Abbe Museum hosts 4th Annual Community Open House and Cultural Connections Program Series
Bar Harbor, ME - June 13, 2010 – The Abbe Museum is hosting our 4th annual Community Open House, a day that includes free admission to both our locations, and demonstrations, activities, and crafts at the museum in downtown Bar Harbor.
Whether looking for an opportunity to explore the museum and browse the newest exhibits, Headline News: Wabanaki Sovereignty in the 21st Century and the 2010 Waponahki Student Art Show, or looking for a Sunday outing the whole family can enjoy, make sure to mark the calendar for June 13th. Stay the whole day or plan a visit around any of the unique programs available at the downtown Bar Harbor location:
--From 10:00 to 12:00, nationally renowned drum group Rez Dog Singers will kick-off the fun with their spirited pow wow style music in the court yard of the museum. The group’s energetic performances always enliven the Abbe Museum, where they have performed multiple times. Rez Dog Singers musical group is comprised of young men from Native American communities throughout New England.
--From 1:00-5:00, as part of our Cultural Connections series, funded in part by Bar Harbor Bank and Trust, Butch Phillips, Penobscot, will be presenting the art of building a birch bark canoe with a video and canoe display. Butch Phillips will display both his finished canoe and examples of the materials he needed to construct it, and will be available to discuss the process with visitors in an informal manner. A video on the process of building a canoe will be presented as well, so visitors can see first hand how this ancient craft has been revitalized.
--From 1:00-3:00, museum volunteers will offer hands on activities to engage visitors of all ages, including crafts, artifact exploration, and storytelling.
Visitors are also welcome to explore the original Abbe Museum, located at Sieur de Monts Springs in Acadia National Park. This historic location has been welcoming visitors since 1928. For more information call Raney Bench at 288-3519.
The mission of the Abbe Museum is to inspire new learning about the Wabanaki Nations with every visit. 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.
Contact Person: Raney Bench, Curator of Education
Abbe Museum
288-3519
educator@abbemuseum.org
26 Mount Desert St.
Bar Harbor, ME 04609
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Enroll in the Abbe Museum Archaeology Field School Today!
The Abbe Museum, well known for conducting outstanding archaeology programs, is offering its annual archaeological field school the week of August 1-6, 2010. Participants will work with Maine State Archeologist Dr. Arthur Spiess on the Tranquility Farm coastal shell midden site in Gouldsboro, Maine. Field school participants will conduct excavations, practice mapping the site, and learn about the analysis of artifacts.
The 2010 excavation will build on previous discoveries at the site, including a house floor and hearth feature that date to about 1200 years ago. Burned plant remains from the hearth include raspberry, chenopodium, smartweed, wild rye and dewberry. A variety of pottery, stone tools and bone tools, as well as food bone remains, are plentiful at the Tranquility Farm site.
Fieldwork will be complimented by lab sessions and lectures to give participants a broad understanding of archaeology and Maine's Native American heritage.
Participation in the field school is open to the public and no previous archaeological experience is necessary, but enrollment is limited. The cost is $350 for Abbe Museum members and $400 for non-members. Participants will be responsible for their own lodging and food.
Scholarships are available to Maine Native Americans and high school or college students from Maine, with preference given to residents of Hancock, Washington, Penobscot and Aroostook Counties. The scholarship covers the cost of tuition and includes a stipend towards lodging and meals. Applications for the scholarship must be received by June 15, 2010.
Scholarship applications and registration information are available on the Abbe Museum’s web site at www.abbemuseum.org, or by calling the museum at (207) 288-3519. You must be 17 or older to participate.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD APPLICATION
Contact information:
Julia Clark, Curator of CollectionS
collections@abbemuseum.org
Abbe Museum
26 Mount Desert Street
Bar Harbor, ME 04609
(207) 288-3519
www.abbemuseum.org
Jackson Lab Family Fun Night at the Abbe Museum
The
Do you have 8 Minutes to help the Abbe?
The
Would you be willing to share about 8 minutes of your time to help us with this important survey? Our museum will greatly benefit from this study by having access to the overall results as well as the results from our visitors. We’ll be using the results to make our museum more interesting, relevant, and even fun for you and your family.
In exchange, Reach Advisors, the audience research firm administering the survey, will be selecting some of the participants to win gifts ranging from museum memberships to gift certificates to Amazon.com.
Your individual information will absolutely be kept confidential and will not be shared or used for any solicitations.
To take the survey, click on (or copy URL and insert into browser):
http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB22A55PEXG2V
If you have any problems with the survey, please feel free to e-mail Susie Wilkening, of Reach Advisors, at Susie@reachadvisors.com. She is happy to help you out.
Thank you for supporting not only the
Best wishes,
Your Friends at the
Charting a New Path - The Abbe Museum Strategic Plan
Over the past two years, the Abbe Museum has been in a period of leadership transition and the organization is poised to move into a new chapter of the Museum’s story. Learn more...
Abbe Invites All to Holiday Open House
The Abbe Museum is excited to announce our upcoming Holiday Open House, to be held at our downtown Bar Harbor location. Please join us on Sunday, December 13th from 1:00 – 4:00 for a free visit to the Museum. Many exciting family oriented activities are planned for this day to celebrate our community, the holiday season and Wabanaki culture. Take part in “craft” stations where you can participate in hands on projects These projects will include weaving a star ornament, making a natural stained glass window ornament and beading a wigwam, just to name a few. Visitors will also enjoy a variety of games as well as goodies and refreshments.
The Holiday Open House is also a perfect opportunity to see our exhibit, Twisted Path: Contemporary Native American Artists Walking in Two Worlds, before it closes later this month. Visitors will also want to stop in the Abbe Museum Shop, where everything is 20% off with a selection of books at 40% off. For more information about the Abbe Museum Holiday Open House, the Museum, or the gift shop sale, call 288-3519.
Dinner and a Movie Helps Sustain Community Programs
The
Owner, Michael Boland is a long time supporter of the Abbe and a former board member of the museum. He has had a long standing commitment to preserving the environment and supporting the local economy through sustainable and eco-friendly buying and operation practices at all of his restaurants including Guinness & Porcelli's. Past president of the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce for 5 years but still active in many different environmental causes, Michael continues to mix a love of business, tourism and sustainability and is excited to participate in Dine & Donate with the Abbe.
Through exhibitions, educational programs, research, collections, and collaborative partnerships, the
Combining Irish Hospitality with the Flavors of Italy, located in downtown
As an extra bonus, after dinner at Guinness & Porcelli’s you can watch a free movie at the Abbe! From 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm, the Museum will screen a local documentary that explores the Penobscot tribe’s connection to their river of the same name, and the importance of maintaining its health not just for their people, but for all of
To participate in Dine & Donate simply call 288-0030 and make your dinner reservation for the evening of December 3, 2009. For more information about Guinness & Porcelli's, located at
To learn more about the
Stories Shared Through Art Help Renew Native Communities
The Abbe Museum invites the public to a discussion panel comprised of contemporary Native American artists from 3:00pm to 5:00pm on Saturday November 14th. As part of the Museum’s exhibition Twisted Path: Contemporary Native American Artists Walking in Two Worlds, the panel will be moderated by Darren Ranco, Penobscot scholar and professor at the University of Maine, Orono who states “the discussion will explore the many ways that traditional and contemporary Native art forms represent and shape who we are as Native people.”
Panel artists Watie Akins, Penobscot, Rick Hunt, Abenaki, Lenny Novak, Abenaki, Jennifer Neptune, Penobscot and George Longfish, Seneca/Tuscarora represent indigenous people from the Northeast. They will discuss the ways they use art to express their personal and collective journeys in re-connecting with traditions, communicating untold stories, and healing our communities. Ranco notes “In particular, we will explore notions of cultural sovereignty, whereby we use art as Native people to structure our own norms and values in structuring our collective futures."
Rick Hunt, curator of Twisted Path relates that “Drawing, for me, is a way to meditate and pray. It is by pen on paper that I am able to be right there in the moment. If the purpose of art is to inspire, then I hope the viewer will simply experience and feel my art. If it talks to you then I hope that a positive dialogue is created.”
The Twisted Path Discussion Panel is free, open to the public and made possible in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Food Fuels the Body, Soul, and a Community Icon
Chef/Owner Bobbie Lynn Hutchins, a fourth generation native of
Through exhibitions, educational programs, research, collections, and collaborative partnerships, the
Although, the United World Citizens has donated to many local causes, it’s major focus has always been on raising awareness of global issues and helping children in developing countries but Hutchins points out that because the Wabanaki are Maine’s first peoples, “Their connection to the land and each other should be of interest and concern to all of us. When I visit the Abbe, I am inspired by the Native American stories, traditions, and art and I am reminded how the diversity of culture right here in
One of the area's premier fine dining establishments, Café Bluefish has been serving "creative unique cuisine" in downtown
As an extra bonus, on the evening of November 5, you can have dinner at Café Bluefish and watch a movie at the Abbe! From 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm, the Museum will screen two films that address cultural and religious appropriation, with a discussion to follow. Film details are available at www.abbemuseum.org.
To participate in this fundraiser simply call 288-3696 and make your dinner reservation for the evening of November 3, 4 or 5, 2009. Upon arriving at Café Bluefish, tell your server that you are dining in support of the
For more information about Café Bluefish, located at
Native American Film Series Explores Identity Issues
White Shamans and Plastic Medicine Men is an award-winning documentary that deals with the popularization and commercialization of Native American spiritual traditions by Non-Indians. Important questions are asked of those seeking to commercially exploit Tribal rituals and sacred ceremonies...and those vested with safeguarding sacred ways. The film represents a wide range of voices from Native communities, and speaks to issues of cultural appropriation with humor, righteous anger and thoughtful insight.
Image from White Shamans and Plastic Medicine Men, 1996Invisible examines the history of relations between the Anglo and Native American communities in the northeast. The tribal people of Maine often feel invisible and to many Non-Indians in the state, they do not exist. Many of those who do know of the Indians presence are unaware of both their history and their present circumstances. Through the voices of persons telling their stories, Invisible looks at some of the underlying reasons for the racism so deeply embedded in white American culture and how that racism continues to shape Native American reality today. It then asks how we can begin to change our own racism and confront the invisible racism that still lies beneath much of Anglo American society.
Following these short documentaries there will be a discussion session hosted by Raney Bench, Abbe Museum Education Coordinator and James E. Francis, Penobscot Tribal Historian and Invisible producer.
Look Twice Evokes New Thoughts About History
Friday, October 9th, 2009,
Exhibit designer and writer Anderson is a member of Kingsclear First Nation, N.B.,
the goal of redirecting the visitor's objective gaze at Waponahki life and history in this region. The river motif reflects the importance of these waterways to my people, and is symbolic of time-flow, history and memory as they function to both create and maintain identity." Mihku artfully combines her original writings, colorful graphics, and historic photography in a way that evokes new thoughts about the history of Waponahki people, the people of the Maliseet, Mik’maq, Passamaquoddy and Penobscot tribes.
This exhibit will hang in the Community Gallery of the
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,
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
Free Photography Workshops at Acadia: Aug 20-27
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, 2007/2008Photo 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
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.
Unearthing Ancient Artifacts on Maine's Coast
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."