Abbe Museum

TO INSPIRE NEW LEARNING ABOUT THE WABANAKI NATIONS WITH EVERY VISIT.

OPERATION OF A CONTEMPORARY MUSEUM LOCATED IN THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN BAR HARBOR, MAINE FOCUSING ON THE UNDERSTANDING AND APPRECIATION OF THE STATE OF MAINE'S NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE, CULTURE, HISTORY, AND ARCHAEOLOGY. THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTIONS, EXHIBITIONS, AND PROGRAMS FOCUS ON NATIVE AMERICAN TRADITIONS IN MAINE AND EXPLORE THE BROADER NATIVE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, PAST AND PRESENT. THE HISTORY AND CULTURES OF MAINE'S NATIVE AMERICAN PEOPLE, THE WABANAKI, ARE SHOWCASED THROUGH CHANGING EXHIBITIONS, SPECIAL EVENTS, COLLECTION MANAGEMENT, TEACHER WORKSHOPS, ARCHAEOLOGY FIELD SCHOOLS, AND CRAFT WORKSHOPS FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS. VISITORS FIND DYNAMIC AND STIMULATING EXHIBITIONS AND ACTIVITIES INTERSPERSED WITH SPACES FOR QUIET REFLECTION. IN ADDITION TO THE DOWNTOWN LOCATION, FROM SPRING THROUGH FALL, THE ABBE'S HISTORIC TRAILSIDE MUSEUM AT SIEUR DE MONT'S SPRING CONTINUES TO OFFER VISITORS A STEP BACK IN TIME TO THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY PRESENTATIONS OF NATIVE AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGY IN MAINE.ADMISSIONS:THE MUSEUM HAD OVER 25,000 VISITS COMBINED AT OUR TWO LOCATIONS. VISITORS COME FROM MOST OF THE USA PLUS MANY FOREIGN COUNTRIES.CURATORIAL SERVICES:THE MUSEUM SERVES AS ONE OF THE ONLY TWO FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED REPOSITORIES OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL ARTIFACTS IN THE STATE OF MAINE. IN ADDITION, THE MUSEUM HOUSES AN EXTENSIVE COLLECTION OF HISTORIC AND CONTEMPORARY NATIVE AMERICAN ARTWORK AND CRAFTS WHICH, IN PART, FORMS THE BASIS FOR PUBLIC EXHIBITIONS THAT HIGHLIGHT NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURE.EDUCATION:THE MUSEUM PROVIDED EDUCATIONAL PROGAMS TO SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT MAINE BOTH ON SITE AND IN THE CLASSROOM. SCHOOL PROGRAMS ADDRESS TOPICS OF ARCHAEOLOGY, CULTURE DIFFERENCES, TRADE ECONOMIES, AND STEREOTYPING. THE MUSEUM PROVIDES A TEACHER TRAINING WORKSHOP, WORKSHOPS AND DEMONSTRATIONS FOR ADULTS AND CHILDREN, AND IS AN ESSENTIAL RESOURCE FOR HELPING TEACHERS AND STUDENTS COMPLY WITH NEW STATE LEGISLATION KNOWN AS "THE WABANAKI INITIATIVE." THE MUSEUM ALSO PROVIDES EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR ADULTS AND CHILDREN VISITING ACADIA NATIONAL PARK.MEMBERSHIPS:THE MUSEUM OFFERS SEVERAL LEVELS OF MEMBERSHIP. EACH LEVEL OFFERS CERTAIN BENEFITS. SOME OF THE BENEFITS ARE UNLIMITED FREE ADMISSION, INVITATIONS TO EVENTS, AND NEWSLETTERS.

STITCHING OURSELVES TOGETHER EXHIBITTHIS YEAR SAW THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR NEWEST EXHIBIT, STITCHING OURSELVES TOGETHER, A COLLABORATION BETWEEN WABANAKI COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND THE MUSEUM. IT IS PRESENTED FROM A FIRST-PERSON PERSPECTIVE, WITH MI'KMAQ ARTISANS AND CULTURE KEEPERS SHARING THEIR EXPERIENCES WORKING WITH QUILLS. COMMUNITY CURATOR JENNIFER PICTOU (MI'KMAQ) EXPLAINS, "WHEN WE, AS MI'KMAQ PEOPLE, ARE INVOLVED IN THE CURATION AND NARRATION OF OUR OWN HISTORY WE ARE ABLE TO CORRECT THE INCOMPLETE AND OFTEN ERRONEOUS NARRATIVES ASSIGNED TO OUR EXISTENCE. ACADEMICS HAVE OFTEN MISIDENTIFIED THE MOTIFS REPRESENTED IN OUR QUILL ART OR APPLIED THEIR OWN EXPERIENCES AND BELIEFS TO OUR IMAGERY. THIS EURO-CENTRIC INTERPRETATION NEGATES OUR INDIGENOUS USE OF SYMBOLS, STYLES, AND PATTERNS." STITCHING OURSELVES TOGETHER CHALLENGES COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS AROUND THIS TRADITIONAL ART FORM. THE DISPLAYS INCLUDE HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY PIECES FROM SKILLED MI'KMAQ QUILLWORKERS AND ARTIST PROFILES FROM THE "QUILLERS OF THE DAWN" GROUP WORKING TO REVIVE THE ART FORM. ALONGSIDE THIS EXHIBIT WE ALSO PRESENTED OUR LONG RUNNING WAPONAHKI STUDENT ART SHOW, WHICH SHOWCASES THE WORKS OF STUDENTS FROM THE HOULTON BAND OF MALISEET INDIANS, PASSAMAQUODDY TRIBE AT MOTAHKOMIKUK (INDIAN TOWNSHIP) AND SIPAYIK (PLEASANT POINT), MI'KMAQ NATION, AND PENOBSCOT NATION AT PANUWAPSKEK (INDIAN ISLAND).

DIGITAL AMIM THE IMPORTANCE OF CREATIVE PLACEMAKING AND HOW IT SUPPORTS WABANAKI ARTISTS, AND THE LOCAL COMMUNITY, LED US TO CREATE THE ABBE MUSEUM INDIAN MARKET IN 2018. OVER 50 TRIBAL ARTISANS FROM ACROSS NORTH AMERICA, REPRESENTING OVER 30 INDIGENOUS NATIONS, ATTENDED IN ITS INAUGURAL YEAR. AT THE ONSET OF COVID, THE MUSEUM WAS READY TO HOST OVER 75 ARTISTS ON THE VILLAGE GREEN AND QUICKLY HAD TO PIVOT TO A DIGITAL FORMAT, CREATING THE FIRST DIGITAL ABBE MUSEUM INDIAN MARKET (AMIM). WITH THIS FORMAT, WE CREATED A DIGITAL PLATFORM FOR ARTIST ENGAGEMENT THAT INCLUDED ONLINE PROFILES FOR COLLECTORS TO CONNECT WITH ARTISANS, A 6 HOURS LIVE EVENT WITH PERFORMANCES, DISCUSSIONS, AND STORYTELLING, A VIRTUAL COMPETITION, AND A FILM SCREENING. THIS YEAR'S DIGITAL AMIM EXPANDED ON THE FORMAT MAINTAINING ALL OF THE ELEMENTS OF THE ORIGINAL EVENT WHILE ALSO ADDING A NEW EVENING PREVIEW PARTY WITH PERFORMANCES FROM WABANAKI ARTISTS FIREFLY (PENOBSCOT) AND JENNIFER PICTOU (MI'KMAQ).