JP Arviso

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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Navajo Nation

MEDIUM: Jewelry

BIOGRAPHY
Born on the Navajo Reservation and raised as a Diné man, JP is of the Red Ochre on the Cheeks clan and born for the Water Flows Together clan. Silversmithing began as a hobby when he was working. During holidays and birthdays, his designs were made for close family and friends. From time to time, he also completed custom commission work. In August of 2017, JP made the transition to silver smithing and gold smithing full-time upon his retirement. The underlying concept for his designs is for the finished work to be practical, wearable and resilient for continual use. All of the gemstones (turquoise, coral, jasper, shell, etc.) used are natural and untreated to follow traditional Navajo jewelry. Every ring, bracelet, necklace, earring, bolo tie, pendant, belt, bridle, etc. is a distinct, individual handcrafted item. Beginning with raw materials, JP handpicks high-grade silver, gold, gemstones, precious stones, and leather for his designs. Long-established and more conventional techniques he uses include traditional stamping, filing, overlaying, tufa casting, sand casting, and dimensional engraved overlaying. Growing up on a ranch, JP has a been a cowboy his whole life. He traveled to rodeos for bareback riding, bull riding, steer wrestling and team roping. Naturally, his life is reflected in his work and influences his artistic direction by including contemporary Western bright cut engraving and leather braiding complimented with Bulino style concho sets. Learning to set precious stones (garnets, emeralds, rubies, etc.) are his most recent efforts to broaden his knowledge of silver smithing and gold smithing. All of JP's works, designs and pieces are treasures that are timeless timepieces made to wear for the rest of your life.

 

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Eric Otter Bacon

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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Passamaquoddy

MEDIUM: Basketry, Woodwork

ARTIST STATEMENT
As a toddler, my mother said I was already constantly making hand-drawn replications of sneakers and boots, particularly the tread patterns. Woodworking and basketmaking soon followed at around age 5-6 with the influences from my maternal grandfather, a Grand Lake wood strip canoe builder, my father a wood and bone/antler carver, my uncle who steam bent wood into dog sleds, and many basket makers on the reservation. At age 16, I began working with Loyd Owle, a well-known Cherokee artist at the Unity Youth Treatment Center in North Carolina, learning leather work and stone carving, amongst other Native arts. While attending treatment there, I learned what it was to value life, and this is where my first pieces of Native art were sold. For many years following, I pursued a tattoo apprenticeship, focusing much of my artwork on the industry and doing much study and research on indigenous patterns and designs from around the world. 2004 is when basket making was when I had taken up professionally. Within the next few years, I attended multiple Native markets around New England, starting to enter and win placement in those art competitions. Before completing the first decade of professional basket making my work had won many ribbons at numerous Native art market competitions and in the collections of major museums nationwide. During this time, I started working closely with birch bark canoe builders David Moses Bridges and Steve Cayard, building 5 different bark canoes with multiple Native communities to learn and share the knowledge of traditional canoe construction and material gathering/preparation. Moving forward, I'd like to continue sharing and teaching the acquired knowledge of traditional arts, inspiring others to find value and hope within themselves so that they may have some of the tools needed to continue in a positive, meaningful life.  

 
 
 

Nanibaa Beck

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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Diné (Navajo)

MEDIUM: Jewelry

BIOGRAPHY
Nanibaa Beck is a 2nd generation Dine' (Navajo) jeweler. At 13, she was an assistant to her father, Victor Beck, Sr., and learned fundamental jewelry skills, like how to fabricate metals and to inlay stones. During her academic years, she studied anthropology and museum studies. Her background includes work and fellowships with renown museums and organizations, like the Heard Museum, the National Museum of the American Indian, the Peabody Essex Museum, and the Arizona Humanities Council. Through it all, her focus remains connected to the vibrant Native creative community.

In November 2013, Nanibaa founded NotAbove. Her a-ha moment to pursue jewelry occurred after a small thank you card project sparked the idea for the original language necklaces. The hand-sawn minimal jewelry collection's focus on native indigenous languages fulfilled a unique niche in the native art market. And, today, NotAbove/ Nanibaa Beck Designs is a reflection of Native creative expressions and the growth of an Dine' 'Asdzaa (Navajo woman) as a designer.

She continues to grow in her work today. She received the 2018 First People Fund Artist In Business Leadership Fellowship and the School of American Research’s Ronald & Susan Dubin Native Artist Fellowship and Artist in Residency.

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Philbert Begay

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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Navajo

MEDIUM: Jewelry

BIOGRAPHY
Philbert Begay is a member of Kinlichinii Natoh Dine’, the Redhouse Tobacco Clan, and he is the son of noted Navajo silversmith Richard Begay. His father was his biggest influence, and he also has been influenced by his uncle Victor Beck, uncle Patrick Taylor and James Little. Philbert learned silver work from his father by polishing and finishing pieces for him as a young boy. He started making jewelry when he was 14 years old, and went out on his own at age 21.

After attending the Colorado Institute of Art, Philbert began working with his father part-time and is now a full-time silversmith specializing in sterling silver and 14K gold contemporary Navajo jewelry.

Read full bio here >

 

 

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Gina Brooks

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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Maliseet

MEDIUM: Diverse Arts

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
The artist, Gina Brooks, Maliseet, works in many art forms, including pen and ink, acrylic paint, ash baskets, quillwork, moosehair embroidery, and countless more. Considering herself an artist that is informed by Wabanaki culture and tradition, Gina uses traditional knowledge and designs to create intricate, one of a kind pieces that often reflect Wabanaki oral histories. Join Gina at various times during the week to learn about her different mediums, artistic process, and cultural influence as a professional artist.

 

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Carol Emarthle Douglas

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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Northern Arapaho - Seminole Nation of Oklahoma

MEDIUM: Basketry - Other, Painting/Illustration

ARTIST STATEMENT
I am a Traditional/Contemporary basket weaver, multimedia artist.  I create baskets that tell a story by design, shape and use of color.  Coiled basket weaving is an extremely time consuming process and the baskets produced in a years time are one of a kind.  My inspiration is from my Northern Arapaho and Seminole heritage. Some of my designs from Plains style beadwork, ledger art, parfleche designs of my mother’s tribe, my father, of the Seminole Nation inspires the color, patterns of Seminole patchwork in my weaving and painting. Seminole designs represent the eight tribal clans and designs in nature.

My choice of employing contemporary processed materials is due to not having access to my traditional raw materials,I use hemp core, waxed linen thread for larger baskets, round reed, raffia; a palm fiber, silk thread, and beads to create miniature baskets.  I will use natural plant fibers when available.  The technique of coiling baskets is one of the oldest methods in basketry and were passed down by both tribes.   As a basket weaver I continue learning new ways of mixing materials and incorporating new techniques.  My baskets range in size from large pieces which can be up to 14” in diameter and miniatures 1” in diameter with intricately detailed designs.  My paintings are inspired by previous sketches of my own basket designs which I deconstruct and then transfer to paper.

As a weaver, the opportunity to travel and share my weaving techniques through teaching and presentations of my work have been one way I can   carry on the tradition of keeping the art of basket weaving alive for all generations. 

Along with weaving my painting is another way to express my creativity to gain a wider audience in another medium.  Most of my paintings to date are inspired by baskets I created over my career.  Painting allows me to work with more color, detail of design and is a way to bring my previous basket sketches to life.  I plan to continue painting to  allow my basket weaving pieces come to life in a new form.

 

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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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Firefly the Hybrid

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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Penobscot Nation

BIOGRAPHY
Firefly seeks to illuminate the beauty and healing power of indigenous culture through music, visuals and creativity. As a member of the Penobscot Nation he grew up in his people’s ancient village at Indian island, Maine. With live performance Firefly is helping to place Indigenous people in a modern context.  He believes that through creative frequencies, we can begin to heal humanity and evolve to new levels of love, compassion and wellness. 

As a traditional music keeper of the Wabanaki, Firefly has performed for many years throughout Maine. In 2020, Firefly took his creative performances to another level through cutting edge technology such as projection mapping and videography. This new evolution in his performances culminated in a national virtual performance with the Kennedy Center’s Arts Across America series and the release of his first album, “Sacred Fire.” 

In February, 2023 Firefly debuted his futuristic combination of traditional vocals and electronic music to 6000 attendees at the historic Merril Auditorium in Portland Maine.  In April, 2023 Firefly had the honor of being this first Wabanaki to  perform at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. That same month Firefly’s World Premiere of “Militakwat” was performed at the University of Maine. A collaboration with the 127 year old Bangor Symphony Orchestra, Firefly created a 3 part movement rooted in Wabanaki songs. He is the first Wabanaki to collaborate with this orchestra in it’s 127 year history.

 

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Cliff Fragua

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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Jemez Pueblo

MEDIUM: Sculpture

ARTIST STATEMENT
I have learned the secret of the stone through my cultural and ancestral teachings. Based in Native American themes, my work shows pride for the Pueblo culture and a deep understanding of the inherent spirituality of the stone. I have chosen stone as my medium of expression because it is a combination of the basic elements of the earth. I feel the honesty and purity of this most basic of material permits me to express myself from the heart and to express the spirit that Native people respect an revere as embodied in the stone.

Since 1974, when I created my first stone sculpture, I have created a significant body of work that keeps evolving with new influences and new interests. My sculptures are featured in such public locations as the National Statuary Hall in the Nation's Capitol, Albuquerque International Airport and in permanent collections throughout the country. I have been included in major invitational exhibitions and one-man shows in leading museums and galleries and has earned highest honors and awards for his sculptures.

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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.  

 

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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

 

Gal Frey

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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Passamaquoddy

MEDIUM: Basketry - Ash

ARTIST STATEMENT
Gal Frey is a traditional Passamaquoddy basketmaker, beadworker, jewelry worker and quillworker well known nationally for her expertise in the ash and sweetgrass basket traditions. She also makes earrings with porcupine quills and glass beads, and designs beaded stone pendants on necklaces. Gal learned the art of quillworking from Joan Dana and the art of weaving baskets from Sylvia Gabriel and other family members. Her beadwork is self-taught, and she gathers the ash and sweetgrass herself and finds the quills on the roadside. Each piece is designed individually. Gal, who was raised at Pleasant Point,  is an intergenerational teacher (basketry, regalia), committed to the continuity of Passamaquoddy culture. Her mother, father and grandmother also made baskets, as do her sons, Jeremy and Gabriel. Gal is a licensed Massage Therapist employed with Indian Health Services, Pleasant Point and Indian Township, as well as through her art Gallery and Spa. Her role as an elder and grandmother furthers her understanding of intergenerational processes in cultural learning. She is a member of the “Sipayik Cultural Committee”, a team of individuals who are committed to volunteering their time and energy at the Waponahki Museum to keep cultural activities alive in their community.

 
 
 

Eldon Hanning

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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Mi’kmaq Nation

MEDIUM: Basketry - Ash

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Eldon Hanning of Mi’kmaq Nation is well known for his utility baskets. A master of ash preparation, Eldon will demonstrate the traditional Micmac method of pounding and splitting ash, which differs greatly from the techniques of the Penobscot and Passamaquoddy ash-pounders. A board member of the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance, Eldon has taught hundreds of members of each of the Wabanaki Tribes how to weave potato baskets—a basket which the Wabanaki are well known for.

 
 
 

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.

 

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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.

 

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Jennifer Kreisberg

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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Tuscarora

BIOGRAPHY
Mother, Singer, Composer, and Teacher - Jennifer (Tuscarora, North Carolina) comes from four generations of Seven Singing Sisters through the maternal line. She is known for fierce vocals, soaring range and lilting, breath-taking harmonies.

Jennifer has been singing since she was a child.  When she was seventeen, she joined the critically acclaimed Native women's Trio ULALI. Her voice perfectly wove the high strand of Ulali's renowned harmony with incomparable skill and grace for over twenty years. Together, they created a new sound in Indian Country. Jennifer's sharp wit and stage presence infused Ulali’s shows with strong vocals, humor and camaraderie with the audience.

Jennifer is frequently called upon to guest lecture and conduct vocal workshops at universities, schools, in Native communities and at festivals throughout the United States and Canada. She has worked in film and television and has toured with renowned musicians throughout the world. 

 

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Nayana Lafond

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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Anishinaabe

MEDIUM: Painting/Illustration

BIOGRAPHY
Nayana LaFond is a multi-disciplinary artist and human rights advocate living and working in Massachusetts. She attended Greenfield community college for fine art and Mass College of art for Photography. Primarily a painter Nayana is also a sculptor and curator serving as former primary curator for The Whitney Center for The Arts. Nayana also serves on the executive board of directors of Artist Organized Art, is an advisory board member for the Native Youth Empowerment fund and sits on the board of several other arts and non arts organizations. Nayana's paintings and sculptures can be seen in museums and galleries all over the world. She is best known for her ongoing painting series titled "Portraits in RED; Missing & Murdered Indigenous Peoples Painting Project" for which she makes absolutely no profit. Nayana is an enrolled citizen of the Metis Nation of Ontario with roots in the historic Red River Settlement and has additional First Nation and non indigenous descent. 

 

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Georgia Kieyoomia

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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Hopi/Navajo

MEDIUM: Jewelry

ARTIST STATEMENT
Hello my name is Georgia Kieyoomia. I am Navajo and Hopi, born and raised in Shiprock, New Mexico, current living in Mesa, Arizona. My designs come from my interpretation of the world around me and translate through creation of a physical piece. My jewelry varies from a wonderful blend of contemporary and traditional styles. As I work I feel it is important for me to create each body of work with respect to a theme. In doing so, I allow the theme to guide me through the design and creation of each piece. I enjoy the visual effects of coupling hand cut gemstones and minerals with my metal designs. This allows me creative freedoms to design forms from beginning to end. This approach allows me to maintain the traditional styles and a more contemporary effect to my finished pieces.

My goal is to interpret my surroundings using fine metals such as gold, silver, copper, brass, and bronze incorporated with natural gemstones. I continue to challenge my abilities by discovering new ways to create uncomplicated, multifaceted, and new pieces. Consequently, I have started to work with shakudo, shibuichi, and mokume gane metals. I’m currently incorporating a new technique into my pieces and that technique is called “Kembu”. I showcase: Hopi overlay technique, married metals, stamping, lost wax, casting, metal inlay metal and stone inlay.

 
 
 

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.


 
 
 

Sage Mountainflower

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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Ohkay Owingeh

MEDIUM: Beadwork, Clothing

ARTIST STATEMENT
My name is Sage Mountainflower. I am a beadwork artist and indigenous fashion designer. I from Ohkay Owingeh, Taos Pueblo, and the Navajo Nation. 

I began this endeavor as a mother creating traditional and contemporary attire for my children. I learned to bead by observing my mother and my aunties as a young girl. I watched my parents create in the realm of art, from beadwork, to painting, sketching, writing and making music.

Back in 2014, I entered the native fashion world as designer during Santa Fe Indian Market Contemporary Clothing contest. In 2018, I entered into Santa Fe Indian Market as a beadwork artist by creating beaded handbags, embellished hats and hatbands and earrings. I later added the textile work after I created the Wrapping jacket, that emulates the blanket worn in the pueblo communities.

The breath of my work represents who I am as native woman and my background as an environmental scientist where my designs illustrate the relationship between the people and the natural world. I emerge natural elements into my designs which creates an immersion story and my unique style.

 

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