Maliseet Poet Mihku Paul Anderson, will unveil her exhibit examining historic and contemporary photographs of the tribes of Maine through poetry. From 5:00pm - 7:00pm, Mihku will read some of her work during the opening reception.
Many different types of images relating to Maine's Tribal History exist which are seldom seen except by researchers and scholars In the field. In addition, the general public is seldom given a broader cultural context in which to view them.
Providing contemporary poetry, written by Mikhu Paul-Anderson from Kingsclear First Nations, will simultaneously alter and reframe the context of those images, in effect, mediating the historical gaze of a marginalized people.The prose that accompanies each image is one method of bringing history into the present moment, supporting another possible view of that history. The connection between past and present is then strengthened, and new ways of understanding history hopefully result.
Mikhu Paul-Anderson is a Native American woman, author and curator of this exhibit and grew up in Old Town, Maine.
Organized and curated by Kathleen Mundell.
For generations, Native American traditional artists in the Northeast have passed on their culture through beadwork, basketry, birchbark, and woodcarving.
This traveling exhibition sponsored by Cultural Resources, Inc. presents these traditions through the work and words of over thirty-five traditional artists living and working primarily in Maine and upstate New York. In the creative hands of those who continue to practice them, these arts reflect the values and traditions of contemporary communities with each generation recasting old forms into new expressions.
In 2007, Arthur and Nita Wood of Brooklin, Maine donated a significant portion of their archaeological collection to the Abbe Museum, consisting of stone and bone tools, arrowheads, and pottery fragments. Amateur collectors for several decades, the Woods gathered up well over a thousand Native American objects from Naskeag Point.
Featuring ten contemporary Native artists, this invitational exhibition features artwork that reflects personal stories about tribal identity and balancing life in a complex world.
The title Twisted Path is based on a traditional beadwork pattern of the same name, describing a back and forth or meandering quality. It is symbolic of Native artists alternating between two cultures, striving to preserve historical and spiritual traditions while experiencing modern lifestyles and new art forms.
Artists include Watie Akins (Penobscot), Pam Cunningham (Penobscot), Nicholas Galanin (Tlingit), Rick Hunt
(Abenaki), George Longfish (Seneca/Tuscarora), Teresa Marshall (Mikmaq), Lenny Novak (Abenaki), Cheryl Savageau (Abenaki), Susie Silook (Yupik/Inupiaq), and Marie Watt (Seneca).
Left: Blanket Stories by Marie Watt
The Abbe Museum in collaboration with Maine Indian Education is honored to present the 2009 Waponahki Student Art Show. This marks the eighth year of this popular annual exhibition of artworks by young Passamaquoddy and Penobscot Artists. These annual exhibitions demonstrate a strong purposeful partnership and an outstanding collaboration of two institutions devoted to promoting art education and Waponahki culture.