ORONO — The largest holiday gathering of Wabanaki artists in New England will return with one-of-a-kind pieces, including some from new and nationally-acclaimed basket weavers, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 9 at the University of Maine Collins Center for the Arts.
During the 29th annual Wabanaki Winter Market, dozens of Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, Maliseet, and Mi’kmaq artists will showcase and sell their basketry, jewelry, beadwork, wood carvings, birchbark work and other artwork. The market is co-hosted by the Hudson Museum and the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance, with support from Maine Office of Tourism and the Onion Foundation.
The free event will also feature brown ash pounding and sweetgrass flower demonstrations, storytelling, traditional music, drumming, dancing and maple syrup.
Profiles of several participating artists and event information can be found on the Hudson Museum website.
“This year is the 29th anniversary of this show, which celebrates the cultural and artistic traditions of the Wabanaki people. Artists like Barry Dana, Peter Neptune and Eldon Hanning have attended the event since it began in 1995. Others, such as Geo Neptune, Sarah Sockbeson and Frances Soctomah represent a new generation of award-winning weavers,” says Gretchen Faulkner. Visitors will find not just basketry, but a wide variety of Wabanaki artistic traditions in prices ranging from $20 to thousands of dollars. There is something for everyone.
The Hudson Museum, located inside the Collins Center, will also be open during the event. Among its exhibits is the Wabanaki Gallery, which showcases historic and contemporary Wabanaki art.
For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Hudson Museum Director Gretchen Faulkner at [email protected].
