Kateri Aubin Dubois / Nisnipawset

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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Maliseet of Viger

MEDIUM: Beadwork

BIOGRAPHY
Nisnipawset is Kateri’s indigenous name. Because her contemporary creations are made with traditional bead weaving techniques, Kateri uses her indigenous name to represent her brand. Her jewelry is handmade yet affordable, hypoallergenic and high quality. Kateri is a 35-year-old, now mother of two, indigenous woman living in the Greater Montreal region. She started beading traditional friendship bracelets as a child and rediscovered the joy of beading while studying translation at Concordia University, from which she is now an Alumni. Kateri started creating beautiful pieces. She is always exploring to find new techniques to learn, new patterns to bead and learning to design her own pieces. She hopes one day to own her gallery-shop and share her beading knowledge with whoever wants to learn.

 

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Alexandra Francis

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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Penobscot

MEDIUM: Jewelry, Beadwork

BIOGRAPHY
Alexandra (Neptune) Francis is a Peskotomuhkat (fisher clan) naka Panawapskewi (eel clan) citizen, mother, and artist. Growing up at Sipayik, learning basic beadwork at an early age, the seeds of cultural expression were planted.

Alex ventured into 2D art while in high school and university and continues to use skills acquired as a basis for all creation. In 2019, she revisited beadwork and has continued to actively create contemporary and traditional art.

Presently residing in Panawapskek territory, as a Wabanaki Traditional Arts mentor, Alex actively shares knowledge with others with the aim of continuity for cultural art forms. The vitality of our culture lies in the passing on of all the aspects of what makes us who we are- passing on the gifts of our ancestors.

 

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Jo-Ellen Loring Jamieson

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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Penobscot

MEDIUM: Beadwork

ARTIST STATEMENT
I am a tribal citizen of the Penobscot Nation. I learned to bead on Indian Island as a teenager. As an Indigenous woman born on Earth Day, I have a deep connection with nature and an inherent responsibility to do my part to help protect the planet. I sometimes use recycled and upcycled materials in my work which helps to reduce my footprint.

 
 
 

Marvin McMurphy

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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Penobscot

MEDIUM: Beadwork

ARTIST STATEMENT
”My name is Marvin “Face” McMurphy, a sixty-nine-year-old Penobscot Native, and an incarcerated individual at the Solano State Prison.

I’ve been an avid bead crafter for nearly forty years and truly enjoy the craft.  Beading has helped in teaching me patience and has gifted me a creative way to express myself.”

 
 
 

Belinda Dawn Miliano

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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Passamaquoddy

MEDIUM: Beadwork

BIOGRAPHY
Belinda Dawn Miliano is a contemporary beadwork artist, and member of the Passamaquoddy Nation in Sipayik. Belinda has been intrigued with indigenous beadwork art since a young girl, self taught in creation of dream catchers, and mentored by an elder within the tribal community as a young adult for beadwork. Belinda transforms beading into captivating wearables, using traditional materials in combination of modern accents. She is passionate about creating unique pieces and pushing creative boundaries.

 
 
 

Bonnie Murphy

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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Mi’kmaq

MEDIUM: Beadwork

 
 
 

Navaquoddy Crafts - Sanora Isaac and Wilfred Neptune Sr.

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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Passamaquoddy and Navajo

MEDIUM: Beadwork, Jewelry

ARTIST STATEMENT
Wilfred J. Neptune Sr., Passamaquoddy from Pleasant Point, Maine, a descendant of the hereditary Chief Neptunes.  Sanora Isaac, Navajo from Arizona, comes from a line of artist/educator.

Our crafts originate from our cultural upbringing of Navajo and Passamaquoddy backgrounds. Together, we create a combination of unique, genuine handmade jewelry of beaded earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings with semi-precious/shell/stones using our natural materials from local nature byproduct and resources. Antler necklaces with seed beads, peyote stitched on leather and War Clubs from Maine rocks & wood handles. Dreamcatchers made from Maine red willow with sinew & feather.  

The greatest form of crafting is remembering the tool given to us to express and create by our parents, our ancestors.

 
 
 

Kat Nelson

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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Penobscot

MEDIUM: Jewelry, Beadwork

BIOGRAPHY
Kat studied in several dimensions at the Institute of American Indian arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe, New Mexico and upon graduating focused on silversmithing, she continued to work in silver until a serious accident made it too difficult to tolerate the strenuousness of the application. Now faced with a life-changing decision, she decided to move back to Maine and eventually settled on Indian Island, where she now resides. During her recuperation Kat considered various mediums to express herself and decided on working with sweetgrass and beadwork.

Being on Indian island brought Kat into contact with Elder artisans who were instrumental in her development of these new mediums. She studied the traditional methods of sweetgrass artistry under Charlene Francis and benefited from the mentorship of Barbara D. Francis. Having survived a near death experience Kat is once again able to create artwork in appreciation of life. She now works daily on various applications creating jewelry, adorning clothing articles with beadwork, and creating miniature articles of sweetgrass.

 
 
 

Leigh Neptune

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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Penobscot

MEDIUM: Beadwork

BIOGRAPHY
Leigh Neptune is a self-taught Wabanaki beadwork artist from the Penobscot Nation. She has been beading for three years and enjoys curating themed collections of beaded earrings. In addition to her beadwork, Leigh is also a Registered Dietitian and PhD candidate in the Food and Nutrition Sciences program at the University of Maine.

 

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Jennifer Pictou

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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Mi’kmaq Nation

MEDIUM: Diverse Arts

PERFORMANCE: Storytelling - Saturday, July 12 at 11 am on the Market Stage

PERFORMER BIO
Jennifer Pictou, a citizen of the Mi'kmaq Nation, is a traditional storyteller and artist with a diverse background as a museum director, tribal historic preservation officer, and historian. Her true passion lies in sharing stories that connect people to Maine's landscape and Wabanaki cultures. She is the founder of Bar Harbor Ghost Tours, which has been recognized by USA Today as one of the top ten ghost tours in the country for seven years. Most recently, she co-authored the book Haunted Bar Harbor, published in May 2025.

ARTIST STATEMENT
As an artist deeply connected to my Mi’kmaq heritage, I draw inspiration from the rich cultural tapestry of my ancestors’ resistance and survival, infusing my work with elements of tradition and history. Through the ancient techniques of glass beads, lampwork, and stained glass, I reclaim indigenous space and weave a contemporary narrative that honors the resilience and beauty of Mi’kmaq people in my homeland.

In the fiery torch, I mold molten glass into statements of today’s enduring issues and passions. Each bead and sculpture tell a story of strength and perseverance, reflecting the enduring legacy of my ancestors.

Within the delicacy of stained glass, I draw from the vibrant hues of ancestral objects and the natural world, using the Colonizer’s own medium of religious oppression to tell our story of survival and world views.

In my beadwork I delve into the cultural resistance of my ancestors to create one-of-a-kind statement pieces of intricate form and function. These represent a claiming of modernity and space within fashion.

Through all of my work I explore the themes of identity and belonging, using the interplay of light and color to reclaim and redefine Mi’kmaq narratives in a contemporary context. Each piece is a rebuttal of the prevalent ideas that we are no longer here, reminding viewers of the importance of preserving and honoring indigenous heritage in an ever-changing world.

 

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Frances Soctomah

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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Passamaquoddy

PANEL TITLE: Arts Transforming Our Futures

MEDIUM: Basketry - Ash, Beadwork

BIOGRAPHY
Frances Soctomah (she/her) is a Peskotomuhkati (Passamaquoddy) artist from Motahkomikuk who engages video, audio, animation, graphic art, and traditional Wabanaki arts practices to explore and articulate relationships between people, Mother Earth, and our non-human relatives. Family, memory, responsibility, reciprocity, and interconnection are concepts often woven throughout her work. She grounds her practice in story, incorporating teachings from conversations with her family and community members.

Frances is one of eleven children who come from a long line of Passamaquoddy artistry. She began her journey as an artist at age seven when her late-grandmother Molly Neptune Parker – a renowned basketmaker and matriarch of four generations of weavers – began teaching her to make brown ash and sweetgrass baskets. While learning to weave fancy baskets in styles passed down to her family through generations, Molly shared stories of growing up in Motahkomikuk and the many places she lived. She passed down teachings from their ancestors, often reflecting on how our relationships with each other have shifted through time. The stories of community and connection that were woven during their time together inspired Frances to seek out other teachers in her community. She later apprenticed with Gabriel Frey, a Passamaquoddy cultural knowledge carrier, to expand her knowledge of basketmaking and harvesting practices as well as Jennifer Sapiel Neptune, a Penobscot cultural knowledge carrier, to learn traditional bead embroidery techniques.

Creating in community paved the way for Frances to expand her arts practice to include digital material, centering and amplifying voices from her community and through her work. In 2019 she enrolled in the Intermedia Master of Fine Arts program at the University of Maine. She is expected to complete her studies in December 2022.

In addition to her creative practice, Frances is committed to supporting spaces for Wabanaki artists to create, connect, thrive, and be seen. She is active in art, museum, and nonprofit circles where she advocates for cultivating sustaining relationships with Wabanaki artists.

 

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