Save the Date: voluntourism experience to be offered this summer!

The Abbe Museum is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Penobscot Nation and Four Directions Development Corporation!  This summer, a once in a lifetime experience will be offered that wraps tourism, community networking, and volunteer work all into five amazing days.  More details will be announced soon, but here's a teaser of what you can look forward to:

Our people, our homeland, our culture, our values--the Penobscot Nation invites you to experience all of this and more during our 2013 voluntourism vacation package.  This trip features a unique blend of culture, recreation, and a meaningful work project. 

Our work theme this year centers on the tribe's natural resources protection efforts.  Projects may include working on the majestic Penobscot river or in the tranquil forests of northern Maine.  Our goal is to provide participants with a transformative experience as they learn about the visceral relationship between the Penobscot people and the natural world.  

But this voluntourism experience is more than "all work and no play."  It also includes educational and recreational activities such as a guided community tour, a canoe trip on the Penobscot River, and events steeped in Penobscot culture and tradition. 

The package includes meals, four nights lodging, and all cultural and recreational activities and is offered through a partnership between the Penobscot Nation, Four Directions Development Corporation, and the Abbe Museum.  

New this year is an optional add-on tour of the Abbe Museum in beautiful Bar Harbor, Maine. 
 
Dates: Tuesday, July 23, 2013 through Saturday, July 27, 2013

More details available after March 20, 2013.  To be notified when the registration form is available, please email Johannah Blackman (johannah@abbemuseum.org).  Information and updates will also be posted on the Abbe's website, at: http://www.abbemuseum.org/voluntourism.html
  

Winter Gathering

On March 1, we hosted the third annual Winter Gathering.  It was a snowy evening, but we had plenty of guests to enjoy the sweet and savory treats made by the Gala Committee and  the plethora of delicious smoked  Maine salmon, trout, mussels, shrimp, salmon pate and arctic char generously donated by Sullivan Harbor Farm.

We started the Winter Gathering tradition in 2010 as another way to recognize and thank our Gathering Gala artists and sponsors whose contributions of art, gifts-in-kind and cash donations makes this event possible.  We also celebrated our Abbe volunteers for their commitment to the Abbe and generous contributions of time and talent.  

Wonderful art donations are already pouring in, we have: a beautiful paddle made by local artist & furniture-maker, Joe Tracy, a large, hand-carved white marble cat made by local artist, Marcy MacKinnon, painting from local artist, Scott Baltz and baskets from Molly Neptune Parker and George Neptune,  just to name a few.  We have sponsorship commitments so far from Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, Darling’s, BangorDaily News, Boston Private Bank & Trust, Machias Savings Bank, FIORE and Sullivan Harbor Farm.

We are thrilled with the enthusiasm and the continued support from artists and corporate and local business sponsors.  Thank you all for supporting the Abbe! 

P.S.  Don’t forget to SAVE THE DATE for the Gathering Gala, Wednesday, July 17, 2013.

Other News & Events for March

The annual Wabanaki Initiative Teacher's Workshop will take place Monday, March 18.

Spring is just around the corner, and our program calendar is nearly done!  Check our online calendar regularly, because the updates will be posted soon!  What’s been planned?  Basket workshops, tracking workshops, children and family programs, artist demonstrations, musical performances, and much, much more!

Coming up soon are a Candy Basket Workshop with George Neptune on Saturday, March 16, followed by the 2013 Wabanaki Initiative Teacher’s Workshop (worth 8 contact hours) on Monday, March 18.  Both are free, but space is limited, so registration is required (207.288.3519).  More information about both programs is available on our online calendar.

We would also like to share that we are currently accepting applications for seasonal (May-October) positions in Guest Services.  Applications and additional information are available here.  Do you know someone who might be a great fit for the Abbe?  If so, feel free to pass on the information!

The Abbe Museum would also like to congratulate the talented artists recognized at the 55^th Annual Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market, including:

• Class VII Baskets, Division A Traditional, First Place: Theresa Secord, Penobscot, “Sweetgrass Flat Basket”
• Class VII Baskets, Division A Traditional, Second Place: Jeremy Frey, Passamaquoddy, “Pointed Urchin Basket”
• Class VII Baskets, Division A Traditional, Honorable Mention: Frances Frey-Tomah, Passamaquoddy, “Drum Purse”
• Class VII Baskets, Division B Non-Traditional, Honorable Mention: Jeremy Frey, Passamaquoddy, “Basket Interrupted” 

The full list of winners can be found here.

The Abbe Museum & Shop are currently open to visitors Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 10:00 - 4:00.  Please don't forget to call first in the event of inclement weather; if MDI schools are closed, the Abbe Museum will be closed as well. School visits and special programs can be arranged--please contact us for more information (207.288.3519) or visit www.abbemuseum.org to learn more.

Interested in learning about other news and events?  Each month, we try to compile articles and events that might interest our members and friends.  We link to them in these blog posts, as well as on our Facebook page.

NEWS: 

Read about "The Glooskape chronicles": First Musical Drama Based on Ancient Stories, a play by Donna Loring, in Indian Country Today Media Network

Native Americans and the Violence the Violence Against Women Act, an opinion piece by author Louise Erdrich, in the NY Times

Museum Leaders Highlight Work, about Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko & Raney Bench's participation in Museums Advocacy Day, in the MDI Islander and on FenceViewer

Exhibit Offers Canoe Trip Through History, in the MDI Islander and on FenceViewer

David Moses Bridges was a recent guest on WERU's monthly program BoatTalk, hosted by Alan Sprague and Mike Joyce.  The podcast has not yet been posted, but watch the BoatTalk archives if you missed the live program!

Potential Intervenors Lined Up in Penobscot Nation Lawsuit over Authority of River  in the Bangor Daily News

Approaching Elver Season Fans Debate over Tribal Licenses in The Quoddy Times

Rival Measures would restore Alewives into the St. Croix, in the Portland Press Herald

BlackBear Communications joins Team Selected for NIH Public Information & Communication Services Contract, on PRNewswire.com. 

Maine Tribes Propose and Beano Expansion, read and listen on MPBN.net

Truth & Reconciliation: Part I, on read and watch on WABI

Wabanaki Truth & Reconciliation Commisioners sworn in; prepare to begin learning, healing ; read the article, and view photos and video clips on the Bangor Daily News

ICTJ: International Experts Gathered in New York to Explore Access to Justice for Indigenous Peoples, on timesunion.com

Maine Department of Marine Resources proposes 100 elver licenses for Four Maine Indian Tribes in the Bangor Daily News

View recent additions to the Abbe Museum's collections, including a beautiful birchbark basket by David Moses Bridges.

Did you miss the NMAI's recent symposium on Racist Stereotypes and Cultural Appropriation in American Sports?  If so, we encourage you to watch the video's archived on the SmithsonianNMAI youtube channel.

EVENTS:

Save the Date:

• July 6 : Native American Festival and Basketmakers Market
• July 17: The Abbe Museum's Gathering Gala

Phe Crampton, Abbe Intern

Phe Crampton, an eleventh grade student at George Stevens Academy, recently spent two weeks completing an Independent Study at the Abbe Museum.  While at the Abbe, Phe interned primarily with Julia Clark, Curator of Collections, in the Abbe's Archaeology Lab.  Phe also shadowed other Abbe Staff members, assisting with various tasks, to get a behind-the-scenes experience of museum operations.  Below is Phe's account of her time here at the Abbe Museum:

Intern Phe Crampton

For my two week Independent Study, I had the pleasure to spend it interning with Julia Clark at the Abbe Museum. I chose this as my project because I knew very little about archaeology and the history of Native people in Maine  and wanted to learn more. I am pleased to say that I have learned an incredible amount and am still learning more as I finish up my second week. Working hands-on in the archaeology lab, reading books, helping to create a “MaineMemory Network” online exhibit, and doing other small things around the museum has helped  me get a strong understanding of how a museum is run and discovering the unique history of the Wabanaki.

I have been spending my days looking at old photographs, reading books such as The Canoe Indians of Down East Maine, photographing collections, cataloging books from a collection donated by Dr. Ester Pastore, helping to set up for an event called the Winter Gathering and my personal favorite, cleaning off 2,000 year-old animal bones, flakes, pottery and shells, and cataloging them. Along with these tasks, Julia has incorporated into my schedule many more small activities for me to do that allow me to get a sneak-peak of other jobs around the museum. Cleaning off the animal bones, flakes, pottery and shells with a toothbrush has interested me the most. It was so fun to see the markings engraved on the small pieces of pottery and to see the tiny fish vertebra. Everything looked so much more impressive with the dirt cleaned off. After I finished cleaning some I was able to catalog them and even found some fragments of tools made from bone.

In all, I have been able to learn so much in my time at the Abbe. I hope to continue to learn more about the Wabanaki and I hope that archaeology and history play a part in my future education. I’d like to thank the kind and intelligent staff at the Abbe, who have generously welcomed me, and especially my helpful mentor, Julia!

---

Candy Basket Workshop

Have you always wanted to learn how to weave your own basket?  On Saturday, March 16 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, join Abbe Museum Educator and Passamaquoddy Master Basketmaker, George Neptune, to learn how to weave your own ash basket!  Participants will learn the art of creating their own candy basket which they will be able to bring home at the end of the day.  While all ages are encouraged to participate in this workshop, priority will be given to children; children under the age of seven may require the assistance of an adult.

George has been making baskets since the age of four.  He learned the traditional art form from his grandmother, Molly Neptune Parker, recipient of the 2012 National Endowment for the Arts Traditional Heritage Fellowship.  His baskets are now featured at the Abbe Museum, the Hudson Museum, the University of Michigan Museum, and many other museums across the country.  As the Abbe’s Museum Educator, George leads many programs and workshops geared towards children and adults throughout the year.

"I’m very excited for the Candy Basket Workshop!  I’m also nervous, as it will be the first basket class that I have taught on my own.  Many local kids have been attending my weaving workshops and have learned some of the basics; now they get a chance to try their hand at a true Passamaquoddy tradition!"

The workshop is free and open to the public, but space and materials are limited so reservations are required.  Please contact George Neptune to make reservations at either george@abbemuseum.org or 207-288-3519 ext. 31; call to reserve your spot today!

March on Mount Desert Street

click to enlarge

The annual March on Mount Desert Street, an annual community progressive dinner, will take place this year on Tuesday, March 12!

Each year, the organizations along Mount Desert Street participate in this fun, community-oriented event, that features entertainment and dinner as neighbors travel down the street, and celebrate the creativity of the students at Conners-Emerson.  

The schedule for this year’s "March," which is free and open to the public, will begin at the Bar Harbor Congregational Church:

• 5:15-5:30 Watch a play by the students at Conners-Emerson at the Bar Harbor Congregational Church
• 5:30-6:00 Enjoy appetizers at the Abbe Museum
• 6:00-6:30 Salad will be served at the YWCA
• 6:30-7:00 Enjoy Soup and Bread at the Jesup Memorial Library (gluten free offerings available!)
• 7:00-7:30 Delicious Desserts will finish the evening at St. Saviour’s Episcopal Church

For more information, call the Jesup Memorial Library and ask for Mae Corrion: 207-288-4245 or mcorrion@jesup.lib.me.us

Bon Appetit!

February Re-Cap

February was a busy month at the Abbe Museum!  The month started with the much-anticipated opening of our newest exhibit Wabanaki Guides, and nearly 100 friends of the Abbe joined us to celebrate and preview the exhibit the night before it opened to the public.  Co-curator Raney Bench gave remarks at the opening, and delicious treats were donated by the Abbe's Culinary Arts Committee. 

Wabanaki Guides Exhibit Preview

Exhibit Coordinator, Allison Shank, and Co-Curator, Raney Bench.  Additional Curators included Donald Soctomah and James E. Francis.

 

Soon after, February break was celebrated with five days of special programming!  The full-week of activities, designed by our educator George Neptune, included Passamaquoddy language activities, woven paper stars and book marks, faux birchbark baskets, and the second discussion in the Brown Bag Lunch series.  Also that week was a Winter Tracking Workshop, and after a classroom-style lesson of what to look for, participants went into Acadia National Park and found eleven different types of tracks!  Animals included partridge, fox, mouse, squirrel, rabbit, bobcat, coyote, beaver, deer, and more!  Throughout the week, almost 90 guests attended the various programs!  And, the activities were so popular that we’ll be doing some again…keep your eyes open for our Spring Break Special Programs (which will focus on the themes language, ash, and birchbark), Spring Tracking Workshop, and the third Brown Bag Lunch on March 21.

Here are a few of the exciting scenes produced by the Abbe this February:

After some classroom style learning, the tracking begins...look over there!

The group found eleven different types of animal tracks during the workshop.

Passamaquoddy Guide Matt Dana leads the group.

The 2013 Winter Tracking Workshop Team!

Abbe Educator George Neptune helped 23 participants create colorful woven stars!

The stars could be decorated with beads and more, and were inspired by ash stars made by artist Lee DeCora Francis.

Bookmarks, usually made of ash and sweetgrass, were created from cardstock and embroidery floss.

George learned that excited participants sometimes finish crafts quickly, so he then lead families on a tour through Abbe exhibits.

A young visitor plays with an interactive element of our newest exhibit, Wabanaki Guides.

This "birchbark" basket is actually made of paper!

 

Then, Cinnamon (CEO) and Raney (Curator of Education) were off to Washington D.C. for Museums Advocacy Day with the American Alliance of Museums, and for some important meetings on the Hill.  They returned just in time to welcome March with a celebration of Abbe Museum volunteers, and the artists and sponsors who make the Gathering Gala possible, at the 2013 Winter Gathering.  Save the date--the 2013 Gathering Gala will take place on July 17, 2013.

CEO Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko meets with staffers on the hill during AAM's Museums Advocacy Day.

 

We hope you enjoy the photos we've posted here, and encourage you to visit our Facebook page for more!

Wabanaki Guides Opens Feb 7!

During January, staff and volunteers transformed the Abbe Museum’s main gallery into a simulated canoe trip down a Maine river. On Thursday, February 7, the Abbe will open a new exhibit entitled Wabanaki Guides.  This thematic exhibit illustrates how the Wabanakis’ expert knowledge of land and waterways, has influenced the Maine visitor experience throughout history - from European contact in the 1600s up to the present day.  Stories and historic accounts from a variety of individuals, including Henry David Thoreau and Joseph Treat, will illustrate how guiding is still intrinsically linked to the tribes, tourism, economics and environmental sustainability in Maine. 

A Wabanaki guide can offer a unique perspective on Maine’s natural environment, one that reflects centuries of reliance on this place.  Explorers coming over from Europe, cartographers, artists, hunters, and writers depended on Wabanaki people to guide them through the forests and waters of Maine. Wabanaki Guides will highlight stories from a variety of perspectives and points in time.  

Hunting with a tribal guide means having a connection to the land and the species that goes back for thousands of years. That connection is formed through the hunting knowledge that comes with being a tribal member. It is knowledge learned from their parents, uncles, and grandfathers—men in the community that have passed that knowledge down for generations. Knowing the land, the species, when to hunt, where to hunt, hunting techniques—the knowledge of these things has been passed down for 10,000 years. --- Matt Dana, Passamaquoddy guide.

Upon entering the exhibit, visitors will be able to imagine themselves embarking on a canoe trip into the Maine woods, the ancestral home of the Wabanaki for 12,000 years. In this place of rugged beauty, and harsh weather, newcomers depended on their guides to teach them how to travel, hunt, and survive in the woods. Museum visitors will be encouraged to consider the wildness and vastness of the Maine woods and the challenges that lie within.

The birchbark canoe is featured as the primary mode of transportation. Prior to the invention of the birchbark canoe, which happened about 3,000 years ago, the Wabanaki likely traveled in wooden dug out canoes which were heavy and difficult to portage. With the invention of the much lighter birchbark canoe, people could travel faster and further. This pre-contact invention demonstrates ingenuity, creativity, and represents a desire to explore one’s resources and create a broader world. The birchbark canoe was a major influence on the Wabanaki way of life and on guiding; canoes of all types still continue to be one of the best ways to travel to remote places in Maine in the warmer months.

During their canoe journey, museum visitors will  be able to stop at “portages” on the river banks  to read about the various things a guide needs to consider when planning a trip, as well as what one might expect to encounter along the way.   Items that might be needed on such a trip may include: watertight birchbark baskets, pack baskets, ash fishing creel, snowshoes, crooked knives, a birchbark moose call, cup, muskrat traps, canoe paddles and root clubs.  Visitors will learn how and why these items were used and needed.   When going into the Maine woods for weeks at a time, it is important to pack key provisions.  In the exhibit there will be lists of ingredients, recipes and historically documented methods for cooking in the woods; flap jacks, biscuits, and beans were staples and coating a flat rock with bacon grease and heating it evenly over an open fire was the recommended method for cooking meat or fish.

“The guiding skills that the Wabanaki teach have been passed down from generation to generation for thousands of years,” says Donald Soctomah, Passamaquoddy Tribal Historian and exhibit co-curator.  “People come to Maine because it is still wild.  Maine has millions of acres of undeveloped land and it is one of the few states with a high population of moose.”  Guiding continues to be an economic engine for the Wabanaki, both for individuals and for tribal governments.

When recounting some of the most memorable stories of guiding, Soctomah recalled the Passamaquoddy guide, Joe Mell, who features prominently in the exhibit.  “Joe Mell was the guide for a writer named William Underwood, who came to Maine every summer from New York City.  Mr. Underwood once invited Joe to visit him in the city,” Soctomah said, “and Joe went, but the city scared him. ‘Take me back to the woods,’ is what he said to Mr. Underwood.”

The exhibit is based on research done by co-curators, tribal historians Donald Soctomah, Passamaquoddy, and James Francis, Sr., Penobscot, working with Raney Bench, the Abbe’s Curator of Education. The exhibit will feature a public program series throughout 2013; please check the Abbe’s online calendar for more information about program offerings. 

Meet the Curators

"Autumn" along the exhibit's imaginary river.

When you visit Wabanaki Guides, you will be witnessing the result of months worth of research and planning. We are grateful for the hard work of the exibit's co-curators:

• James Eric Francis Sr., Penobscot Nation Director of cultural and Historic Preservation
• Donald Soctomah, Passamaquoddy Tribal Historic Preservation Officer
• Raney Bench, Curator of Education, Abbe Museum

To the curators...Thank you!

James Eric Francis Sr., Penobscot Nation Director of Cultural and Historic Preservation

James Eric Francis Sr. is the Director of Cultural and Historic Preservation for the Penobscot Nation. James currently is leading the Penobscot Language Revitalization Project where Penobscot speakers are using modern technology to enhance language learning and preservation efforts. James also serves as the Penobscot Nation's Tribal Historian and is studying the relationship between Maine Native Americans and the landscape. Prior to working at the Penobscot Nation James worked for the Wabanaki Studies Commission helping implement the new Maine Native American Studies Law into Maine schools and has managed a team of teachers and cultural experts in developing curriculum.

James co-produced a film on race relations in Maine. Invisible looks at the problem of racism as it pertains to Native American people in Maine and the Canadian Maritimes. Recently James conducted an extensive Oral History Project for the Penobscot Nation. This project brought to life historical pictures and highlighted a community history that cannot be found it books. He was the curator of Penobscot History in Bangor, Maine, an exhibit for the Bangor Museum and Center for History, and more recently the guest curator of Aunt Lu: the Story of Princess Watahwaso an exhibit at the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor, Maine.

James is an accomplished historical researcher, photographer, filmmaker, and graphics artist. Mr. Francis serves on the Board of Directors for Four Directions Development Corporation, a Native American Community Development Financial Institution. James serves on the Native American Advisory Council for the Abbe Museum and the Native American Advisory Board for the Boston Children’s Museum and is a lifetime member of the Maine Historical Society.  He has served on the Advisory Board of the University of Maine’s Hudson Museum in Orono, Maine, Board of Directors for the Bangor Museum and Center for History where he served as Chair of the Collections committee. James has also served as Chair of the Penobscot Nation’s Cultural and Historic Preservation Committee. Recently James has returned to school to pursue a Intermedia Masters of Fine Arts degree from the University of Maine.

Donald Soctomah, Passamaquoddy Tribal Historic Preservation Officer

Donald has been involved with the Abbe Museum for well over a decade and has served as curator and advisor for a number of Abbe exhibits.  He served on the Abbe Board of Trustees and was an active participant in the planning for the Abbe’s Campaign to Bring the Abbe to the Community 1998-2001, which resulted in the Abbe’s modern facility in downtown Bar Harbor.

Donald is the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Passamaquoddy at Indian Township, a position he has held since 2002.  He is involved with historic and archaeological work and actively works to preserve the culture of the tribe.  He is responsible for creating the interpretation and management plan for the petroglyph site in Machiasport.  His work also includes writing grants to support cultural projects including: recordings of traditional songs, work on the Passamaquoddy dictionary and language portal, producing films and the building of a 20’ birchbark canoe.

Donald worked as the tribal representative to the Maine State legislature from 1998-2002 and from 2006-2010.  Prior to that he served for fifteen years as forest manager for the Passamaquoddy Tribe and was responsible for overseeing 140,000 acres of forest land.  Donald holds a BA in Forest Management from the University of Maine at Orono and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Maine at Machias.  He has written eight books and has appeared in six films.  Currently he is serving on the board of the National Tribal Historic Preservation Office, as well as on the board of Downeast Writers at the University of Maine at Machias.  

Raney Bench, Curator of Education at the Abbe Museum

Raney Bench, Abbe Museum Curator of Education, was born in Minnesota, raised in California, and has been a resident of Southwest Harbor since moving to Maine in 2007 to work at the Abbe. Raney holds a BA in Native American Studies from Humboldt State University, with a minor in Anthropology/Archaeology and a MA in Museum Studies from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Having started her museum career as Director of Collections for the Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium in St. Johnsbury, VT, she soon found that her interest in federal Indian policy and people kept taking her to the classroom to teach. Raney also taught for the Community College of Vermont for several years. In 1998 she came to Maine for the first time and visited the Abbe Museum. Instantly falling in love, she knew she wanted to work for the Abbe. "It took almost 10 years to do it, but I'm thrilled to be working for this museum. I continue to be active in collections related work through consultation with other museums."

Winter Break Activities!

The Abbe Museum will host five free programs in five days during the week of February vacation Monday, February 18 through Friday, February 22. Whether you are interested in learning Passamaquoddy, how to track animals in winter or how to make a birchbark-style basket, the Abbe’s winter vacation program series offers something for everyone.

Interactive and family-oriented activities also feature heavily in our exhibition Wabanaki Guides, like this "tracking challenge" that allows you to test your knowledge.  And don't forget, our Family Circle is a great place for kids to learn more while visiting the Abbe!

Monday the 18 - 10:00 am – 11:00 am, join Museum Educator George Neptune in an activity that teaches participants Passamaquoddy animal names. “Passamaquoddy names are very unique,” explains Neptune. “They often describe things like purpose or location. In the case of animal names, most describe the animal’s actions or behaviors.” Participants will take part in a matching game, after which they can pick their favorite animal to color.

Tuesday the 19  – 11 am - 3 pm, the Museum will offer a Winter Tracking Workshop as part of a series of programs accompanying the Abbe’s new feature exhibit Wabanaki Guides.  Led by Passamaquoddy Guide Matthew Dana, II, this workshop will start at the Abbe Museum Downtown and end at the Acadia National Park Visitor Center.  Participants are encouraged to bring a bag lunch.  This program is nearly full, and reservations are required. Please contact George Neptune to reserve a spot: george@abbemuseum.org or 288-3519. 

Wednesday the 20 -  The Abbe will offer two weaving programs. Join Neptune from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm to weave a Wabanaki-inspired paper star or come from 1:00 -3:00 pm to weave a bookmark. Both workshops teach skills that are the first steps towards weaving a basket.

Thursday the 21 - 12:00 pm -1:00 pm This is the second installation in the Abbe’s three-part 2013 Brown Bag Lunch Series. Designed to accompany the Wabanaki Guides exhibit, this adult-oriented program will feature Penobscot Guide Francis “Kean” Tomer, as he shares his experiences of guiding in the Moosehead Lake Region during the 1930s and 40s.

Friday the 22 - 10:00 am -12:00 pm The Abbe will wrap up a week of fun with a final workshop from Neptune, this time on birchbark baskets. Join George as he demonstrates how to fold and stitch your own birchbark-inspired basket.

All programs are free and all ages are welcome. Tuesday and Thursday’s Wabanaki Guides-inspired programs are made possible thanks to support from the Lynam Trust, the Margaret E. Burnham Charitable Trust, and Acadia National Park. For more information on any of the programs, visit www.abbemuseum.org or call 288-3519.

February Brown Bag Lunch

Join us during the Brown Bag Lunch series for a contemporary perspective to complement the history and stories you'll learn in the exhibit, Wabanaki Guides.

Join us on Thursday, February 21 for the second in a series of three lunchtime discussions with contemporary Wabanaki guides, to accompany the Wabanaki Guides exhibit, around historical figures in Maine-guiding history, guiding as part of the Maine economy, and current issues affecting Maine guides. For the second discussion in this series, join us as Penobscot Guide Francis Tomer shares his unique perspective on guiding in the Moosehead Lake Region.

This discussion is part of the larger Brown Bag Lunch series, which was introduced in 2011 to examine issues relevant to the major exhibit at that time, Headline News, and to encourage an open dialogue. It was well received and the series continued the next year with Indians and Rusticators as the topic-inspiring exhibit. This year’s lunchtime discussions will focus on themes relevant to Wabanaki Guides, the Abbe’s next major exhibit, which opened on February 7, 2013.  

Guests are encouraged to bring their lunch and enjoy a mid-day discussion with Guide Francis Tomer.  The program is free and open to the public.

Earlier, on February 7, the Abbe Museum will host another Brown Bag Lunch as Mount Desert Island organizations play host to Mahesh Upadhyaya, IPM (International Partners in Mission) Regional Director, South Asia.  Dr. Upadhyaya will be visiting Maine and looks forward to sharing stories of the remarkable work of Women in Development from South Asia with a particular focus on IPM’s Project Partners in India and Nepal. Come learn also about IPM’s upcoming Immersion Experience to India that will be facilitated by Mahesh and IPM’s CEO, Joseph Cistone, of Mount Desert.  Click here to learn more.

Other News & Events for February

Click to enlarge.

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 will re-open on February 7 with our winter hours -- Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 10:00 - 4:00.  Please don't forget to call first in the event of inclement weather; if MDI schools are closed, the Abbe Museum will be closed as well.  View the image above to see our open hours and events for February.

Interested in learning about other news and events?  Each month, we try to compile articles and events that might interest our members and friends.  We link to them in these blog posts, as well as on our Facebook page.

NEWS 

Houlton Maliseet, first elected tribal representative to Maine House, looking forward to session in the Bangor Daily News

Day of Prayer to Precede Seating of Wabanaki-Maine’s Truth and Reconciliation Commissioners on Indian Country Today Media Network.com

State’s taking of Wabanaki children discussed at MLK Breakfast in the Kennebec Journal

Passamaquoddy People Actively Try to Keep Language Alive Listen or Read about it on MPBN

Maine plans emergency debate on fish passage on CBC News

 

Houlton council denies Maliseet request to waive $54,000 payment in the Bangor Daily News

100 Kids go Shoe Shopping Thanks to Payless Grant on WABI.tv

Washington “Redskins” is a racist name: US pro football must disavow it on The Guardian

EVENTS 

February 7, 2013
10:15 AM to 5:45 PM
Racist Stereotypes & Cultural Appropriation in American Sports -- a live webcast and community conversation by The National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI).  To watch live and join the social chat, click here: http://s.si.edu/heMS4

Building Improvements

Director of Finance & Administration John Brown ("JB") has been busy with changes to both Abbe locations.

JB has been busy with buildings projects both Downtown and at Sieur de Monts, which has kept him moving back and forth between locations.  Sieur de Monts is being renovated this winter, and a number of steps that are part of our Greening Initiative have begun Downtown.  In fact, it was so hard to catch JB in one place, that we gave up and instead decided to share an image from one of these projects.  Right now, scaffolding has been constructed in the Circle of the Four Directions so that the twelve large windows can be covered with a protective film that will reduce the amount of light that touches the exhibit objects, as well as the amount of heat that the light generates.  This June, we will host the traveling exhibition IndiVisible from the National Museum of the American Indian in the Circle of the Four Directions.

Exhibits & Collections

Curator of Collections Julia Clark has been busy returning objects from our past exhibits to their rightful space--whether it be in our collections or another museum.

The past couple of weeks have been hectic, but productive weeks in the realm of exhibits and collections. First thing after returning from a holiday vacation, I de-installed the Transcending Traditions exhibit. This included taking all of the baskets out of their cases and moving them down in the lab and collections storage, and removing the wall panels. With the exception of nine baskets from the Abbe's collection included in the exhibit, all the other baskets were borrowed from other institutions or individuals. When the exhibit traveled from the Hudson Museum, where it was initially created, the baskets were packed by artists. But now, I had to sort them out by lender and get them packed up to return to each lender, from Falmouth to Indian Township. For most of the baskets this involved wrapping them in an archival plastic bag, padding them with bubble wrap, and packing them in plastic totes. The grand exception was George Neptune's large twig basket- a tiered cake with many, intricate twigs radiating out of the back, decked with ash flowers and birds (http://www.umaine.edu/hudsonmuseum/exhibits/tt/georgeNeptune.php). For this basket, I created a kind of back-board support that will protect the twigs in transit.

Once this project was underway, I then had to de-install the objects and graphics from Indians & Rusticators. There were a lot of objects and graphics in Indians & Rusticators... In no time, the lab and any spare shelves in collections storage were full, and many of the prop objects from the show were tucked in the activity tent section in the main gallery until we could make space for them elsewhere.  Working with Raney, we then took down all of the graphics, and moved as many of the cases as we could out of the way so that deconstruction of the built parts of the exhibit could begin, leading into the construction for Wabanaki Guides. This has been where a wonderful new addition to the Abbe team, Allison Shank, our new part-time exhibit specialist, has been a great help! She is working with Raney, the designers and our carpenter, Mida Ballard and her crew, to bring about the transformation. Believe me, it will look completely different when you walk into the main gallery come February!

New team member Allison discusses wall placement for the new exhibit.

So now that I had all the objects (with the exception of the canoe, which I will get to in a minute!) downstairs, I had to go through all of these pieces and get them sorted out. Jane Clifton, who most folks encounter in her position in guest services or as my indispensable field school assistant, came in and spent a full day getting the Abbe collections objects re-united with their tags and put back in their permanent storage locations. Meanwhile, I began to get the loaned objects grouped by lender, so that like the baskets from Transcending Traditions, they can be returned to the institutions and private collectors who generously lent them to the exhibit. Several groups of objects had to be packed to ship to places like Kansas and New Mexico. The bulk of the loan will get loaded into my car and driven to places like Bath, Bangor, and Mount Desert. So sometime in the near future, I will be making an almost statewide road trip returning precious objects to their homes after two very successful exhibits.

This large birch bark canoe proved quite a challenge.

So, the canoe. There was one large (19 foot) canoe in Indians & Rusticators, and two somewhat smaller canoes that are currently in storage but will be on exhibit in Wabanaki Guides. The only way to get our full-size canoes between collections storage and the gallery is to take them out the front door, down School Street, in the back door and into storage, where they go onto the custom canoe rack (or vice versa). I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but there is some snow, and slush, and ice outside. Plenty of it between the front and back doors of the museum if you take the outside route. So for the moment, the big canoe that was in Indians & Rusticators is hanging out in Layers of Time, hoping that soon enough of the snow/slush/ice will have been cleaned up or melted to that we can safely lug the canoes back and forth.

These are just a few of the busy, exciting things that have been happening with the collections and exhibits while the museum is closed. To answer the question I occasionally get, "So, do you work in the winter?" - yes, plenty!

If you would like more information on the exhibits Julia has mentioned in this article, please refer to the following links:

• Though Transcending Traditions can no longer be visited in a museum, it can still be viewed online!  Please visit the web version of this beautiful exhibit at:  http://www.umaine.edu/hudsonmuseum/exhibits/tt/index.php
• More information about Indians & Rusticators can be found here.  Miss the exhibit already?  Don't worry, an online version of the exhibit is coming this spring to a computer near you!
• Want to learn more about Julia's work in Collections?  Visit our online exhibit about collections care, Objects of Our Affection.

Getting Ready for upcoming Events!

Johannah has been busy preparing for upcoming events, including the January 26 presentation of Nanook.  Tickets are now available!  Johannah has also been updating our Facebook page with interesting news and links as much as possible, so "Like" us on Facebook and check back often.

Here is the press release Johannah has prepared for Nanook, and we hope to see you there!

Abbe Museum and Reel Pizza
present Film/Live Music Performance

On Saturday, January 26, 2013, the Abbe Museum will present the final installment of a four part film series which has featured Native life in the Arctic.  Unlike the other three films, which were shown at the Abbe, the fourth will take place at Reel Pizza in Bar Harbor.  The classic silent film, Nanook of the North will light up the big screen and the halls of Reel Pizza will ring with live music. This unique combination of silent film and live music will feature the Sumner McKane group, who composed an original score specifically to accompany Nanook of the North. The group is known for creating live “docu-exhibits,” which narrate the scenes in a film through their original music.

Filmed in 1922, Nanook of the North is considered to be the first anthropological documentary film ever made. The filmmaker, Robert. J. Flaherty, spends a year following the lives of an Inuit family, led by Nanook, the head of the family, through their travels and travails enduring an Arctic winter. This film was one of the first 25 films to be selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for its cultural and historical significance.

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 Joshua 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. Host John Diliberto of National Public Radio’s Echoes program 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."

This event is being made possible by Reel Pizza and grants from the Lynam Trust and the Margaret E. Burnham Charitable Trust.  The show starts at 7:00pm, tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Please call the Abbe Museum at 288-3519 or email johannah@abbemuseum.org to reserve your tickets.

Other News & Events for January

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. 

Open Hours for January 2013.

We are currently closed for January and will re-open on February 7 with our winter hours -- Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 10:00 - 4:00.  Please don't forget to call first in the event of inclement weather; if MDI schools are closed, the Abbe Museum will be closed as well.  View the image above to see our open hours and events for January.

Interested in learning about other news and events?  Each month, we try to compile articles and events that might interest our members and friends.  We link to theme in these blog posts, as well as on our Facebook page.

NEWS

Idle No More Gaining Momentum and Forming Plan of Action in Indian Country Today Media Network

Panel to Probe child welfare abuses against tribe  read it and watch it on wlbz2.com

IndiVisible: African-Native American Lives in the Americas video of a Symposium at the National Museum of the American Indian on the SmithsonianVideos youtube channel.  The traveling exhibition, IndiVisible, will be coming to the Abbe this summer. 

Join us Saturday, Jan 12 from 10 - noon for a kids craft activity!

November 23 This American Life Program, titled Little War on the Prairie  Listen to it here: 

Continuing the Progress in Tribal Communties  a report from the 2012 White House Tribal Nations Conference

Global Day of Action– Idle No More Rally in Houlton: Facebook Event Page Info

Inviting Ceremony into Revolution - #IdleNoMore in the Halifax Media Co-op

Last Chance to see two Abbe Exhibits – a December article about the closing of Indians and Rusticators and Transcending Traditions on December 31

Penobscot Nations puts support behind Canadian tribes fighting law changes in the BDN

On Thursday, Jan 10at the Whitman Memorial Library Arla Patch will speak about the Maine Wabanaki State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission

Native Americans, indigenous peoples say they will be “Idle No More” atPortland Rally Read and Watch on the Bangor Daily News

Groups Rally for Rights of Indigenous People In the Portland Daily Sun

Mrs. Connecticut champions a healthy outlook.  Vanassa Sebastian, the current Mrs. Connecticut is a breast cancer survivor and member of the Passamaquoddy Tribe.  Read her story on TheDay.com 

Dee Sabattus,Passamaquoddy, is honored for “exceptional initative and accomplishments inadvocating for USET member Tribes health needs in multiple national forums” by The United States Department of Health and Human Services Indian Health Services, who last month honored employees, partners, and members of the Nashville Area Office, In Native American Times

A step toward better care for Wabanaki Children, community healing in the BDN

Watch George Neptune’s speech at the Portland Idle No More event

 

From the Development Desk

Director of Development Hannah Whalen has been planning our goals and fundraisers for 2013:

Hannah arranged to host the Mount Desert Island Non-Profit Alliance at the Abbe Museum last week for a discussion of "Greening" our organizations.

As I write this, I have just finished putting together the 2013 goals for our development team, to keep us on track to match our year-end monetary goals; while not the most exciting part of my job, it is a necessary component that helps keep us moving purposely forward.  Membership, Community Partnerships, the Annual Appeal, the Gathering Gala, special projects and other gifts are the various categories that are assigned numeric goals.  The actions steps that help to bring us to these goals include: mailings, cultivation events, visits, community outreach, public relations and specific asks.  Once the structure is in place, the more exciting part of my job comes to life, which is the actual interaction with people, finding their interests and sharing the story of the Abbe Museum.

Our newest exhibit, Wabanaki Guides, will offer many new opportunities for people to engage with the Abbe Museum, especially some of the accompanying programs such as learning the Native place names on Mount Desert Island or paddling in a birchbark canoe with a certified Maine Guide!  I will certainly miss Indians & Rusticators (which will one day live online), but after talking about Wabanaki Guides for many months, I can’t wait to see the actual exhibit up on the walls; it officially opens to the public on February 7, 2013.

The first gathering of the Gala Committee is next week and I am the staff coordinator for this year’s event.  Last year was a great success and we plan to make 2013 even better! We are already receiving sponsorship commitments and the Auction Committee will soon be requesting donations from artists to help support the Abbe’s largest fundraising event of the year.  The save the date card has been designed and will be arriving in your mailboxes by the end of the month.  Save the Date: Wednesday, July 17 from 5:00pm – 11:00 pm at the Bar Harbor Club.

Last Friday, we hosted the Mount Desert Island Non-Profit Alliance (MDINA) monthly meeting.  We had more than 30 people in attendance, representing nonprofits from around the island.  We had agreed to have “Greening” as the main topic for the first meeting of the year; Cinnamon shared the process of “Greening the Abbe,” our goals and funding strategies, and College of the Atlantic shared their greening process. There was discussion and the entire group left with some takeaways that we can immediately do to be better stewards of our environment.  Some examples were: use green cleaning products, carpool whenever possible, shut blinds at night on cold days, don’t use plastic water bottles and recycle whenever possible.

The Abbe opened in 1928, and we are going strong 85 years later.  I really am looking forward to participating in and sharing the unique, interesting and inspiring programs, events and exhibits that are planned for 2013!  See you at the Abbe!

Planning for 2013

CEO Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko finds herself planning for what is to come in 2013:

The winter months find me nestled away in my office and meeting rooms planning for the year’s activities, securing funding for all the great mission-driven projects and needs we have, and attending to a variety of management and board support tasks.  It’s also a great time to meet with collaborative partners on the island and across the state who have an affinity for the Abbe’s mission and our role as a viable community partner and leader.  These conversations lead to broadened thinking, shared resources, and community action. This is just a sample of some the conversations I have been part of this winter.

• Working with the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance to develop a memorable 20^th annual Native American Festival and Basketmakers Market.
• Met with the MDI Non-Profit Alliance about our Greening the Abbe initiative.
• Collaborated with the Friends of Island History and the Island Association for Museums and Historical Societies to identify and meet the needs of our area’s historic resources.
• Participated in a series of conversations with representatives from the Waponahki Museum and Resource Center at Pleasant Point as they transform the museum into a tourist destination and vital community resource.
• Coordinated and led a series of community input sessions for our interpretive plan, which determines priority messages that are most meaningful to the public and are aligned with the Abbe’s educational goals. 

And the list goes on.  The staff and I are working mightily within these walls and outside of them so that we can connect with all of our constituents, share the mission of the Abbe, and contribute to the quality of life in Bar Harbor and the state of Maine.  The winter months are really when the building blocks come together and build a foundation that sustains us and propels us into the future.  It’s a great place to work.

Changes for the New Year

Astra Haldeman, Manager of Museum Services, has been getting ready for the new year.

My new year has started with a number of projects, so you can keep your eyes open for some changes during 2013!

Astra has been taking photos as the exhibits change, so that we can share the process with all our Abbe friends.

We now have a new database system and I have been working hard to get that up and running.  Once it is ready, we should make all our communications with our members and supporters – like all of you – more efficient and user friendly.  It will also help us move into a greener era of increased email communications for those who prefer it—but not to worry, if you still want paper, our new database will also help us make sure that you get it.  So if in the next few months you find an error of any kind – in your address, your email, the spelling of your name, or your mailing preferences – please let me know. 

Another big project I’ve started work on is updating our membership program.  Last spring we sent out a survey, and I’m grateful to everyone who took the time to respond.  If there is something you want to share about our membership program, you can always feel free to email me with your thoughts.  Those responses, along with a good deal of research on memberships that Cinnamon and I have been working on, will help us as we move forward in 2013 and prepare to launch some changes.  Our goal is to offer you membership options that allow you to support the Abbe Museum in ways that add value to your life and our programs, and we welcome your suggestions.

I also spent some time putting together this issue of Abbe eNews, so I hope you enjoy!  As always, please let me know if you have any suggestions or comments, or if there are articles or topics you would like to see us cover in 2013.  And don’t forget to check our Facebook page ( www.facebook.com/abbemuseum ) often – in between issues of Abbe eNews, Johannah has been posting news articles, event updates, and press releases to keep everyone informed about what is happening at the Abbe Museum!

January Means Major Exhibit Changes at the Abbe!

Behind the Scenes with Raney Bench, co-curator of the upcoming exhibition Wabanaki Guides:

 

Raney removes a panel as she deconstructs the award-winning exhibit, Indians & Rusticators.

As wonderful as Indians and Rusticators was, it is time for a major exhibit change at the Abbe!  We are tearing down the tents and waterfront to make way for Wabanaki Guides, opening February 7.  Join us for a sneak preview on February 6 by contacting Johannah for details (johannah -at- abbemuseum.org). 

After two years in development, we are in the final stages of the project.  Julia and I have been working with designers to create the look and feel of the exhibit, which will be installed over the next three weeks.  We will be painting, building new features, moving walls, and printing, cutting, and installing labels and artifacts.  We have been selecting objects from our collections and working with other institutions to borrow images and objects to help tell this story.  George and I are working on hands-on activities and a gallery guide to enhance family experiences.  Cinnamon and Astra edited the first draft of the script, and are on call to help with final edits, and their artistic eyes helped us select the final image for marketing.  Cinnamon and Hannah have been raising money, and Hannah and Johannah are finishing a press kit, sponsorship, and marketing for the exhibit, as well as planning the reception.  The whole staff will be on call to move three canoes and paint the gallery - most of this happens in the one month window of January!  As with all major exhibits, this is truly a collaborative effort.

Wabanaki Guides was inspired by the Thoreau-Wabanaki Trail map.  The map is a collaborative project that follows the three trips author Henry David Thoreau took in Maine, his notes were later published as his book The Maine Woods.  While Thoreau was in Maine he relied on two Penobscot guides, noting that their knowledge of this place often transformed his understanding of plants, animals, and geography. 

Julia and Raney carefully remove exhibit objects, including this stuffed seagull, with a smile!

Wabanaki Guides travels through time and place to better understand and appreciate the long and sustained relationship the Wabanaki have with this region.  Wabanaki people were historically engaged as guides for the first European explorers and military expeditions.  Once Maine became a state and a popular place for recreational activities, Wabanaki guides were hired to take clients hunting, fishing, and for pleasure trips into the back country, or for the afternoon.  Guiding continues to be an important cultural and economic driver for the tribes, primarily the Penobscot and Passamaquoddy, who manage resources on large tracks of tribally owned land. 

The exhibit was co-curated by Donald Soctomah, Passamaquoddy Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, and James Francis, Penobscot, Director of the Cultural and Historic Preservation Department.  The exhibit is based on stories told from guides, and about guides as told from their clients and friends.  Because this topic is new for the Abbe, we are able to introduce you to several new notable figures.  Of note, Henry Red Eagle Perley, Maliseet, who was a guide in the Moosehead Lake region for decades.  The youngest guide licensed in Maine at the age of 14, Perley traveled the country as a performer before returning to Maine to continue his work as a guide.  We have secured a loan from the Hood Museum at Dartmouth for Perley's feather bonnet and moccasins that he wore to sportsmen shows to promote Maine guiding. 

So, with other projects happening at the same time as this exhibit change, there is never a quiet time at the Abbe!
 

Julia and Raney move the cumbersome exhibit case tops with high-tech suction cups...no fingerprints are left behind.