Eric Otter Bacon

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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Passamaquoddy

MEDIUM: Basketry, Woodwork

ARTIST STATEMENT
As a young child, my mother mentioned that I constantly created hand-drawn copies of sneakers and boots, particularly focusing on the tread patterns.

Woodworking and basket making soon followed at around age five or so, influenced by several family members, including my maternal grandfather, a Grand Lake wood strip canoe builder, my father, a wood and bone/antler carver, and my uncle who steam bent wood into dog sleds. I also was inspired by many basket makers on the reservation. 

At the age of 16, I started working with Loyd Owle, a renowned Cherokee artist at the Unity Youth Treatment Center in North Carolina. I learned leatherwork, stone carving, and other Native arts. While receiving treatment there, I discovered the value of life, and it was where my first pieces of Native art were sold.

For many years, I pursued a tattoo apprenticeship, focusing my artwork on the industry. I also conducted extensive research on indigenous patterns and designs from around the world.

In 2004, I started making baskets professionally. And during my first decade, I began participating in and winning art competitions at various Native art markets. My work was also featured in the collections of major museums across the country. 

During this period, I collaborated closely with birch bark canoe builders David Moses Bridges and Steve Cayard, constructing five different bark canoes with various Native communities to acquire and exchange knowledge of traditional canoe construction and material gathering/preparation.

In the future, I want to keep sharing and teaching the traditional arts knowledge I've gained. My goal is to inspire others to find value and hope within themselves so they have the tools to lead a positive and meaningful life.  

 
 

UPCOMING DAWNLAND FESTIVAL OF ARTS & IDEAS

Organized by the Abbe Museum, the Dawnland Festival of Arts & Ideas is a unique multi-day event is an evolution of our popular Abbe Museum Indian Market (AMIM) and Native American Festival that featured invitation-only Native arts markets and performances. The Dawnland Festival of Arts & Ideas includes those elements but will also spotlight conversations by Wabanaki and other Indigenous leaders on some of the biggest questions of our time, including climate, democracy, and food systems.

The Dawnland Festival of Arts & Ideas is FREE and open to the public.

This event is supported in part by grants from the Henry Luce Foundation and Maine Office of Tourism, along with a partnership from the College of the Atlantic.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

Date: July 12-14, 2024

Location: College of the Atlantic in beautiful Bar Harbor, Maine

Contact: Dawn Spears, Festival Producer (dawn@abbemuseum.org | 207.288.3519

For event updates, please visit: https://www.dawnlandfestival.org

 

Josh Carter

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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Narragansett/Pequot

MEDIUM: Jewelry

ARTIST STATEMENT
I am the son of Joseph Carter III and Nancy Bonin. I am of Pequot, Narragansett, African American and Irish decent. I am happily married to my best friend, we have four beautiful amazing children and recently received the precious gift of our first granddaughter. I am currently the Executive Director of our Tribal community’s very own Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center. I am head over heels in love with the traditional art of wampum. I really enjoy the conversations around its traditional use, the Pequot’s relationship to the ocean and to address the perpetuated fallacy that wampum traditionally was money. I was fortunate enough to establish a strong relationship with the most talented wampum maker known in modern times, Allen Hazard (Narragansett). I am forever indebted to him for his gifts of wisdom and patience that transcends wampum making. I will continue to honor my ancestors, Allen and my family by teaching all those in my community who would like to learn. I feel blessed to carry on this most beautiful ancient tradition.

 
 
 

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.

 

Connect with Kateri

 
 
 
 
 

Gabriel Frey

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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Passamaquoddy

MEDIUM: Basketry - Ash

ARTIST STATEMENT
Gabriel Frey is a Passamaquoddy artist whose family has been making traditional black ash baskets for generations. He specializes in utility baskets, such as pack baskets, market baskets, and purses. Frey weaves each basket solely with black ash and handcrafted leather features such as straps, lids, and liners for each basket. Gabriel’s artistic process includes locating and harvesting basket-quality black ash trees from the woods, processing black ash logs, and weaving black ash materials into basket forms. Each piece has an element of carving. Frey carves the hoops, handle, and wooden pins to fasten leather straps. Many of his tools, such as basket molds, gauges, and shave horse adaptations of traditional designs. 

Maintaining the traditional knowledge of Wabanaki basket makers is an important aspect of his artistic process. 

Gabriel’s art expresses an indigenous worldview. He is inspired by the natural world and the transformation of a living tree into a functional vessel. His baskets connect the interwoven past, present, and future to create functional art pieces. Culture, family traditions, personal experiences, and hopes for the future are embodied within each basket. 

Gabriel learned traditional black ash basketmaking from his grandfather. “When I hold my grandfather’s baskets, I hear my grandfather’s voice giving subtle suggestions on technique and style. I hear my grandfather’s stories. My family connection is maintained through basket making. I work towards perfecting the function and form of the traditional baskets while evolving each basket to reflect my personal style. My basket-making goal is to produce useable, functional baskets for daily use. I want someone who buys my work to use, feel, and experience Wabanaki culture daily.” Using these baskets, that person creates a connection and finds added value within the basket. Creating functional Wabanaki baskets is a platform to connect people to places. This reflects interconnectedness and reciprocity between people, their natural world, family, and our nonhuman relatives.  

 

Connect with Gabriel

 
 

UPCOMING DAWNLAND FESTIVAL OF ARTS & IDEAS

Organized by the Abbe Museum, the Dawnland Festival of Arts & Ideas is a unique multi-day event is an evolution of our popular Abbe Museum Indian Market (AMIM) and Native American Festival that featured invitation-only Native arts markets and performances. The Dawnland Festival of Arts & Ideas includes those elements but will also spotlight conversations by Wabanaki and other Indigenous leaders on some of the biggest questions of our time, including climate, democracy, and food systems.

The Dawnland Festival of Arts & Ideas is FREE and open to the public.

This event is supported in part by grants from the Henry Luce Foundation and Maine Office of Tourism, along with a partnership from the College of the Atlantic.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

Date: July 12-14, 2024

Location: College of the Atlantic in beautiful Bar Harbor, Maine

Contact: Dawn Spears, Festival Producer (dawn@abbemuseum.org | 207.288.3519

For event updates, please visit: https://www.dawnlandfestival.org

 

Allen Hazard

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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Narragansett

MEDIUM: Jewelry

 
 
 

Hawk Henries

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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Chaubunagungamaug Band of Nipmuck

MEDIUM: Musician, Woodworker

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Hawk is a member of the Chaubunagungamaug band of Nipmuck, a people indigenous to what is now Southern New England. He has been composing original music and making Eastern Woodlands flutes using hand tools for over 30 years.

Hawk will play a variety of different flutes. He also enjoys sharing his experiences and perspectives about Life in hopes of acknowledging and honoring the Sacredness in each person and all cultures. He creates a calming yet engaging and contemplative space while maintaining a note of humor. His music is a reflection of thinking that we each have the capacity to make a change in the world.

Hawk has had the honor of presenting at venues such as The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Harvard Medical School Graduation, and in the U.K. with the London Mozart Players. He also enjoys educational settings from kindergarten to university and small venues where he can engage the audience in dialogue.

As a seasoned flute maker, Hawk has flutes all over the world and in several museums. He has three original CD's; First Flight, Keeping the Fire and Voices. He is also featured on the compilation CD Tribal Winds. His music has been used in a variety of films and documentaries, some of which won or were nominated for Emmy awards.

 

Connect with Hawk

 
 
 
 
 

Sierra Henries

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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Chaubunagungamaug Band of Nipmuck

MEDIUM: Woodwork, Jewelry

ARTIST STATEMENT
I create birch bark art featuring pyrography (woodburned) designs. My process includes gathering bark from the trees, cutting the bark to size, free-hand sketching my design, oftentimes cutting out the design, and then finally free-hand burning the design to complete the piece. Occasionally I will do my pyrography work on other natural mediums as well.

 

Connect with Sierra

 
 
 
 
 

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.

 
 
 

Erica Nelson Menard

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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Penobscot

MEDIUM: Basketry

ARTIST STATEMENT
I am a traditional Penobscot basket maker. As a young child, I observed my grandmother, Philomene Saulis Nelson, preparing materials for her ash and sweetgrass baskets. I loved the vibrant colors she dyed her ash; her color combinations were stunning! When I was in college I asked her to teach me how to make baskets, but it was not meant to be at that time. 

It wasn’t until my late 40s that I had the unique and unexpected opportunity to apprentice with my mentor and cousin, Theresa Secord. As part of my apprenticeship I had the opportunity to use my grandmother's molds and could feel her guiding presence. My inspiration and ancestral designs come from Penobscot-style baskets produced by my grandmother, Philomene, and my cousin, Theresa. I like to weave ash and sweetgrass boxes, sweetgrass flats, and other baskets with braided sweetgrass in the family style. Continuing my family's traditional art form is an honor and privilege. I am also mentoring my daughter and granddaughter so other generations of basket weavers will continue the ancestral tradition. Plus, we are learning Wabanaki language terms associated with traditional basketry.


 
 
 

Norma Randi Marshall

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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Passamaquoddy/Hidatsa and Mandan

MEDIUM: Painting/Illustration

BIOGRAPHY
Norma Randi is a Wabanaki artist and homesteader from Maine. She is a member of the Passamaquoddy Tribe and was raised in her Passamaquoddy mother’s ancestral lands at Sipayik, Maine. She has roots from her father’s clan of the Hidatsa and Mandan people of North Dakota. Norma is a painter and digital art creator; she uses acrylic, oils, and watercolors as her mediums. 

Norma draws inspiration from her ancestral heritage and life lived with her husband. She has love for the various landscapes and palettes of Maine skies, earth, and waters; experiencing the beautiful Maine environment that her maternal ancestors called home and traversed for 12000 plus years. The focus on her heritage is also a teaching tool for herself to be aware of the history of her ancestors, how their lives were lived prior to colonization and after, their culture, their environments and ecology, and the people within the communities who continue carrying on traditions despite the initial setback of assimilation. It is a form of self healing and expression.

Norma Randi is a graduate of the University of Maine at Machias with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. She is a member of the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor. Norma has an art show at least once a year. In 2023 she won a People’s Choice Award in June for her Language preservation piece at the Abbe Museum Indian Market weekend. She will be featured at the Eastport Arts Center in June 2024 for a solo show and at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens from mid-July through mid-October. 

You can now purchase her small works at the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, and the Acadia National Park Stores.  You can see her in person at various craft fairs in Maine selling her art and wares.

 

Connect with Norma

 
 
 
 
 

Priscilla Nieto

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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Kewa Pueblo

MEDIUM: Jewelry

BIOGRAPHY
Santo Domingo Pueblo artist Priscilla Nieto is renowned for her award-winning heishi necklaces. Using traditional methods, painstakingly hand grinding and drilling each individual bead. Timeless one of kind pieces - all hand made jewelry.

 

Connect with Priscilla

 
 
 
 
 

Jennifer Pictou

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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Mi’kmaq Nation

MEDIUM: Diverse Arts

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.

 

Connect with Jennifer

 
 
 
 

UPCOMING DAWNLAND FESTIVAL OF ARTS & IDEAS

Organized by the Abbe Museum, the Dawnland Festival of Arts & Ideas is a unique multi-day event is an evolution of our popular Abbe Museum Indian Market (AMIM) and Native American Festival that featured invitation-only Native arts markets and performances. The Dawnland Festival of Arts & Ideas includes those elements but will also spotlight conversations by Wabanaki and other Indigenous leaders on some of the biggest questions of our time, including climate, democracy, and food systems.

The Dawnland Festival of Arts & Ideas is FREE and open to the public.

This event is supported in part by grants from the Henry Luce Foundation and Maine Office of Tourism, along with a partnership from the College of the Atlantic.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

Date: July 12-14, 2024

Location: College of the Atlantic in beautiful Bar Harbor, Maine

Contact: Dawn Spears, Festival Producer (dawn@abbemuseum.org | 207.288.3519

For event updates, please visit: https://www.dawnlandfestival.org