Creating New Educational Activities

Using "touchable" artifacts from the Abbe's collections, George teaches a school group about archaeology.

George Neptune, Museum Educator, spends the month preparing new activities for school teachers, and leading educational programming.

Even though I have fewer school groups coming to the Abbe than most times of year, I'm still working away at educational programs.  I'm developing birch bark inspired activities (including a aeart-shaped basket, in time for Valentine's day!), Wabanaki Guides activities and programming, and helping with exhibit construction whenever I can.  I'm particularly excited about our two tracking workshops, in which you will learn different tracking techniques with two Wabanaki guides.  One of these workshops will take place during the mid-winter school break, along with many other activities that correlate to our Wabanaki Guides exhibit.  Check our February calendar to find out which activities will be available!

Nanook

On January 26, we hope you'll join us for a special performance of Nanook at Reel Pizza, as scored and presented by the instrumental trio the Sumner McKane Group.  The group combines film, oral histories, and live music to create live "docu-exhibits."  In this performance, the 1922 silent documentary film Nanook of the North will be brought to life through the combination of film and a live score.  Advance tickets will soon be available.  Contact the Abbe Museum for more information: 207.288.3519 or johannah -at- abbemuseum.org

The January 26th show will feature a screening of the film, with a live performance of the musical soundtrack, composed by the Sumner McKane Group. The 80-minute film, Nanook of the North, follows an Inuit family, led by Nanook, through their travels and travails enduring an Arctic winter. 

The new score, an expansive and expressive original piece of music composed by the Sumner McKane Group, was written meticulously in spring 2008 over a brief and harried 4-week period. The undertaking was part of the Local Score/Silent Film series, presented by One Longfellow Square in Portland. Unlike other performers in the series, the group opted to score the entire film, using no improvised musical elements at all. The group's bravery in this endeavor was rewarded by two successful shows with substantial local press coverage. Since then, the band has played successful shows of Nanook at Slates in Hallowell, Space Gallery in Portland, and the Boothbay Opera House, as well as releasing a 100-CD limited-edition studio recording of Nanook, available online for a very limited time.

The Sumner McKane Group, a modern instrumental music trio, is based in Maine, with guitarist Sumner McKane, bassist Josh Robbins, and drummer Todd the Rocket Richard residing in Wiscasset, Whitefield, and Westbrook respectively. 

A national audience has already taken notice of this musical work. National Public Radio's Echoes program, an ambient music show airing on 150+ terrestrial radio stations, featured a live recording of select scenes from the score as part of a holiday special in December 2008. Host John Diliberto has said of the music, "McKane's landscapes are tinged in ambient atmospheres and pulled by an undertow of psychedelia that makes them some of the most unassumingly mind-bending music of the decade... Sumner manages to touch the nostalgic, wistful side of us, without being remotely quaint."

Winter Programming...coming soon!

George Neptune, the new Abbe Museum Educator, has been hard at work planning an exciting schedule full of winter programming!  Many of the programs will soon be confirmed, and you'll be able to find all of the latest information in our online calendar.  Among these programs will be the return of the Brown Bag Lunch Series on the third Thursday of each month--January 17, February 21, and March 21--as well as family-friendly activities throughout early 2013.  Most of these programs will be thematically linked to the exhibit Wabanaki Guides, opening on February 6, 2013, and are possible, in part, through the generous support of the Hattie A. & Fred C. Lynam Trust.

While most topics and dates are still TBA (to be announced), here are some teasers from this winter's line-up:

~In January...In addition to the Brown Bag Lunch on January 17 and Nanook on January 26, we'll also be hosting a children's program.  The first Brown Bag Lunch will be a conversation about guiding with Jennifer Neptune and Ron Bear; Jennifer will discuss the process of becoming a guide, and Ron will share his experiences as a current guide.

~In February...In addition to the Brown Bag Lunch on February 21 and the opening of Wabanaki Guides on February 6, we'll be hosting an animal tracking workshop and special family activities during the week of school winter break.

~In March...In addition to the Brown Bag Lunch on March 21, we'll hold our annual Teachers Workshop as well as a family-friendly program. 

Make sure to check our online calendar for 

the most up-to-date information regarding our Winter Programming.

Other News & Events for December

There is always something happening at the Abbe, and this winter is no exception!  Please visit our online calendar regularly for more details and updates.

We have a number of exciting programs happening this week that you won't want to miss!  We hope you can join us Thursday, December 6 from 7:00 - 9:00 for the last film in our 4th Annual Native American Film Series, The Necessities of Life, and Saturday, December 8 for our annual Holiday Open House, with special family activities and refreshments from 1:00 - 4:00.  AND, throughout the month of December, the Abbe Shop is holding a special Holiday Sale...20% OFF EVERYTHING!

Mark your calendars for another annual event this weekend, the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance Sale and Demonstration at the Collins Center for the Arts, University of Maine, on Saturday, December 8 from 9:00 - 3:00.  More details can be found in the Events section of this post, or by enlarging the poster embedded below.

The following links are a sample of some upcoming activities and recent articles that may interest you.  Know of more?  Please feel free to post events, news, and other items on our Facebook page!

NEWS

Four Directions Development Corp marks 10 years of serving Maine's tribal communities Read the article in the Bangor Daily New, which also includes a video segment.

Maine panel hears truth about taking of Indian children in The Forecaster

Dearth of diversity in UMaine positions cause ire in The Maine Campus

Washington County sues Passamaquoddy tribe over tax claim in the New York Daily News

Huge Indian claims settlement won't benefit Native communities in Maine in the Bangor Daily News

Penobscot Nation sues State over Settlement-Protected Hunting and Fishing Rights on Indian Country Today Media Network

Big Dipper, or Sky Bear, comes to Earth on November Evenings on EarthSky.org.  Interested in learning more about the Mi'kmaq sky story referenced in this article?  A book and video about Muin and the Seven Bird Hunters were produced as part of the Canadian festivities celebrating the International Year of Astronomy 2009.  A full download of the 25 minute video in English, Mi'kmaq, or French is available from the celebration's official site: www.astronomy2009.ca or a short excerpt can be viewed via YouTube (below).  The bilingual picture book, Muin and the Seven Bird Hunters, is available for purchase in the Abbe Shop.

Milford Snowshoe, pack basket maker recognized by Maine Arts Commission in the Bangor Daily News

Lynam Grants Recipients Announced (the Abbe was a recipient!) on Fenceviewer

Misappropriating Culture: Where "Playing Indian" & Cultural Sensitivities Collide  on the blog, Museum Minute.



EVENTS

Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance
Next Up: December 8, 2012
Annual Maine Indian Basketmakers Sale and Demonstration
This event features Maliseet, Micmac, Passamaquoddy and Penobscot Basketmakers who sell their hand-made, one of a kind, ash splint and sweet grass basketry.  Work baskets, such as creels, pack and potato baskets and fancy baskets ranging from strawberry and blueberry shaped-baskets to curly bowls may be found along with quill jewelry, wood carvings and birchbark work.  Demonstrations of brown ash pounding, basket making and other Native arts, as well as traditional drumming, dancing and singing will be presented.  More information is available from the Hudson Museum at (207) 581-1904.


Maliseet Bingo
Every Monday at 6:30 PM at the Maliseet Gym

Click here to read the Other News & Events we posted in November.

Holiday Open House

The Abbe Museum's Annual Holiday Open House will be held on Saturday, December 8, and this year we are teaming up with the Bar Harbor Merchant's Association to make the event even bigger!

Enjoy free admission to the Abbe all day, but make sure to visit from 1:00 - 4:00 for family activities and refreshments.  And, from 1:30-3:30, Santa Claus will be visiting the museum, thanks to the Bar Harbor Merchants Association.

Abbe Educator George Neptune has been planning some new crafts and activities for children of all ages, and families will have the opportunity to enjoy these special activities, in addition to the other family-friendly activities the Abbe has to offer, such as our Family Room with games and more, exhibit scavenger hunts, and touchable artifacts.  Volunteers will be on-hand to help children create items that they can take home with them, or give as gifts for the holidays.

Holiday goodies and refreshments will be provided by the Abbe's Culinary Arts Committee and the Bar Harbor Merchants Association, so stop in, relax, and have some fun!

There will also be other exciting events happening in Bar Harbor that weekend, so mark your calendar now!*  As part of the Holiday Open House, the Bar Harbor Merchants Association will be hosting 12 Days of Shopping & Dining Locally: A Customer Appreciation Event.  The Event kicks-off on December 8 with the activities at the Abbe Museum, as well as special in-store raffles at participating merchants** throughout Bar Harbor.  Then, for twelve days, qualifying purchases at those businesses will earn customers entry into a grand-prize raffle with the opportunity to win one of twelve $25 Bar Harbor Merchants Association Gift Certificates!  Winners will be drawn on December 20.  Visit www.barharbormerchants.com or Facebook to learn more about the 12 Days of Shopping & Dining Locally!

Click to enlarge.

If you would like to learn more, are interested in volunteering at the Abbe Museum, or would like to contribute to this event, please contact Astra at 207.288.3519 or astra -at-abbemuseum.org


**Other exciting events happening during the Holiday Weekend include the Village Holidays and Midnight Madness Sale, and during the Open House on the 8th, Spruce & Gussy's Bizarre Bazaar and the YWCA's Children's Christmas Bazaar.

*As of 11/30/2012 participating merchants include: A & B Naturals, Abbe Museum, Acadia Massage, Acadia Shop, Bark Harbor, Bayside Liquors, Christmas Spirit Shop, Fair Trade Winds, Fathom, House Wine, KA McDonald Picture Framing, Macey's, McKay's, Our New England Country Store, RH Salon, Sherman's, Side Street Cafe, Spruce and Gussy, Stone Soup, Thirsty Whale, Village Emporium, and Window Panes.  Visit here for updates and info about the 12 Days Event.

Membership: A Gift that Gives Twice

Why choose a Gift Membership to the Abbe Museum?
Abbe Gift Memberships are the gift that gives twice—a gift for a friend, and a gift to the Abbe. A membership to the Abbe Museum is a tax-deductible contribution that supports the work of the museum, but also gives special benefits to the new member, such as free admission, discounts in the Abbe Shop, and reduced fees for special programs and events.

Gift Giving Ideas! Membership is perfect for...
· Students($20) who might be interested in using the Abbe Museum’s research library, or reading in our cozy Membership Lounge with WiFi.
· Individuals ($40) who have it all, or want fewer “things.”
· Households ($65) who enjoy visiting the Abbe for rainy days or year-round family activities and programs.
· Travelers and museum-lovers, who join at the Sweetgrass ($125) Level to enjoy reciprocal membership benefits at hundreds of museums across the United States and Canada through the NARM program.
· Life-long learners, who become members at the Birchbark ($300), Brown Ash ($500), and Quillwork ($1500) Levels enjoy additional benefits, such as a subscription to Native Peoples Magazine, and much more.

How it works:
To give a gift membership, simply select the level of Abbe Museum Membership that you would like to purchase, and a Guest Services Associate will provide you with a short form to complete. We’ll also give you a handsome folder filled with Abbe Museum info—Perfect for wrapping!  No time to stop by?  Call 207.288.3519 or email astra -at- abbemuseum.org and we'll walk you through the steps.

Did you know...
You can also make a donation in honor of someone special? If you wish, we are happy to send them a card with our thanks. All donations support the mission of the Abbe Museum — to inspire new learning about the Wabanaki Nations with every visit.

Special Volunteer Opportunity this January

Image by Carrie Graham

We are excited to offer a special volunteer opportunity this January, for all those who are interested in what happens "behind the scenes" at the Abbe Museum.  Each year the Abbe Museum says farewell to some exhibits to make space for new ones, in a constant effort to share compelling new stories with our visitors from near and far.  In 2013 we've set the bar high, and we'll be welcoming four new exhibits throughout the year.


The first of these, Wabanaki Guides, will replace the highly acclaimed Indians & Rusticators in our main gallery.  To create an exhibit of this scale, hundreds of hours are spent researching, writing, designing, selecting artifacts, and planning accompanying programs, before we even reach the final stage: installation and fabrication.  In the end, the gallery is transformed and a new exhibit emerges.

In January of 2013, the Abbe Museum will be closed to visitors as we undergo this transformation.  Indians & Rusticators will be carefully disassembled, and Wabanaki Guides will slowly be built before opening to the public on February 6, 2013.  The Abbe Museum would like to welcome our volunteers, supporters, and friends to experience the installation and fabrication of this major exhibition--a unique opportunity to participate in the behind-the-scenes work that makes the Abbe Museum a place of learning for visitors from around the world.

Volunteer responsibilities would include, but are not limited to, mounting, cutting and installing exhibit graphics, light carpentry and painting, setting up and cleaning exhibit cases, assisting with mount making and installation of objects.  Due to the physical nature of the work, we do require the following skills and abilities in order to participate in exhibit fabrication & installation: the ability to move and lift up to 50 lbs, climb ladders, paint with brushes and rollers, use small power tools, comfort working with sharp cutting tools, good dexterity, and flexibility.  If you are interested in this special volunteer opportunity, please contact Julia Clark, Curator of Collections at 207.288.3519 or julia -at- abbemuseum.org.

If you would like to learn of other volunteer opportunities with the Abbe Museum, please click here to read our most recent volunteer newsletter.  You can subscribe to the volunteer newsletter, or learn more about our volunteer program, by contacting Astra Haldeman, Manager of Museums Services at 207.288.3519 or astra -at- abbemuseum.org.

Last Film in Series

The last film in the Abbe Museum's fourth annual Native American Film Series, sponsored by Reel Pizza, will screen on Thursday, December 6 from 7:00 - 9:00.  This program is free and open to the public.

The Necessities of Life

Far from home, an ailing Inuit hunter experiences a rebirth and finds hope again when he forges an unlikely friendship with a young boy.  In 1952, an Inuit hunter named Tivii with tuberculosis leaves his northern home and family to recuperate at a sanatorium in Quebec City.  Uprooted, far from his loved ones, unable to speak French and faced with a completely alien world, he becomes despondent.  When he refuses to eat and expresses a wish to die, his nurse, Carole, comes to the realization that Tivii’s illness is not the most serious threat to his well-being.  She arranges to have a young orphan, Kaki, transferred to the institution.  The boy is also sick, but has experience with both worlds and speaks both languages.  By sharing his culture with Kaki and opening it up to others, Tivii rediscovers his pride and energy. 

For more information about this film, please click here.  This highly acclaimed film is Rated PG for thematic materials and brief mild language.  

Last Chance to View Award Winning Exhibition!

In July 2011 the Abbe Museum opened Indians & Rusticators: Wabanakis and Summer Visitors on Mount Desert Island 1840s-1920s, and in July 2012 we were excited to announce that the exhibit had won a Leadership in History Award from the American Association for State and Local History.

Now, in December 2012, we are sad to share that you only have four more weeks to visit this award-winning exhibit before it is gone!  On December 31, 2012 Abbe staff will start the bittersweet process of deconstructing Indians & Rusticators, to make space for Wabanaki Guides, opening on February 6, 2013.

We have four new exhibits going up in 2013, so Indians & Rusticators is not the only one leaving us.  Transcending Traditions: The Next Generation and Maine Indian Basketry will also close on December 31, 2012.  Learn more about the exhibits that will close and the exhibits that will open below, and visit us on one of these dates to say your farewells:

Click to enlarge.

Indians & Rusticator: Wabanakis & Summer Visitors on Mt. Desert Island 1840s-1920s

On View Through December 29

Indians and Rusticators highlights the role that Mount Desert Island played in the cultural and economic survival of Wabanakis (the collective name for Maliseet, Micmac, Passamaquoddy and Penobscot Indians).  Offering a focused look at the seasonal interactions of Wabanakis and summer rusticators (summer residents from the large urban areas of the Northeast), it profiles various personalities, especially the iconic Penobscot Indian showman Frank “Big Thunder” Loring, whose unforgettable presence on Mount Desert Island spanned 60 years of the Rusticator Era.  The stories told and research presented is the work of Bunny McBride, MA and Dr. Harald Prins, highly regarded scholars and authors of Wabanaki history.  They served as guest curators for the project. 

For more information about the exhibit, please click here.

Indians & Rusticators is the winner of a 2012 Leadership in History Award.  Learn more here.

Transcending Traditions: The Next Generation and Maine Indian Basketry

 On View Through December 29

Ganessa Bryant basket, photo courtesy of the Hudson Museum

 

Transcending Traditions features five contemporary Maine Indian basketmakers representing the next generation: Jeremy Frey, Ganessa Bryant, Sarah Sockbeson, George Neptune and Eric “Otter” Bacon.  This project explores the new directions that these innovative artists are taking the tradition in the face of environmental and economic challenges.  This exhibit was created as a collaboration between the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance and the Hudson Museum, supported by a grant from the National Museum of the American Indian’s Indigenous Contemporary Arts Program. 

Click here to visit the online catalog for Transcending Traditions.

And Coming Soon...

Up Next in the Schloss Exhibit Gallery...

...replacing Indians and Rusticators, and opening in early Spring 2013:

Wabanaki Guides

The next major exhibit at the Abbe Museum is entitled Wabanaki Guides. This exhibit will focus on the legacy of Wabanaki people serving as guides for European and American explorers, cartographers, tourists, and artists from the European contact era in the 1600s, to the present day. The exhibit will shine a spotlight on how Wabanaki knowledge of the land and waterways has influenced visitors and illustrates how this legacy is linked to economic sustainability for the tribes, tourism and environmental sustainability for the state of Maine.

The exhibit, set in the Schloss Exhibit Gallery, will be designed as a guided canoe trip along a Maine river, with portages along the way where one can pause on the river bank and learn about the various aspects a guide had to consider when planning and executing a trip and what to expect along the way. Themes throughout the exhibit will focus on mapping, tracking, tourism and economics. Stories and historic accounts will be shared from various viewpoints, including those from Wabanaki guides, Henry David Thoreau and Joseph Treat, to name a few. Throughout the exhibit, Wabanaki place-names for places are incorporated and translated into English to show us how their words so accurately capture the essence of a place, bodies of water or wildlife, and how their deep connection to this place remains. The exhibit will also include hands-on activities for children, a gallery hunt with maps to follow, riddles to decode and flip games with questions and answers.

Up Next in the Schloss Exhibit Gallery...

...replacing Transcending Traditions, and opening in late spring 2013:

The 2013 Waponahki Student Art Show

These images are yet to be created!  Good luck to the students as they start their new school year, we can't wait to see what beautiful artworks will result from your creativity this year!

Up Next in the Circle of the Four Directions...

...using this special space to display the traveling exhibition, coming to the Abbe from the 

National Museum of the American Indian in early summer 2013:

IndiVisible

As quoted from the exhibition's website:

Within the fabric of American identity is woven a story that has long been invisible—the lives and experiences of people who share African American and Native American ancestry.

 African and Native peoples came together in the Americas.  Over centuries, African Americans and Native Americans created shared histories, communities, families, and ways of life.  Prejudice, laws, and twists of history have often divided them from others, yet African-Native American people were united in the struggle against slavery and sipossession, and then for self-determination and freedom.

For African-Native Americans, their double heritage is truly indivisible.

"The exhibition IndiVisible: African-Native American Lives in the Americas is a collaboration between the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution Travelling Exhibition Service (SITES).

Photo Caption from the National Museum of the American Indian:   

Comanche family, early 1900s

Here is a family from the Comanche Nation located in southwestern Oklahoma. The elder man in Comanche traditional clothing is Ta-Ten-e-quer. His wife, Ta-Tat-ty, also wears Comanche clothing. Their niece (center) is Wife-per, also known as Frances E. Wright. Her father was a Buffalo Soldier (an African American cavalryman) who deserted and married into the Comanches. Henry (center left) and Lorenzano (center right) are the sons of Frances, who married an African American man.  Courtesy Sam DeVenney  Learn more from the Smithsonian's website to accompany the exhibit.

And over the course of the winter...

...Sieur de Monts will be undergoing renovation and a new exhibit will open in Summer 2013!  

(Don't worry, your old favorites will be there too.)

We hope you enjoy!

N'tolonapemk Opening

Photo courtesy of Donald Soctomah

By Julia Clark, Curator of Collections

On Sunday, November 4, two days after the wonderful opening celebration at the Abbe for our new exhibit N'tolonapemk: Our Relatives' Place, Abbe staff and friends were invited to travel to Washington County to attend an open house at the N'tolonapemk Site hosted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.  The open house gave visitors a chance to see the beautiful viewing area and new landscaping that has been done on the site, part of the process of restoring the land that for decades was a toxic waste dump. It also marked the transfer from the federal EPA to the state DEP for the remaining mitigation work at the site, primarily the monitoring and treatment of groundwater contamination.

A blessing ceremony was conducted by Joanne Dana, Passamaquoddy elder, who also did a blessing at the reception at the Abbe Museum. Passamaquoddy tribal historic preservation officer Donald Soctomah spoke about the importance of the N'tolonapemk site and its rehabilitation to the Passamaquoddy people. The new viewing area features a large double curve design framed by fire-cracked rocks collected during the archaeological excavations, designed by Passamaquoddy artist Stephanie Francis. Young trees have also been planted that will grow to be large trees sheltering and protecting the site.

The Abbe hopes to host additional site visits or on-site programs during the upcoming year, although the area will not be open to the general public in the immediate future. Stayed tuned for future plans!

Welcome, George!

George Neptune at the Native American Festival & Basketmakers Market

Greetings, Abbe Aficionados!

My name is George Neptune, and I am from Indian Township, Maine. Though I’ve only been the Museum Educator for less than a month, my relationship with the Abbe Museum and the town of Bar Harbor goes back into my childhood. As a Passamaquoddy Basketmaker, I have been traveling to MDI for the Native American Festival at the College of the Atlantic for as long as I can remember. I began weaving baskets with my Grandmother, Molly Neptune Parker, when I was just four years old.

I graduated from Gould Academy in Bethel, Maine in 2006, and then graduated from Dartmouth College in 2010 with a degree in Theater. Throughout my time at Dartmouth, I traveled to Barcelona, Spain to study at the University of Barcelona, as well as to London, England to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

In the summers of 2007 and 2009, I worked for the National Park Service as an Interpretive Ranger at Saint Croix Island International Historic Site—the site of the first attempted permanent settlement in Northern North America. There I put my theatrical training and basketmaking knowledge to the test when I developed an interpretive program about Passamaquoddy Basketry.

Immediately after College, I began to work for the Indian Township After School Program, teaching traditional crafts as well as performance arts. I also worked for Maine Indian Education as the High School Liaison, serving as a resource for Native American students attending non-Native schools. In 2011, I was hired as the Unit Director and Mentor Program Coordinator of the Passamaquoddy Boys and Girls Club.

While my position at the Abbe is my debut to the behind-the-scenes world of museums, I am truly excited to have the opportunity to help educate the general public about Wabanaki culture and history, as well as other contemporary issues that continue to saturate many parts of Indian Country. Having experience in many different fields gives me lots of insight and a different perspective on educational programming, so I try to make things educational, interesting, and (perhaps most importantly) FUN! I have a wild imagination and crazy ideas, so get ready Bar Harbor, ‘cause I’m here to stay!

Racial Bias in Maine and US Schools

The Abbe Museum is pleased to announce this exciting new program, 

just added to our fall calendar:

Racial Bias in Maine and US Schools

Tuesday November 13, 6:30-8:30 PM

Abbe Museum Downtown

FREE

November is Native American Heritage Month and many of us will notice an increase in the number of Indian images we see around our communities, in our schools, and in the media.  Between Halloween and Thanksgiving, children and others often take inspiration from Native history, dress, and events to impersonate Native people and culture.  Through this public program we will examine the effects dressing in Native costume can have on children and our communities, how bias and stereotypes often dominate our perception of historic events, and the disturbingly high levels of racial bias in schools across Maine and the nation and how teachers, parents and, most importantly, students can reduce racial and ethnic bias.  

Join Raney Bench, Curator of Education, George Neptune, Museum Educator, and Steve Wessler, Civil Rights attorney, in a conversation about the impact bias and stereotypes can have on children and our communities.   Steve Wessler will explore the risk that racial and ethnic bias can cause emotional and physical harm to students and even escalate to serious violence, and will draw upon the lessons he has learned from his conflict resolution work in racially and religiously tense schools in Maine, Northern Ireland and elsewhere.  Steve currently works with schools, colleges, non-profit organizations, health care institutions, law enforcement agencies, employers, communities and others through education, training and advocacy.  He has presented and facilitated 100s of workshops, lectures, keynote addresses, and conflict resolution dialogues across the United States and in Canada, Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East.

Mr. Wessler, an attorney, developed and led the Civil Rights Unit in the Maine Office of the Attorney General from 1992 to 1999.  He is a graduate of Harvard College and Boston University School of Law. In 1999 he founded the Center for Preventing Hate and was its director for 12 years until it’s closing in fall 2011. He is the author of The Respectful School and a number of articles, reports, book chapters and other publications focusing on hate crimes and prevention.  He has received numerous awards for his human rights work.  Since 2000 he has taught university courses on hate crimes and bias as well as on school bullying and harassment.

This program is free and open to the public at the Abbe Museum downtown on Tuesday Nov. 13 6:30-8:30 PM.  For more information, call 288-3519.  Teachers will be given two contact hours for attending this program, as well as a new classroom activity.

Video: Watch Steve Wessler's 2011 TEDx talk.

The Abbe Across the Nation

This fall, Abbe Museum staff have traveled across the state and nation to share the work of the Abbe and to network with other museum professionals.  The Abbe has been represented at numerous conferences this season, including: the American Association for State and Local History Annual Meeting & Conference in Salt Lake City, the Two Nation Vacation media event in New York City, TEDxDirigo in Lewiston, Maine Archives & Museum’s Fall Conference & Annual Meeting at the University of Maine, and the New England Museum Association Annual Conference in Burlington, Vermont.

Cinnamon & Julia accept a Leadership in History Award on behalf of the Abbe Museum at the AASLH Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City.  Also pictured are AASLH representatives D. Stephen Elliott, AASLH Chair, and Terry Davis, AASLH President and CEO. Photo credit: AASLH 2012 Kenneth Jones.

The AASLH 2012 Annual Meeting took place October 3-6 in Salt Lake City, Utah, and the Abbe Museum was represented by CEO Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko and Curator of Collections, Julia Clark.  At the meeting:

• Cinnamon chaired a session entitled, The Toolkit Talks: Collections Care Basics, Advocacy, and Visitor Studies.  “Running a small museum is like trying to juggle a dozen balls and when you’re a new or terribly over-worked leader, how do you know what you are responsible for or where to start?  Three contributors to the newly-released Small Museum Toolkit shared some of their insights into mission-based planning and implementation for small museums, as well as offer practical strategies for success in collections care basics, advocacy, and visitor studies.
• The Abbe Museum was presented with a Leadership in History Award for the exhibit Indians & Rusticators: Wabanakis and Summer Visitors on Mount Desert Island 1840s-1920s.  Julia and Cinnamon attended the award reception to receive the award on behalf of the Abbe.

On October 17, the Abbe was featured during a Two Nation Vacation media event in New York City.  Cinnamon traveled with members of the Maine Office of Tourism and pitched the Abbe to nearly fifty media writers.

On October 20, 2012 TEDxDirigo: Villages occurred at Bates College in Lewiston.  Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko and Raney Bench had the opportunity to attend this exciting event and network with inspiring speakers from Maine and beyond.  Learn more about the speakers and listen to the unedited talks.  Edited versions of the talks will be posted later this month.

The Maine Archives & Museums Fall Conference and Annual Meeting was held at the University of Maine on October 26, 2012.  Raney Bench, Curator of Education at the Abbe Museum, was the program chair for this conference, and the Abbe Museum was represented at the conference by multiple staff, including: John Brown, Director of Finance & Administration, Hannah Whalen, Director of Development, Astra Haldeman, Manager of Museum Services, Julia Clark, Curator of Collections, Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko, CEO, and Raney Bench, Curator of Education.  At the conference:

• Raney Bench was elected Vice President of MAM’s Board for the upcoming year.
• Julia Clark presented during the session Penobscot Material Culture Collaborative detailing the collaborative created during the auction of the Frank Siebert Collection, and led a training session, Creating Storage Mounts
• Astra Haldeman presented during the session, Adapt or Die, with Amy Lent of Maine Maritime Museum and Steve Bromage of Maine Historical Society
• Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko led a session entitled, Small Museum Leadership Considered
• Abbe staff attended professional development sessions, networking luncheons, and an evening reception with other conference attendees.

Coming up next week is the New England Museum Association Conference in Burlington, Vermont, where the Abbe Museum will be represented by Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko and Julia Clark.  Cinnamon is part of a session about strategic planning practices and Julia and Cinnamon will co-present a session on small museum best practices.  

Before Tomorrow, Screening November 1

Before Tomorrow, the second film in the Native American Film Series will be shown on Thursday, November 1, 2012 at the Downtown Abbe Museum from 7:00 - 9:00.  The series is free and open to the public, made possible, in part, by Reel Pizza.

Before Tomorrow is the first feature film written and directed by Igloolik’s Arnait Video Productions women’s collective, which has been filming Inuit women’s stories since 1991 based on cultural authenticity and community involvement.  It is the story of a woman who demonstrates that human dignity is at the core of life from beginning to end, as she faces with her grandson the ultimate challenge of survival.  Set in 1840, some Inuit tribes still have never met any white people, although rumors circulate about what they might be, where they come from, and why.  The film draws on history to imagine the fate of one village, and one family, to explore the impact of European presence in the Arctic. 

After showing the film, Curator of Collections Julia Clark and Museum Educator George Neptune will facilitate a discussion based on themes addressed in Before Tomorrow.
  

For more information about this film please click here.  This film is Not Rated.

New Exhibit Opening Friday, November 2

Fish effigy found in archaeological excavations at N’tolonapemk. This artifact will be one of many pieces in the exhibit at the Abbe.

The Abbe Museum will open N’tolonapemk: Our Relative’s Place on November 2, 2012 in the Abbe’s Community Gallery. The exhibit will feature one of Maine’s oldest archaeological sites - which is located on Meddybemps Lake in Northeastern Washington County – known by the Passamaquoddy as N’tolonapemk, “Our Relatives’ Place.”

 

N’tolonapemk tells the story of this remarkable place through archaeological evidence and through the stories and knowledge of the Passamaquoddy people. Archaeological digs on this site have unearthed components dating back to the early Archaic Period (8,600 – 8,200 years ago) and there is evidence of continuing use of the site through the Late Ceramic Period (500 years ago).  The scientific methods used by archaeologists, presented alongside the Passamaquoddy stories, work together to create a more complete picture and a richer understanding of this important place. The exhibit will focus on the environment of N’tolonapemk, the way in which Passamaquoddy life at the site revolved around the seasons, the geology of the location and the multiple ways of knowing about the past at this particular site, from archaeology to oral tradition to geology.

“The N’tolonapemk site presents us with a unique opportunity to look at the past from several perspectives. The involvement of the Passamaquoddy community throughout the project has brought out a more complete picture of the past that wouldn't be possible with archaeology alone,” says Abbe Museum curator Julia Clark.

The exhibit will open in the Abbe’s Community Gallery on Friday, November 2, with a reception from 4-6pm, including a blessing of the exhibit and refreshments. If you are interested in attending this opening and reception, please contact the Abbe Museum at 288-3519. The exhibit will be on display until October 2013, and is made possible thanks to support from Machias Savings Bank, the Maine Humanities Council and the EASTER Foundation/Anne & Fred Osborn III.

Other News & Events for November

There is always something happening at the Abbe, and this fall is no exception!  Please visit our online calendar regularly for more details and updates.

We have a number of exciting programs happening this November that you won't want to miss!

#1. The second film in the 4th Annual Native American Film Series at the downtown Abbe on Thursday, November 1 from 7:00 - 9:00 PM.  We will be screening Before Tomorrow, which is not rated. 

#2. N'tolonapemk: Our Relatives' Place exhibit Opening & Reception on Friday, November 2 from 4:00 - 6:00 PM.

#3.  Early Bird Pajama Sale on Saturday, November 10 from 6:00 - 9:00 AM.

Click here for more information about these programs.  

We hope you can join us!




There are also a number of upcoming Wabanaki events that are open to the public.  The following links are a sample of some upcoming activities and recent articles that may interest you.  Know of more?  Feel free to post them on our Facebook page!

NEWS

Kateri Tekakwitha Becomes first American Indian Saint on Yahoo! News

The Abbe Museum is mentioned in this great article on Recognizing and Celebrating First Peoples on Columbus Day: A Guide to Events Across Indian Country on Indian Country Today Media Network

Aroostook Micmacs rebuilding Nation with eye on tradition in the Bangor Daily News

River Restoration Progress Threatened by Extreme Bill on The Huffington Post

Hurricane Sandy: Tribes Pull Together as Monster Storm Takes Aim on Indian Country Today Media Network

With new funding, Maliseets eye plans for Tribal cemetery in the Bangor Daily News

Maine tourist haven offers educational option on readingeagle.com

Click here to read Other News & Events for October!

EVENTS

Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance Events

Next Up: December 8, 2012
Annual Maine Indian Basketmakers Sale and Demonstration

This event features Maliseet, Micmac, Passamaquoddy and Penobscot Basketmakers who sell their hand-made, one of a kind, ash splint and sweet grass basketry.  Work baskets, such as creels, pack and potato baskets and fancy baskets ranging from strawberry and blueberry shaped-baskets to curly bowls may be found along with quill jewelry, wood carvings and birchbark work.  Demonstrations of brown ash pounding, basket making and other native arts, as well as traditional drumming, dancing and singing will be presented.  More information is available from the Hudson Museum at (207) 581-1904.


Maliseet Bingo
Every Monday at 6:30 PM at the Maliseet Gym.

Tis the season...almost!

Once again the Abbe Museum will participate in holiday festivities around Bar Harbor.  Don’t miss these exciting sales and events, and make sure to visit the Abbe Museum!

• Pajama Day Sale – Saturday, November 10, from 6-9 AM.  Join us bright and early for sales and specials (as well as free admission for the non-shoppers) during Bar Harbor’s Annual Early Bird Sale!  The specials may end, but following the early bird sale, the Abbe Museum will remain open as usual until 4:00.
  
  
• Midnight Madness – Friday, December 7, from 8 PM – Midnight!  Wear your evening best, and enjoy sales and specials throughout Bar Harbor and at the Abbe Shop, during this special late night sale!  The Abbe Museum will also be open (and free!) for the non-shoppers among you.
  
  
• The Abbe Museum & Bar Harbor Merchant Associations Holiday Open House on Saturday, December 8, provides yet another opportunity for holiday cheer!  Join us at the Abbe Museum from 1-4 PM for refreshments and family activities, including crafts that kids can take home.  Want to help at this event?  Email Astra (astra-at-abbemuseum.org) for more information about volunteering.
  
  
  Learn more at abbemuseum.org

Prepare for Colder Temperatures

This fall and winter, the Abbe Museum will be celebrating the chilly climates of the North!

We are excited to announce that we'll be tying our winter programming together with an Arctic theme this year:


Thursday, October 4: The Fast Runner

Arctic people are leaders in telling their own stories on film, and these movies highlight how powerful that can be.  Join us for The Fast Runner, the first film of our 4th annual Native American Film Series on Thursday, October 4th, from 7:00 - 9:00 PM at the Downtown Abbe Museum for this free film series, made possible, in part, by Reel Pizza. 

Released in 2001 The Fast Runner is a Canadian film directed by Zacharias Kunuk.  It was the first feature film ever to be written, directed and acted entirely in Inuktitut.  Set in the ancient past, the film retells an Inuit legend passed down through centuries of oral tradition.

It’s an epic tale of love, betrayal, and revenge, set in motion by an evil force brought to the village of Igloolik by a mysterious shaman.  Kunuk and his crew meticulously re-created the conditions the Inuit tribes lived under before exposure to Southern influences, using information handed down from tribe elders and the journals of Captain William Edward Parry, a British explorer who visited the area in 1822.

To see a trailer please click here.  This film is rated R for some sexuality/nudity and violence.

Monday, Oct 15: Archaeology and Exploration in the Far North

Join us for the annual Tea, Popovers, & Archaeology, sponsored by The Acadia Corporation, on Monday, October 15 from 7:00 - 9:00 PM at the Jordan Pond House.  During this year's Tea & Pops, Genevieve LeMoine, Curator and Registrar for the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum at Bowdoin College, will present a lecture entitled, Archaeology and Exploration in the Far North.

Arctic explorers Robert E. Peary and Donald B. MacMillan spent many years living and working in the far north with the local people, now known as the Inughuit.  Since 2004 LeMoine and her colleagues have been using archaeology to study how the Inughuit reacted to the presence of these Americans among them, and the many industrial goods they brought.

After the lecture, attendees will be treated to a generous portion of Jordan Pond House's famous popovers, served with butter, jam, tea and coffee!  Reservations are required for this popular program, and the cost is $20 for Abbe Museum Members, and $30 per person for non-members.  To learn more about Membership, please click here.  To make reservations, please call the Abbe Museum at 288-3519 or email Raney Bench at raney -at- abbemuseum.org.

Thursday, November 1: Before Tomorrow

Before Tomorrow, the second film in the Native American Film Series will be show on Thursday, November 1 at the Downtown Abbe Museum from 7:00 - 9:00.  The series is free and open to the public, made possible, in part, by Reel Pizza.

Before Tomorrow is the first feature film written and directed by Igloolik’s Arnait Video Productions women’s collective, which has been filming Inuit women’s stories since 1991 based on cultural authenticity and community involvement.  It is the story of a woman who demonstrates that human dignity is at the core of life from beginning to end, as she faces with her grandson the ultimate challenge of survival.  Set in 1840, some Inuit tribes still have never met any white people, although rumors circulate about what they might be, where they come from, and why.  The film draws on history to imagine the fate of one village, and one family, to explore the impact of European presence in the Arctic. 

For more information about this film please click here.  This film is Not Rated.

Thursday, December 6: The Necessities of Life

The last film in our 2012 series will be The Necessities of Life. Far from home, an ailing Inuit hunter experiences a rebirth and finds hope again when he forges an unlikely friendship with a young boy.  In 1952, an Inuit hunter named Tivii with tuberculosis leaves his northern home and family to go recuperate at a sanatorium in Quebec City.  Uprooted, far from his loved ones, unable to speak French and faced with a completely alien world, he becomes despondent.  When he refuses to eat and expresses a wish to die, his nurse, Carole, comes to the realization that Tivii’s illness is not the most serious threat to his well-being.  She arranges to have a young orphan, Kaki, transferred to the institution.  The boy is also sick, but has experience with both worlds and speaks both languages.  By sharing his culture with Kaki and opening it up to others, Tivii rediscovers his pride and energy. 

For more information about this film, please click here.  This film is Rated PG for thematic materials and brief mild language.  This film screening is free and open to the public, made possible, in part, by Reel Pizza.

Friday, January 25: Nanook

On January 25th, join us at Reel Pizza in Bar Harbor for a special encore performance of Nanook, as scored and presented by the instrumental trio the Sumner McKane Group.  This group of talented musicians will bring to life the 1922 silent film, Nanook of the North.  Mark your calendars now as seating is limited.  Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door, and will be available for purchase from the Abbe Museum in November.

Welcome, Johannah!

A few weeks ago, Johannah Blackman joined the Abbe team as our new Marketing & Events Coordinator.  We are thrilled to have Johannah with us, and asked her to take a moment to introduce herself to friends of the Abbe Museum:

Johannah Blackman, Marketing and Events Coordinator

I have lived on MDI for just two years, but in that time I've heard so many wonderful things about the Abbe and had such lovely experiences with the museum that I am thrilled to be working here! I grew up in New Hampshire and attended Connecticut College for undergraduate studies, obtaining my BA in Philosophy. I was then blessed to follow a path of work and study that took me to several places in the U.S. and abroad, leading to wonderful new experiences and friends. I ultimately landed in San Francisco, where I completed my Masters in Counseling Psychology. My fiancee grew up on MDI, and when the time came to chose a place to settle after graduate school, I was delighted to move to such a beautiful location. This past season, I was the Events Coordinator for Camp Beech Cliff as they celebrated their first summer on their renovated campus.

I have been at the Abbe for a couple weeks now and am excited to be getting my feet under me and digging in on several different fronts, including looking ahead to upcoming events, developing a social marketing plan and promoting the Abbe as a beautiful and unique location for your next event through our rental program. When not at the Abbe, I can be found teaching yoga at Cattitude, spending time in the park or in the garden, working on Bar Harbor Community Farm, and studying and working in the field of Climate Psychology.

I have really enjoyed getting to know the Abbe's incredible staff and look forward to meeting the museum's supporters and members. If you have any questions about events or facility rentals, or just want to introduce yourself, don't hesitate to contact me at johannah -at- abbemuseum.org.

Abbe Museum Receives $144,350 Grant

The Abbe Museum has been awarded a $144,350 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).  This three year, federal grant is a Museums for America Award, which funds projects that will help museums to better serve their communities.  These projects can represent a wide spectrum of activities including: exhibitions, community outreach programs, collections management activities or behind-the-scenes projects. 

Raney Bench leading a group through an Abbe Museum educational program.

The Abbe’s IMLS grant will support a three-year community outreach project called Training Maine’s Classroom Teachers to Meet the Wabanaki Initiative.  The Maine law, L.D. 291, more commonly known as the Wabanaki Initiative, is an unfunded mandate requiring Maine schools to incorporate teaching about the history and culture of the Wabanaki --- the collective term for the tribes in Maine.  Teachers have a need for training regarding the Initiative, about the resources available, and sample lessons to use in the classroom.

When first passed, the Abbe responded to the mandate by partnering with the Maine Department of Education, the National Park Service and Wabanaki governments and created a series of resources, including: a traveling trunk of artifacts, lesson plans, an award-winning on-line curriculum and two museum-based school programs.  Alongside curriculum development, the Abbe began hosting teacher training workshops and facilitated direct interaction between educators and Wabanaki scholars and cultural leaders, reaching over 100 teachers per year.  But with changes in state education standards, more work is needed, and this grant will help to address those needs.

“We are so excited about this opportunity, not only because of what it means for the Abbe in terms of helping us meet our mission and strategic goals, but because of the improved access teachers and students will have to resources specific to the Wabanaki,” said the Abbe’s Curator of Education, Raney Bench.

 “This is a very competitive federal grant,” she adds, “There were 470 applicants nation-wide and the Abbe was one of the 152 projects that were chosen to receive the award.”

“When L.D.291 became a law in 2001, Maine teachers started seeking resources to help meet this mandate, and that’s where the Abbe came in,” said Bench.  Now, 11 years later, the demand for resources has only continued to grow, but the Abbe staff has not.  The IMLS grant has allowed the Abbe to hire a second Museum Educator for three years, freeing up Bench to work with teachers and Wabanaki advisors to create and evaluate the new resources, and then conduct the teacher trainings. 

 

“George Neptune was just hired as our second Museum Educator,” announced Bench.

George Neptune| Photo by Anna Travers

“As an accomplished Passamaquoddy basketmaker, George has led many workshops and demonstrations at the Abbe, in addition to participating in a number of exhibits.  In his new role, George will be able to use his experience as Unit Director for the Passamaquoddy Boys and Girls Club to work with students, his work as an artist to connect with visitors, and his degree in Theater from Dartmouth to create exciting public programming at the Abbe.”

In addition to hiring a new educator, the grant will expand the Abbe’s professional development program for Maine teachers by increasing the number of free workshops, as it continues to partner with the Maine Department of Education and tribal communities. Other project outputs will include: a resource CD for teachers with lesson plans and samples of student work , activities, resource lists and other useful instructional tools and content; an Outcomes Based Evaluation logic model; fully realized evaluation strategies that include front-end, formative, and summative evaluation; and a highly functioning Education Advisory Committee and Native Advisory Council.

“Thanks to this grant, we will offer 16 free workshops throughout the State, reaching 800 classroom teachers,” said Bench. “One of our goals as we reach out to all 16 counties is to connect teachers with resources and Wabanaki artists and scholars in their own regions and give them the tools they need to be more self-sustaining.” said Bench.

A complete listing of the 2012 projects funded through the IMLS Museums for America  program can be found at http://www.imls.gov/news/press_releases.aspx.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums.  Through grant making, policy development, and research, IMLS helps communities and individuals thrive through broad public access to knowledge, cultural heritage, and lifelong learning.

 

Excerpt from the Wabanaki Curriculum.

 Click here to learn more about Educator Resources
Available through the Abbe Museum.