Panelists | Performers | Market Artists
Find market artists and participants another way:
Nicole Paul
TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Passamaquoddy Tribe
MEDIUM: Home & Body
BIOGRAPHY
Nicole works with pressed botanicals to create floral motifs to adorn soy wax candles and sachets. She also creates jewelry with natural fibers and materials. An avid language learner, you can find touches of the Wabanaki languages throughout her work, connecting scents to both place and indigenous humor.
Nancy LaCoote
TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Passmaquoddy Tribe
MEDIUM: Beadwork
BIOGRAPHY
I am a traditional Wabanaki artist, from the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township. I come from a family of basketmakers and have been beading for 9 years.
The main focus of my artwork is centered around beadwork. Made to be worn as traditional regalia and indigenous jewelry, with some pieces made and preserved as wall art.
Other focuses of my work surround painting, mural pieces, and digital art. All areas of my work are inspired by our traditional medicines and plants, double curves, our stories, and eastern woodland floral designs.
I started beading as a way to connect to culture, and have since made it my profession to connect others, mainly indigenous youth, to their culture. Whether that be through art classes, teaching/mentoring, educational opportunities, or through connection to traditional arts and ceremonies.
Kci Woliwon
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Lydia Soctomah
TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Passamaquoddy Tribe
MEDIUM: Basketry - Ash
BIOGRAPHY
Lydia Soctomah, a Passamaquoddy tribal member from Motahkmikuk where she lives with her two beautiful children. She was taught how to make baskets by her late grandmother Molly Jeannette Parker and assisted at a variety of markets selling baskets. This past year, Lydia has been reintroducing herself to the art of basketry and finds it to bring a sense of peace within herself. Basketry was a major part of her grandmother's life and practicing this art keeps a piece of her alive; along with the ancestors who passed this knowledge down from generation to generation. Preserving the culture comes in many forms, basket making was a way in which her late grandmother preserved her piece. It was her grandmother's wish that we continue her legacy and teach future generations, as it is for all aspects of the culture. There is a sense of healing in practicing our traditions that Lydia hopes she can share with others as she learns them.
Lydia hopes to absorb as much Indigenous Knowledge as possible and carry that knowledge into the generations to come. Her career and education are rooted in the service of guiding the youth in positive directions, whether it be in an educational setting as a teacher or a support in substance abuse prevention and intervention within the Passamaquoddy Youth Wellness Court. Lydia hopes to help identify needs and build bridges for tribal youth to lead positive lives in the modern day world, with the strength of their cultural roots grounding them.
Leigh Neptune
TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Penobscot Indian Nation
MEDIUM: Beadwork
BIOGRAPHY
Leigh Neptune is a self-taught Wabanaki beadwork artist from the Penobscot Nation. She has been beading for three years and enjoys curating themed collections of beaded earrings. In addition to her beadwork, Leigh is also a Registered Dietitian and PhD candidate in the Food and Nutrition Sciences program at the University of Maine.
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Kateri Aubin Dubois / Nisnipawset
TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Malécite de Viger
MEDIUM: Beadwork
BIOGRAPHY
Kateri Aubin Dubois is of Wolastoqey (Maliseet) origin and a member of Quebec's Wolastoqiyik Wahsipekuk First Nation. Kateri uses her native name, Nisnipawset, as her artist name. A name she received in a traditional ceremony when she became a woman. Since that day, she has cherished her name Nisnipawset (Two Moons) for all her creations. Her curiosity for the arts developed at an early age as she watched her mother paint her Maliseet story. Nisnipawset discovered her own artistic path in 2015, when she was studying at Concordia University. She enrolled in a workshop on glass bead weaving, where she discovered a passion.
To perfect her technical skills, Nisnipawset became a self-taught artisan. Kateri attended several training courses and accumulated thousands of hours of training on various web platforms. Her talent stands out for its technical quality and sense of meticulousness, which are widely recognized in the industry. She received a grant from the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ) to exhibit her work/jewelry in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. She was also part of the group exhibit Kmawqepiyapon in 2022 along with 14 other Wabanaki artists.
Today, Nisnipawset has become an accomplished craftswoman, selling her glass bead jewelry throughout Quebec, Canada, and the United States in various markets, boutiques, and museums. Her work can be described as professional, for she has a fabulous gift. Nisnipawset interweaves her ancestral motifs with contemporary techniques to bring out and enhance her Wolastoqey traditions.
Nisnipawset strives for perfection, her original creations pushing her to constantly experiment to reach the goal of a contemporary craftswoman/artist using only noble materials for her creations.
Kateri Aubin Dubois dreams that one day Nisnipawset will open her own boutique-gallery.
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Kat Nelson
TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Penobscot Indian Nation
MEDIUM: Jewelry, Beadwork
BIOGRAPHY
Kat studied in several dimensions at the Institute of American Indian arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe, New Mexico and upon graduating focused on silversmithing, she continued to work in silver until a serious accident made it too difficult to tolerate the strenuousness of the application. Now faced with a life-changing decision, she decided to move back to Maine and eventually settled on Indian Island, where she now resides. During her recuperation Kat considered various mediums to express herself and decided on working with sweetgrass and beadwork.
Being on Indian island brought Kat into contact with Elder artisans who were instrumental in her development of these new mediums. She studied the traditional methods of sweetgrass artistry under Charlene Francis and benefited from the mentorship of Barbara D. Francis. Having survived a near death experience Kat is once again able to create artwork in appreciation of life. She now works daily on various applications creating jewelry, adorning clothing articles with beadwork, and creating miniature articles of sweetgrass.
Josh Carter
TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation
MEDIUM: Jewelry
ARTIST STATEMENT
I am the son of Joseph Carter III and Nancy Bonin. I am of Pequot, Narragansett, African American and Irish decent. I am happily married to my best friend, we have four beautiful amazing children and recently received the precious gift of our first granddaughter. I am currently the Executive Director of our Tribal community’s very own Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center. I am head over heels in love with the traditional art of wampum. I really enjoy the conversations around its traditional use, the Pequot’s relationship to the ocean and to address the perpetuated fallacy that wampum traditionally was money. I was fortunate enough to establish a strong relationship with the most talented wampum maker known in modern times, Allen Hazard (Narragansett). I am forever indebted to him for his gifts of wisdom and patience that transcends wampum making. I will continue to honor my ancestors, Allen and my family by teaching all those in my community who would like to learn. I feel blessed to carry on this most beautiful ancient tradition.
Jo-Ellen Loring Jamieson
TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Penobscot Indian Nation
MEDIUM: Beadwork
ARTIST STATEMENT
I am a tribal citizen of the Penobscot Nation. I learned to bead on Indian Island as a teenager. As an Indigenous woman born on Earth Day, I have a deep connection with nature and an inherent responsibility to do my part to help protect the planet. I sometimes use recycled and upcycled materials in my work which helps to reduce my footprint.
Jeanne Lewey
TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Penobscot Indian Nation
MEDIUM: Home & Body
ARTIST STATEMENT
My name is Jeanne Lewey. I live between Indian Township and Indian Island, Maine; I am affiliated with the Penobscot Nation. My cultural upbringing influenced my artisan soap-making and for me, the creative process begins when I'm in nature. I make sweetgrass and cedar soaps using ingredients including wild-harvested Blue Glacier clay, essential oils, milk, activated charcoal, French green clay, and more. I'm self-taught and am in my happy place when I create. I am happiest when creating a new recipe, and hope that my products put a smile on others' faces.
Hawk Henries
TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Chaubunagungamaug Band of Nipmuck
MEDIUM: Musician, Woodworker
MARKET PERFORMER: Sunday, July 12, 12-12:45 p.m. on the Market Stage
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Hawk is a member of the Chaubunagungamaug band of Nipmuck, a people indigenous to what is now Southern New England. He has been composing original music and making Eastern Woodlands flutes using hand tools for over 30 years.
Hawk will play a variety of different flutes. He also enjoys sharing his experiences and perspectives about Life in hopes of acknowledging and honoring the Sacredness in each person and all cultures. He creates a calming yet engaging and contemplative space while maintaining a note of humor. His music is a reflection of thinking that we each have the capacity to make a change in the world.
Hawk has had the honor of presenting at venues such as The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Harvard Medical School Graduation, and in the U.K. with the London Mozart Players. He also enjoys educational settings from kindergarten to university and small venues where he can engage the audience in dialogue.
As a seasoned flute maker, Hawk has flutes all over the world and in several museums. He has three original CD's; First Flight, Keeping the Fire and Voices. He is also featured on the compilation CD Tribal Winds. His music has been used in a variety of films and documentaries, some of which won or were nominated for Emmy awards.
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Frances Soctomah
TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Passamaquoddy Tribe
MEDIUM: Basketry - Ash, Beadwork
BIOGRAPHY
Frances Soctomah (she/her) is a Peskotomuhkati (Passamaquoddy) artist from Motahkomikuk who engages video, audio, animation, graphic art, and traditional Wabanaki arts practices to explore and articulate relationships between people, Mother Earth, and our non-human relatives. Family, memory, responsibility, reciprocity, and interconnection are concepts often woven throughout her work. She grounds her practice in story, incorporating teachings from conversations with her family and community members.
Frances is one of eleven children who come from a long line of Passamaquoddy artistry. She began her journey as an artist at age seven when her late-grandmother Molly Neptune Parker – a renowned basketmaker and matriarch of four generations of weavers – began teaching her to make brown ash and sweetgrass baskets. While learning to weave fancy baskets in styles passed down to her family through generations, Molly shared stories of growing up in Motahkomikuk and the many places she lived. She passed down teachings from their ancestors, often reflecting on how our relationships with each other have shifted through time. The stories of community and connection that were woven during their time together inspired Frances to seek out other teachers in her community. She later apprenticed with Gabriel Frey, a Passamaquoddy cultural knowledge carrier, to expand her knowledge of basketmaking and harvesting practices as well as Jennifer Sapiel Neptune, a Penobscot cultural knowledge carrier, to learn traditional bead embroidery techniques.
Creating in community paved the way for Frances to expand her arts practice to include digital material, centering and amplifying voices from her community and through her work. In 2019 she enrolled in the Intermedia Master of Fine Arts program at the University of Maine. She is expected to complete her studies in December 2022.
In addition to her creative practice, Frances is committed to supporting spaces for Wabanaki artists to create, connect, thrive, and be seen. She is active in art, museum, and nonprofit circles where she advocates for cultivating sustaining relationships with Wabanaki artists.
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Erica Nelson Menard
TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Penobscot Indian Nation
MEDIUM: Basketry
ARTIST STATEMENT
I am a traditional Penobscot basket maker. As a young child, I observed my grandmother, Philomene Saulis Nelson, preparing materials for her ash and sweetgrass baskets. I loved the vibrant colors she dyed her ash; her color combinations were stunning! When I was in college I asked her to teach me how to make baskets, but it was not meant to be at that time.
It wasn’t until my late 40s that I had the unique and unexpected opportunity to apprentice with my mentor and cousin, Theresa Secord. As part of my apprenticeship I had the opportunity to use my grandmother's molds and could feel her guiding presence. My inspiration and ancestral designs come from Penobscot-style baskets produced by my grandmother, Philomene, and my cousin, Theresa. I like to weave ash and sweetgrass boxes, sweetgrass flats, and other baskets with braided sweetgrass in the family style. Continuing my family's traditional art form is an honor and privilege. I am also mentoring my daughter and granddaughter so other generations of basket weavers will continue the ancestral tradition. Plus, we are learning Wabanaki language terms associated with traditional basketry.
Eric Otter Bacon
TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Passamaquoddy Tribe
MEDIUM: Basketry, Woodwork
ARTIST STATEMENT
As a young child, my mother mentioned that I constantly created hand-drawn copies of sneakers and boots, particularly focusing on the tread patterns.
Woodworking and basket making soon followed at around age five or so, influenced by several family members, including my maternal grandfather, a Grand Lake wood strip canoe builder, my father, a wood and bone/antler carver, and my uncle who steam bent wood into dog sleds. I also was inspired by many basket makers on the reservation.
At the age of 16, I started working with Loyd Owle, a renowned Cherokee artist at the Unity Youth Treatment Center in North Carolina. I learned leatherwork, stone carving, and other Native arts. While receiving treatment there, I discovered the value of life, and it was where my first pieces of Native art were sold.
For many years, I pursued a tattoo apprenticeship, focusing my artwork on the industry. I also conducted extensive research on indigenous patterns and designs from around the world.
In 2004, I started making baskets professionally. And during my first decade, I began participating in and winning art competitions at various Native art markets. My work was also featured in the collections of major museums across the country.
During this period, I collaborated closely with birch bark canoe builders David Moses Bridges and Steve Cayard, constructing five different bark canoes with various Native communities to acquire and exchange knowledge of traditional canoe construction and material gathering/preparation.
In the future, I want to keep sharing and teaching the traditional arts knowledge I've gained. My goal is to inspire others to find value and hope within themselves so they have the tools to lead a positive and meaningful life.
Emma Soctomah
TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Passamaquoddy Tribe
MEDIUM: Basketry - Ash
BIOGRAPHY
Emma Soctomah is a proud Passamaquoddy citizen from Motahkomikuk who comes from a distinguished lineage of basketmakers; more specifically, her grandmother, Molly Jeanette Parker. Through Molly’s leadership and example, Emma has continued to be inspired to carry on their family tradition of the creation of brown ash baskets. Emma spent many years as an apprentice of her older sibling, Geo Neptune. Over the years, she has won numerous awards multiple years in a row, including 1st place, 2nd place, and Best in Division at the Santa Fe Indian Market and Heard Museum Indian Market.
She seeks to honor the strength and legacy of the women who shaped her, as well as those who came before them, by contributing to the advancement and overall well-being of the Wabanaki.
Deborah Spears-Moorehead
TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Seaconke Pokanoket Wampanoag Tribal Nation
MEDIUM: Painting, music,
ARTIST STATEMENT
Deborah Spears Moorehead is an award-winning, internationally recognized Native American Fine Artist. She earned a Master of Arts in Cultural Sustainability from Goucher College in 2013 and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting and Sculpture from the University of Massachusetts in 1981. She also attended continuing education courses at Rhode Island School of Design, Brown University and Rhode Island College. .Deborah is a published Author and Cultural Bearer of Traditional Storytelling and Eastern Woodland Native American Music.
She is the owner and Director of Painted Arrow Studio, Talking Water Productions, and a founding member of Nettukkusqk Singers. All of her artistic expressions, literature, and music performances serve to recover, educate, assert, promote, value, and validate the identity of the past, present, and future generations of Eastern Woodland Tribal Nations. Her creative expressions, which include paintings, murals, music, lectures, sculptures, clothing, and greeting cards, have been featured in museums, magazines, and galleries all over the world. Each piece I create tells a unique story. inspired by my people, our culture, and our homelands. In 2014, Deborah authored the books "Finding Balance: The Oral and Written History and Genealogy of Massasoit's People,” published by Blue Hand Books, and "Four Directions at Weybossett Crossings.” In 2019, her book “Finding Balance” is a Native American-inspired reflective recovery of the systematic erasure of Eastern Woodland Native American people. It emphasizes and responds to the unbalanced, overly biased version of educational curricula taught as the History of the United States. In 2025, the International Society of Ethnology and Folklore invited Deborah to present her paper at their conference at the University of Aberdeen. Scotland..” Currently, Deborah is a”2022-2026 “Distinguished Scholar and Artists in Residency"at Bunker Hill Community College, Boston.
Debrah Spears Moorehead is a Massachusetts State Recognized Enrolled Member of The Seaconke Pokanoket Wampanoag Tribal Nation. She is a direct descendant of many Eastern Woodland Native American tribal leaders. One notable ancestor is Ossamequin, who was the Massasoit (Great Leader) of the Pokanoket Wampanoag Confederation in the seventeenth century. His significant role in U.S. history includes entering into a peace agreement and treaty in 1620 with the lost and starving Pilgrim colonists, with whom he saved their lives. Additionally, this connection extends to Roger Williams, the founder of Rhode Island. Her most recent project, titled "Fighting For Freedom,” commemorates the contributions of Native Americans, African Americans, and men of mixed ethnicities, who saw enlisting on the colonists' side in the Revolutionary War as an opportunity to gain their freedom from the men and society that enslaved them. The “Fighting For Freedom Project” includes a mural, a coloring book, panel discussions, and a music composition. Also in 2025, the US Department of Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Regional Office in Hadley, MA. exhibited Moorehead’s solo art show. Gather Rhode Island commissioned Deborah for two portraits for their gallery’s permanent collection. In 2024, Deborah retired from working for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, where she had been employed for over thirty years. Her original painting, “Granny Squant, “won the 13 Moon exhibit, Art Award from the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. “ The Quinnipiac Museum of Guilford, Connecticut, at Dudley Farm, procured two paintings from Moorehead in 2022, and the Pocumtuck Memorial Museum purchased an original mural titled "Fifty Mishoonash " for their permanent collection. The image of Fifty Mishoonash traveled to forty-nine educational institutions to educate on the history of the region. In 2024, Deborah illustrated the cover design for Dr. Drew Lopenzina's forthcoming book about a historic Pequot Wampanoag named William Appes. In 2022/23, Deborah was the Fitts Family Grant recipient and Artist in Residency at The John Nicholas Brown home, which houses the Humanities Department of Brown University. During the 2021 pandemic, she created two murals: a community mural for the Collective Museum in Wakefield, R.I., and another for the Nolumbeka Project in Turner Falls, MA. In 2020, the Tomaquaug Museum honored her with a Princess Redwing Art Award. Also, in 2020, she collaborated with Artist Alison Newsome on a sculpture for the Culture and Tourism Department for the City of Providence, PVD festival. "The Three Sisters Sculpture" was procured by the New England Historical Society. and make its permanent home at Casey Farm in Narragansett, R.I.
In 2018-2021. Moorehead was also awarded a Folk Art Master Apprentice Grant through the Rhode Island State Council for the Arts to teach a mentee traditional Native American music. At this time, she painted two murals in Providence: a 16-foot Land Acknowledgment Mural on the bridge on Cypress Street, commissioned by a Community Health Initiative Grant through Brown University, and the Providence Preservation Society funded the second mural. Her rendered color pencil drawing " Whoosh " won the Art Contest award for the National Congress of American Indians in 2015. The Rhode Island State Council for the Arts honored Moorehead with a Community Leadership Award. In 2013.-her painting, Good Energy, was displayed in Congressman David Ciciline's office. In 2012, the University of Rhode Island honored her as a "Woman of Distinction. In 2005, she won the "Youth Mural Award "from the National Museum of the American Indian Smithsonian Institute.
Dawn Spears
TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Narragansett Indian Tribe
MEDIUM: Clothing, Diverse Arts, Painting/Illustration
ARTIST STATEMENT
I try to capture the vibrant colors of our natural world; they are my inspiration along with my appreciation of the symbolism within our indigenous culture. I enjoy opportunities that allow us to share our work and give us space to be able to dispel the myths and stereotypes that our people have been forced to endure. Misconceptions about Native American art continue today, for years I was discouraged from pursuing my own style of work because it was not “Native American” enough, it didn’t show horses, and scenes from the wild west.
I channel my creativity in my work by making a range of art; corn husk dolls, illustrations/drawings, painting, and capturing the beauty of our natural world in photography. I work in both contemporary and traditional mediums; I use both traditional and unconventional tools. I like to experiment with these mediums and create amazing colors. In the last few years I have added custom sneakers, shoes, and handbags to my list, and I even tag jeans and jackets and have participated in fashion shows with my designs. I feel like the possibilities are endless.
A Narragansett/Choctaw, my mother, Diosa Summers (Choctaw), was an artist and educator, and I grew up attending and assisting her. She taught me the fundamentals early; I was immersed in the arts at a young age and I easily became an educator of Eastern Woodland Native Culture myself, my art and work professionally reflect all facets of my life. It was inevitable that I would end up with similar interests as my mother.
Over the last twenty-five years plus years, I have taught youth and adult classes, coordinated cultural events, dance troupes and created educational programs and materials for native language and arts. Alongside my role as a mother, grandmother and wife of thirty-nine years, I find that being able to create original art that typifies Eastern Woodland culture and tradition to be a true outlet.
BIOGRAPHY
Dawn Spears (Narragansett) is the Director of the Northeast Indigenous Arts Alliance (NIAA). For more than twenty-five years Dawn has worked to support Indigenous arts as an artist, educator, demonstrator, and organizer. Most recently Dawn produced two of the largest and most significant markets in New England, the Indigenous Fine Arts Market East in 2016 and the inaugural Abbe Museum Indian Market in 2018. She is a 2020 Assets for Artists grantee, a 2015 RI State Council for the Arts (RISCA) Master Apprenticeship grantee and was the Community Artist in Residence at the New Bedford Art Museum in 2021. Dawn has exhibited at the most prestigious Indian art markets across the country including the American Indian Arts Marketplace at the Autry Museum in Glendale, CA, Heard Museum Indian Fair & Market in Phoenix, AZ, and the SWAIA Santa Fe Indian Market in Santa Fe, NM. Dawn has served on the board of the Tomaquag Indian Memorial Museum and Native Americans in Philanthropy and sits on several advisory’s (Brown University, Yellow Farmhouse, Tomaquag Museum, Abbe Museum’) continues to work consulting regionally and nationally supporting arts programming and business training for artists.
An active member of her tribal community, Dawn served as the Narragansett Indian Tribe’s Tribal Secretary for two terms and currently serves as chair on the Narragansett Indian Tribal Election Committee and vice chair for the Economic Development Commission. In 2014 Dawn and her husband of thirty-eight years formed the Narragansett Food Sovereignty Initiative, a farm-based organization devoted to reclaiming food and cultural ways for Narragansett people. They currently own and operate Ashawaug Farm in Ashaway RI. Dawn also enjoys her role as mother and grandmother. Dawn's work within her family, community, and in the arts is driven by her belief in the preservation and education of culture and traditions.
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David Lonebear Sanipass
TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Mi'kmaq Nation
MEDIUM: Painting; Jewelry; Woodwork
ARTIST STATEMENT
My name is David Lonebear Sanipass, I grew up in northern Maine. I am from the Mi’kmaq Nation. I am a carver, make flutes, I paint and sketch. As an artist you want to be able to represent your art. I find the best way is to be able to talk about what it means. Some of what I do is so intricate you’re not really looking at what it means. The representation has been lost through interpretation. Part of the beauty isn't appreciated because it doesn’t speak to you. We have found a way for my art to speak with you, to come from my spirit, so it can be better appreciated and you will know more where I am coming from.
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Corinna Francis
TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Passamaquoddy Tribe
MEDIUM: Beadwork
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Chance Griffith
TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians
MEDIUM: Basketry - Other
ARTIST STATEMENT
’Hey there, My name is Chance Griffith I’m 24 years old I grew up in Tucson, Arizona one of the hottest deserts in the world the “Sonoran” desert I’m also a U.S Tribal member I’m apart of the “The MALISEET Tribe “located in Northern” Maine” being far away from my culture and community inspired me to do self searching learning all the history of my tribe. My father “Aron Griffith” is a Birch bark basket maker my father would often travel back to our reservation in Maine to harvest birch bark to make traditional/contemporary birch bark art not understanding why birch bark was so important to my people I learned it was used to make shelter, canoes, baskets, traditionally I saw how my father turned something like bark into art that gave me inspiration to create something of my own that I could bring back with my to my reservation and recreate what a modern day indigenous artists are capable of doing outside of the norms of traditional native art making.’
