission hasn’t changed, but our vision has a new focus:

The Abbe Museum will reflect and realize the values of decolonization in all of its practices, working with the Wabanaki Nations to share their stories, history, and culture with a broader audience. 

There are three phases to the plan, and phase one will kick-off very ambitiously this fall. The Abbe's President & CEO, Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko, gave a sneak peek of each goal, which will include a permanent exhibit, new and improved web presence, expansion of our dialogue-based programming, development of an archaeology advisory committee, an online collections database, and producing the Abbe Museum Indian Market. An official plan will be rolled out very soon!

A very big thank you to all those who came to the Museum on Wednesday to celebrate with us! We can't wait to see what happens next!

Meet a Wabanaki Artist Fellow: Emma Soctomah

Emma Soctomah is 11 years old and a member of the Passamaquoddy Tribe living at Indian Township. She is an Honor Roll student who skipped the 4th grade, and will be in the 7th grade this fall.

Artwork is very important to her, and she spends much of her time outside of school making baskets. She has attended the Santa Fe Indian Market twice and has returned with top awards each time.

"My inspiration would definitely be my Gram, Molly Neptune Parker. She is always working on baskets and stopping to help me or my cousins. I am very thankful to have my Gram because she always helps me when I need it. She also makes very beautiful baskets. I am my brother George Neptune's apprentice, so I go to markets with him. He helps me work as hard as I can, but sometimes too hard, but that's okay. He just wants me to do as good as I can."

Here she is (in the pony tail), teaching Franklin Delano Roosevelt's great grandchildren how to weave a basket. Roosevelt was good friends with Tomah Joseph, who was from Indian Township, and a family relation to Emma and George.

As a Wabanaki Artist Fellow, Emma is off to the Santa Fe Indian Market this month to see what other awards she can win. But, it's not just about winning awards; making baskets is about keeping a tradition alive and well.

"I want to be sure that basketmaking keeps going so that we don't lose the tradition. At one point we started losing the tradition but my Gram started teaching more and more people. I want to be just like her and teach people to make baskets and keep it going. I will teach all of my children that I have in the future."

The Wabanaki Artist Fellowships were made possible through support from Dawnland, LLC, the concessioner in Acadia National Park.

A Pop Up Program at the Abbe will focus on one of the first transoceanic ships

The Abbe Museum will host a Pop Up Program by Xabier Agote from the ALBAOLA, Basque Maritime Heritage Foundation on Thursday, August 20 from 7 – 9 pm. The discussion will focus on 16th century Basque whalers in North America and the San Juan whaleship replica currently being built in Spain. The program is free and open to the public.

“We are really just beginning to get a better understanding of how important the interactions between the Wabanaki and the Basque were, and how they shaped the longer history of interaction and colonization,” said Julia Clark, director of collections & interpretation at the Abbe Museum. “This program is a great opportunity to learn more about the Basque side of the story.”

Built in Pasaia - which is located in the Basque Autonomous Community of northern Spain - in 1563, the San Juan whaling ship is an example of the first transoceanic ships that set sail from the Basque Country to Newfoundland. It reflects the splendor and worldwide domination of the Basque maritime industry. It sank off the coast of Canada, in Red Bay, in 1565.

Over 400 years later in 1978, the Canadian archaeological team from Parcs Canada found the wreck of the San Juan and investigated it in an exemplary underwater excavation for the maritime archaeological world. After studying it for more than thirty years, it is the best known 16th century ship and has become an icon symbolizing UNESCO Underwater Cultural Heritage.

The Nao San Juan reconstruction began in 2013 in Pasaia within the Donostia/San Sebastián European Capital of Culture 2016, and is backed by the Canadian Government. Just as it joined Europe with North America in the 16th century, the Nao San Juan will allow these two countries to sail into the future together working from their joint past.

Xabier Agote is a shipwright and specializes in the construction of traditional and historical boats. He is the Founder and Director of ALBAOLA, where he has developed a research and education program that includes the construction of Nao San Juan; built a school for boat-building and seamanship; and generated a revival of public awareness of the long and rich Basque relationship with the sea. He is a graduate of the apprentice program at the Maine Maritime Museum, built several gigs for the Atlantic Challenge International Seamanship Program for The ApprenticeShop, Rockland, and has led several open boat expeditions along the coasts of Canada, Ireland, and Spain.

2015 Abbe Field School

The 2015 Abbe Field School kicked off on Sunday, August 2, offering a first-hand experience in an archaeological dig. This year's dig is excavating the Tranquility Farm Site, first explored by the Abbe Museum in the 1930s, and again during a series of field school excavations in the 1990s.

This year's excavations will build on previous exciting discoveries from the farm's site, which include a house floor and hearth feature with a radiocarbon date of 1240 ± 70 BP; the identification of burned plant remains from the hearth including raspberry, chenopodium, smartweed, wild rye and dewberry; and an assemblage of dentate-stamped pottery assigned to the Middle Ceramic Period, 2,100 - 800 years ago.

Fieldwork is complemented by lab sessions and lectures that give participants a broad understanding of archaeology and Maine's Native American heritage.

Dave Halliwell and Tim Spahr checking their paperwork.

Field School participants, Doug Sharpe and Anju Roy, examine their screen.

Abbe Museum Educator Jen Heindel uncovered some impressive pot shards on her first day!

Some participants get more into their work than others. Mary Ellen Sharp is learning what happens when you scratch your face while digging. She beats out Team Supervisor Kate Pontbriand (far left), who was our dirtiest face winner last year.

Michele Kirchner found a gem of a spear point on Day 2.

Tess Lichtmam consults with field school super volunteer Dee Lustusky on what she is uncovering.

Kate Pontbriand, field supervisor-in-training, consults with Art Spiess about the stratigraphy in the pit she is overseeing.

Kate Pontbriand shared her various archaeological field experiences with participants on Day 3. 

Birchbark Wikuwam Demo with David Moses Bridges

David Moses Bridges, Passamaquoddy, has spent the past three days out at Sieur de Monts in Acadia National Park reconstructing a traditional wikuwam. David is an award winning birchbark artist who has received national recognition for his work. From splitting spruce root to collecting birchbark, David has spent the past few days demonstrating his craft to more than 750 visitors, sharing stories of his childhood and career as an artist, and answering questions about this labor intensive process.

This program is part of the Cultural Connections in the Park series, which

happen throughout the summer

in and around Acadia National Park. All of these programs are sponsored by Dawnland, LLC, are offered in partnership with Acadia National Park, and are free and open to the public.

Abbe Museum Receives Grant to Lower Energy Costs

The Abbe Museum recently received a grant from Grants to Green Maine to provide an energy efficiency audit for the Abbe’s historic downtown Bar Harbor location. This grant complements the Museum’s Greening the Abbe Initiative, and the near completion of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) funded projects that have helped reduce the Abbe's carbon footprint and operating costs.

“The Grants to Green Maine grant will enable the Abbe to complete an energy efficiency audit of our building and provide a report with priorities for energy efficiency improvements,” said Abbe Museum President/CEO Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko. “Higher heating bills have decreased the amount of money we can put towards our mission of preserving and exhibiting the regional history of the area and it is important to make our building more efficient, which will in turn make our organization more sustainable.”

The Greening the Abbe initiative was launched in 2012 with the over-arching goal to make the Abbe environmentally responsible and sustainable. Thanks to 43 generous donors and a grant from the NEH, funds were contributed to “Green the Abbe Museum” in three phases, and efforts immediately resulted in lowering energy consumption by 20%, saving about $500 per month. Greening initiatives included:

• Replacement of the system control software that regulates the heating and cooling in the Abbe Museum downtown. 
• Installed ultraviolet filters in one of the Museum’s galleries, which now allows use of this space for exhibits.
• The Abbe’s 2013 exhibit, Wabanaki Guides, was built with 80% of materials from a prior exhibit, 10% was repurposed to improve storage organization in the exhibit prep space, and 2% was recycled, leaving only 8% for disposal.
• High wattage incandescent lighting in the Abbe’s Main Gallery was replaced with efficient LED lighting that not only means substantial electricity savings, but is also safer for the fragile objects on exhibit and provides a better quality of lighting.
• A shift from printed material to electronic communications with our members and the community wherever possible, to reduce the use of paper.

The Abbe Museum’s downtown Bar Harbor location at 26 Mount Desert Street is an 1893 landmark. In 1997, the Abbe purchased the former YMCA building and renovated and expanded it to create a 17,000-square-foot museum with spacious exhibition galleries, indoor and outdoor program spaces, a research lab, and state-of-the-art collections storage.

Interested in supporting the Greening the Abbe campaign? Contact Heather Anderson, director of advancement at (207) 288-3519 or by email at heather@abbemuseum.org.

About Grants to Green Maine
Grants to Green Maine provides environmentally focused knowledge and funding to strengthen nonprofits located in historic buildings in downtowns in Maine. Grants to Green Maine is a partnership between the Maine Development Foundation’s Maine Downtown Center, Efficiency Maine and the Maine Community Foundation, and is funded by Kendeda Fund of The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta.

About the Abbe Museum
The mission of the Abbe Museum, now Maine’s first Smithsonian Affiliate, is to inspire new learning about the Wabanaki Nations with every visit. The Abbe has a collection of over 50,000 archaeological, historic and contemporary objects including stone and bone tools, pottery, beadwork, carved root clubs, birch bark canoes, and supporting collections of photographs, maps, and archival documents. It holds the largest and best-documented collection of Maine Native American basketry in any museum. Its collections conservation program is recognized nationally as a model for museums. The Abbe’s two locations - downtown Bar Harbor and at Sieur de Monts Spring in Acadia National Park - are now open daily from 10 am – 5 pm. www.abbemuseum.org

2015 Native American Festival

It was a perfect day on Saturday, July 11th for Maine's largest gathering of Native American artists, co-hosted by the Abbe Museum, the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance, and College of the Atlantic. Featuring the celebrated Native arts market, Native music, dance, storytelling, craft demonstrations, and delicious food, the festival offered visitors, collectors, and gallery owners the opportunity to buy directly from the artists. For many visitors, this was a rare opportunity to meet the artists and learn about contemporary Native arts and cultures from Maine and the Maritimes.

Thanks to everyone who made this year's Festival such a huge success!

Abbe Museum Celebrates 87 Years with Annual Gathering Gala

College of the Atlantic President Darron Collins will be the Gala Auctioneer

On July 29, 2015 at 5 pm the Abbe Museum will host their signature annual fundraiser at the Bar Harbor Club. The Gathering Gala benefit dinner and auction has become a summer tradition on Mount Desert Island, celebrating the work of the Abbe Museum with an elegant evening of food and drink, friendship, and philanthropy. This year’s event will celebrate the importance of outreach – the myriad of educational experiences offered outside the Museum that further the Abbe’s mission to inspire new learning about the Wabanaki Nations – and College of the Atlantic President Darron Collins will host the live auction.

“I’m excited to be a part of the Abbe’s largest annual fundraiser,” said Collins. “The Museum is innovative in its intellectually sophisticated approach to understanding and celebrating the cultural matrix of Native Americans. Supporting the Abbe's mission benefits MDI, the Native Peoples of Maine, and Native communities all over the world.”

The silent and live auctions will feature original artworks from Native and local artists, collections of items donated by local businesses, and a variety of unique experiences. Among the more than eighty-five items available at auction that night are custom-made jewelry, hand-knit accessories and clothing, decorative paddles, Wabanaki basketry by nationally-recognized and award-winning artists, high quality artwork and photography, and much more. All artworks, items, and experiences available at auction are now on exhibit at the Abbe Museum, and can also be viewed online at abbemuseum.org.

The Gathering Gala begins with cocktails and passed hors d’ouevres during the silent auction, followed with entertainment by the Burnurwurbskek Singers, a presidential-style dinner, dessert, and a live auction. The event begins at 5:00 PM, and tickets for the evening are $150 per person. To RSVP, please email the Abbe Museum at gala@abbemuseum.org or call 207-288-3519. Absentee bidding and underwriting opportunities are also available for those who cannot attend.

“We are so grateful to the many guests, sponsors, underwriters, auction item donors, and volunteers that make this event an annual success!” said Abbe President/CEO Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko. 

Abbe Museum and Dawnland, LLC Announce Fellowship Winners

The fellowship allows Wabanaki artists more opportunities at Indian art markets 

Dawnland, LLC General Manager Ed Noonan presents Abbe Museum President/CEO Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko with a check to support the 2015 Wabanaki Artist Fellowship.

The Abbe Museum named today its 2015 Wabanaki Artist Fellows, recognizing three exceptionally creative individuals with a track record of achievement and the potential for significant artist contributions in the future: Donna Brown (Penobscot), Ganessa Frey (Penobscot), and Emma Soctomah (Passamaquoddy). These fellowships were made possible through support from Dawnland, LLC, the concessioner in Acadia National Park.

The fellowships awarded are intended to provide support for travel, lodging, and other costs associated with exhibiting at Indian art markets in Maine and New Mexico. Soctomah and Frey will attend the 2015 Southwestern Association for Indian Art’s Santa Fe Indian Market (SWAIA), and Brown will attend the 2015 Native American Festival and Basketmakers Market.

“We are delighted to award these fellowships. Their creativity is inspiring and innovative and market participation is critical to an artist’s development and viability,” said Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko, president and CEO of the Abbe Museum. “They expand our view of what is possible, and they inspire us to apply our own talents and imagination. We hope this is the first of many fellowships we offer in the years to come.” 

Brown handcrafts jewelry and traditional beadwork made from various metals, semi-precious gemstones, and glass beads. “My work is motivated by my desire to create colorful jewelry and regalia that will be passed on to future generations. It gives me great joy to see others enjoy and wear my creations, whether for everyday wear or worn specially for traditional gatherings,” she said.

Frey, a third generation weaver, has artwork on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, Dartmouth College’s Hood Museum, and the Abbe Museum. “As a parent and an artist living in an artist family, I strive to teach and encourage my entire family to chase their artistic dreams,” she said.

In the past two years, 11 year old Soctomah has placed first and second in her division at SWAIA with several different baskets: six-inch sweetgrass crisscross basket, twelve-inch wastebasket, four-inch rainbow basket, and a six-inch blue basket. “I want to be sure that basketmaking keeps going so that we don’t lose the tradition. I want to be just like my gram and teach people to make baskets and keep it going,” she said.

Each Fellow will attend the Abbe’s Annual Meeting on August 12, 2015 from 4 – 6 pm to give a demonstration. Members and friends of the Abbe are invited to attend. Please contact the Abbe at 207-288-3519 to RSVP.

About Dawnland, LLC

Dawnland, LLC operates the Jordan Pond House restaurant, including the traditional tea and popovers on the lawn overlooking Jordan Pond and the Bubbles, and retail services at Jordan Pond House, Cadillac Mountain, and Thunder Hole. Dawnland's parent company, Ortega National Parks, LLC, has more than 45 years of hospitality experience and over 16 years' experience operating concessions in the National Park Service, including at Bandelier National Monument, White Sands, Muir Woods, Carlsbad Caverns, Death Valley and Gateway National Recreation Area.

Abbe Museum Gathering Gala

The Abbe's Gathering Gala has become a summer tradition on Mount Desert Island. Every July, we celebrate the Abbe and our work with an evening of food, drink, friendship, and philanthropy, and you are invited to join us! 

This festive evening at the Bar Harbor Club begins with a silent auction, cocktails, and passed hors d'oeuvres, followed by a sit-down dinner, live auction, and entertainment. The silent and live auctions feature original works from local and Native artists, as well as a variety of other items and one-of-a-kind experiences. Our auctioneer this year will be College of the Atlantic President, Darron Collins! Visit our website for a preview of the auction items.

If you would like to make a reservation, please email this card to gala@abbemuseum.org, mail it to Abbe Museum at PO Box 286 Mount Desert St., Bar Harbor, ME 04609, or call 

207-288-3519. We can't wait to celebrate with you in a few weeks!