Abbe Museum Partners with Tribes to Promote Wabanaki Tourism in Maine

This summer, the Abbe Museum has partnered with 4 Directions Development Corporation to produce an exhibit about the Wabanaki tribes in Maine. This exhibit is on display at the Maine Heritage Village in Wiscasset which is a popular stop for tourists as they travel the famous Route 1. On display are panels representing the Passamaquoddy, Maliseet, Penobscot and Micmac. Each panel gives an overview of each tribe in Maine. There is also a "Wabanaki Territory" panel which is an large map of the state showing where each reservation is located and how one can get there. It also shows "Native" points of interest including the Abbe Museum. With similar missions to promote Wabanaki heritage and culture, the Abbe Museum and 4 Directions have developed this exhibit to educate visitors about Native Americans in Maine. It is the first step in a broad plan overseen by former Penobscot Tribal Representative Donna Loring to promote Wabanaki Tourism in Maine and beyond.

Free Childrens Workshop at the Abbe Museum- Sat, Sept 12th

The Abbe Museum invites you to participate in our Free Children's Design Workshop called Patterns in Nature. Join us Saturday, September 12th from 10:00am to Noon at the Abbe Museum's Downtown Bar Harbor location. Children will observe several patterns from nature and see how artists and architects have used them for inspiration. They will learn a drawing technique based on the design of a chambered Nautilus shell. Space is limited. Please pre-register by calling Raney Bench at 288-3519. For ages 8 and older.

Abbe Museum Hosts Native American Drum Group

August 29, 2009, Bar Harbor, Maine – On Saturday, August 29, 2009 the Abbe Museum will host Rez Dog Singers, a Native American drum group well known throughout the pow-wow circuit. Performances locations and times are as follows:
• 10:00 am to 12:00 performance at the Abbe Museum, Sieur de Monts Springs in Acadia (in case of bad weather, this 10 to 12 performance will be moved to the Abbe Museum’s downtown location)
• 2:00pm to 4:00 performance at the Abbe Museum downtown at 26 Mount Desert Street in Bar Harbor, across from the Village Green park.

Rez Dog Singers is made up of young men from Native American communities throughout New England. This award winning, energetic group’s commanding vocals are enhanced by the deep rhythm of their powerful drum. The Abbe Museum and Rez Dog Singers invite you to share in their performance and engage them with questions between songs. This performance is free with admission to the Abbe Museum.

Storytelling Mural Project Timelapse

On Sunday, June 7th, Laughing Couple Duo Rick Hunt and Carolyn Black entertained and educated visitors at the Abbe Museum in downtown Bar Harbor. Both from the Abenaki tribe of Vermont, Carolyn told stories of Abenaki legend from long ago, as Rick illustrated them on large mural panels. These panels are now on display in the classroom on the bottom level of the museum. Throughout the day, we captured images of the mural in progress and blended them together in this time lapse animation for you to enjoy. This performance was sponsored in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

N.E.A Funds Free Children’s Workshop at Abbe Museum

August 14, 2009, Bar Harbor, Maine – Please join us on Monday, August 24, 2009 from 10:00 to 12:00 at the Abbe Museum Downtown for a Free Children’s Dream Catcher Workshop. As part of a National Endowment for the Arts grant that was received for the Twisted Path: Contemporary Native American Artists Walking in Two Worlds exhibition, Lenny Novak, Abenaki, will teach children up to age 18 the art of weaving a natural dream catcher. (children under 10 must be accompanied by an adult) Interested adults are encouraged to register for the 2:00 to 4:00 workshop where they will get the same chance to create their own natural dream catcher. The cost for this workshop is $35 for museum members and $45 for non-members. Call (207)288-3519 to register. Lenny Novak is well known in Native American art circles for his finely crafted dream catchers. Adults will have the chance to work with bone, antler, sinew, feathers and wood.

On Tuesday, August 25, Lenny will demonstrate the art of his uniquely intricate web weaving and discuss how he came to produce this incredible feat of hand weaving in which he uses up to 300 feet of sinew for one web. This demonstration is free with admission to the Abbe Museum Downtown and takes place from 1:00 to 4:00. Support for this program is made possible, in part, by the Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, a proud sponsor of Cultural Connections museum programming.

The Abbe Museum is the only museum in the world dedicated to the Wabanaki, the Native American people of Maine and the Maritimes. The Abbe has a collection of over 50,000 archeological, 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.

Free Photography Workshops at Acadia: Aug 20-27

Visitors Can Learn From the Pros While Using Top-Tier Cameras

WHO: Canon and American Park Network will offer FREE digital photography workshops at Acadia National Park. Acclaimed wildlife and nature photographer Adam Jones (http://www.adamjonesphoto.com/) will be leading the free photo workshops on August 21 and 22.

WHAT: Participants will learn from professional photographers and will be able to use free, top-of-the-line Canon camera equipment to capture the picture-perfect sights. All participants will be able to print free copies of the images they have taken and will also be able to download their photos from the Web.

WHEN: The free photography programs will take place three times daily (except Tuesday) from August 20 through August 27. Participants should arrive approximately 15–30 minutes early.

WHERE: The daytime workshops begin at 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Jordan Pond House. The evening program begins at 6 p.m. at the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor (26 Mount Desert Street). Daytime workshop attendees will receive free admission to the museum and are invited to visit any time after their session. Those who have not participated in daytime workshops but would like to attend the evening session may enter the museum after 5:45 p.m., free of charge.

WHAT TO BRING: No cameras are necessary. Canon will provide digital single lens reflex bodies and lenses for all participants, though guests are welcome to use their own equipment.

Photo on right by: Anand Subramanian, Canon Photography in the Parks contest winner, 2007/2008
Photo on left by: Erika Skogg/American Park Network

ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE PARKS: This year’s Photography in the Parks program kicked off in Yosemite National Park and traveled to the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone before wrapping up in Acadia. For more information, visit www.OhRanger.com/acadia/news or www.usa.canon.com/parks.

Abbe Museum Hosts Archeology Field School

Originally posted on wlbz2.com by:
Chris Facchini, Anchor/Reporter, WLBZ2

SORRENTO (NEWS CENTER) --The Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor has a mission to protect and preserve the history and culture of Maines native peoples. That is why it is hosting an archeological field school this week in the Hancock County town of Sorrento.

The state's senior archeologist, Dr. Arthur Spiess, is overseeing the dig site. A group of about a dozen people took part in the field school, which is unearthing an encampment that is about 2500 years old. The group uncovered a variety of fish and animal bones, sea shells, and pieces of pottery

"100 years from now a majority of these archeological sites will be gone they'll be washed into the sea. So basically what we're doing now is rescue archeology we're getting data out of the ground that wont be here 100 years from now," Dr. Spiess said.

Those who participate in the archeology filed school will be at the dig site all week from 9am to 4pm, followed by a lecture series in the evenings.

CLICK HERE TO PLAY VIDEO

Unearthing Ancient Artifacts on Maine's Coast

Maine's history of Native American culture and heritage dates back over 12,000 years and continues to this very day. During these ancient times, the glaciers that once covered the region had receded to the north exposing the fresh and fertile land of what we now call Maine. The ancient indigenous people of this land often gathered in large settlements or villages up and down the coast, placing themselves near the bounty of the sea. These people left behind a legacy that we can study as their ancient artifacts are unearthed. The Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor, Maine is on the forefront of uncovering these stories of the past through their annual Archaeological Field School.

During the week of August 9-14, Maine State Archeologist and long-time Abbe trustee, Dr. Arthur Spiess will lead an excavation of a coastal shell midden site in Sorrento, Maine. This field school offers first-hand experience in an archeological dig and will be excavating a site that was first explored by the Abbe Museum in 1939. New techniques and technology have the potential to shed new light on the lives of Maine's Native Americans prior to the arrival of the first European settlers. Stone and bone tools tell us how people harvested and processed food and other raw materials. Pottery sherds provide insight into the time periods during which a site was occupied, while animal bones and plant remains tell us what people were hunting and gathering for food and other uses. Field School participants will learn digging techniques, practice mapping the site, and learn about the analysis of artifacts. This will be complemented by lab sessions and lectures to give participants a broad understanding of archaeology and Maine's Native American heritage.

While the Abbe Museum's Archaeological Field School is important to the scientific community as a whole, it has a more intimate importance right here at home in Maine. Bonnie Newsom, a member of the Penobscot Indian Nation and the Tribe's Archeologist recounts her first time on a dig. "I was a recipient of an Abbe Museum Field School scholarship which was given to Native Americans. Had I not had that opportunity I would have not gone into the field of archeology. This Field School affords tribal members the opportunity to explore new career paths and opens the doors of archeology to Native people." Bonnie strongly feels that it is "Critical that the Field Schools are open to Native people as we have been a missing component of this profession . The Abbe is in a great position to help facilitate this by providing Native people an opportunity to engage with their ancestors and protect and preserve these important sites."

For more information on the Field School or its scholarship program, contact the Abbe Museum at 207-288-3519 or e-mail us at info@abbemuseum.org.

Kids Get Creative at Abbe Museum

On July 18th at the Abbe Museum Downtown, children and their families joined Abbe volunteer Dee Lustusky for a hands on drawing workshop called "Art of the Star". Participants had the chance to use a bit of artistic geometry by first drawing a circle, then adding points to the circle and connecting the points to create a multi-faceted star. Once their line art was complete, they called on their own individual creativity to add colors and patterns to their stars which where transformed into original works of art. While simple in nature, this free workshop offered children and their families a chance to work together and to explore art and creativity with each other. It also helped expose the Abbe Museum to new people who are now advocates. Most of all, it was fun!

If this sounds like fun to you, Dee will be hosting 2 more free workshops this summer. Call Raney Bench, Education Coordinator at 207-288-3519 for details and to register.

Abbe Museum "Gathering Gala" is a Success

The Abbe Museum is proud to announce that its annual fundraising auction called The Gathering: Reflection & Celebration Gala was a success this year on many levels. On Wednesday, July 15th, local admirers of the Arts and the Abbe arrived at the Bar Harbor Club where they were greeted with a preview of live auction items on display in the main lobby. As they mingled, they made their way down the broad lawn to the “pool house” where a silent auction and cocktail reception were in full swing. With a three piece band playing in the background, the atmosphere become charged as people aggressively bid and out bid each other to acquire their favorite pieces. With 22 items in the silent auction, the total raised was $6675. At the ring of a bell, the silent auction closed and guests made their way to the main ballroom for dinner and the live auction.

As the 208 guests entered the ballroom they found their seats and took a moment to absorb their elegant surroundings of soft blue tulle, live birch trees with white lights and handmade Butterfly Houses by Tim Smith which adorned each of the 22 tables as a centerpiece. After a three course dinner was served and many people were thanked by John Collier and Bonnie Flaherty, co-chairs of the gala, the Abbe’s new CEO, Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko addressed the room with heartfelt words of thanks to all of the Abbe’s supporters.

With a roar of applause, Christie’s very own John Hays took the mic and the live auction began. Mr. Hays graciously donated his time as auctioneer and his expertise and enthusiasm helped gather top dollar for many of the items, most notably, $2000 for a watercolor by artist Eric Hopkins, $1700 for a traditional birch bark moose call by Penobscot artist Butch Phillips, and $1300 for and oil painting of Mount Katahdin by Ojibwa artist John Potter. The live auction was comprised of 23 items including paintings, photographs, prints, baskets, sculpture and jewelry and raised a total of $18,000 and guests even had a chance to bid on the centerpieces! With the last item going to the highest bidder, the live auction closed and the dancing began. Brian Catell and the Jump City Jazz Band played center stage to many guests who cut loose and showed their best moves on the dance floor.

The Gathering Gala grossed over $62,000 in total which will help fund the Abbe Museum’s mission of promoting the understanding and appreciation of Maine’s Native American culture, history, and archaeology. Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko, Abbe’s CEO said "This year's Gathering Gala was a warm gathering of ardent art lovers and Abbe supporters. We are thrilled by the success of this year's event and we look toward next year with great enthusiasm.”