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Mαwte: Bound Together

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Space

Dates

Exhibition booklet

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INSTALLATION VIEWS

  • Gallery installation featuring a dark green wall. A "Private Property No Trespassing" sign and a small framed artwork are hung adjacent to a vibrant, vertical stained-glass window with a purple floral pattern. The adjacent wall is painted a purple-toned wall and two framed works are in partial view.
  • A wide, framed landscape depicting a vibrant red-orange mountain under a dark, moody purple sky. The foreground is filled with textured, layered cutouts of green trees and tall grass, giving the piece a three-dimensional, diorama-like quality. The piece is set within a deep, teal-painted inner frame and a larger wooden outer frame and hung on a dark green wall.
  • A wide-angle view of a gallery with dark teal walls and polished concrete floors. In the center, a pedestal illuminated with red light beneath a hanging mobile, on the back wall a vibrant painting and a large blue circular sculpture. To the right, a tall stained-glass window with purple floral patterns casts a blue light over a sculpture of a kneeling figure in an orange jumpsuit. To the left, displays woven baskets.
  • A sculpture of a figure with long grey hair, dressed in an orange jumpsuit, is kneeling on a low platform with their hands bound behind their back. To the right, a dark green wall displays a large text panel titled "KENNEBEC RIVER," while to the left, a tall stained-glass window with vibrant purple flowers and a blue background illuminates the scene. A portion of a circular wall sculpture featuring numerous small fish models is visible on the far left.
  • A close-up of a figurative sculpture in an orange jumpsuit with long, braided silver-blue hair and a clay-like face, with a single white tear painted on its cheek.
  • An illuminated sculpture depicting a circular crown of feathers rising from a base of stacked grey stone-like blocks. Above the crown, dozens of small, red glass droplets are suspended on thin, translucent threads, creating the appearance of falling rain or blood. The piece is lit from within the base, casting a red glow upward through the feathers.
  • An installation comprising a vintage wooden school desk and chair. The desk is decorated with an intricate, light-colored scrollwork pattern and slightly propped open to reveal a glowing red light emanating from within the storage compartment. A piece of paper with hand-drawn sketches sits on the chair's seat, while crumpled papers are scattered on the floor beneath the desk.
  • A cream-colored rectangular fabric banner hangs from a thin wooden dowel against a dark teal gallery wall. The center of the textile features delicate beadwork and embroidery, including three heart-like shapes and floral motifs in shades of amber and silver. The banner is suspended by a rustic, twisted cord.
  • Three handcrafted baskets displayed on floating shelves. On the lower, longer shelf, a round, woven grass basket with a circular handle sits next to a rectangular basket featuring intricate white, red, and black woven patterns and a braided handle. To the left, a higher, smaller shelf holds a cylindrical vessel made of reddish-brown bark with a light-colored floral motif etched into its surface. Above the baskets, two framed works of art, each depicting a single figure, are partially visible.
  • View of exhibition of contemporary Indigenous artwork in gallery with a dark teal wall and polished concrete floors. From left to right: a hanging textile work, a sculptural installation, several woven baskets on floating shelves, two framed works —one a vibrant painting of a figure in traditional regalia and the other a sepia-toned image of an elder. To the right, a large, tall utility basket is mounted directly to the wall.
  • A black square shadow box is mounted on the wall with its front panel—a weathered, white metal "PRIVATE PROPERTY" sign—hinged open and held flat by thin black chains. Inside the illuminated box, a circular piece of light-toned birch bark is displayed, featuring an intricate, dark brown symmetrical mandala pattern created with pyrography and white highlights.
  • Against a dark plum wall, three vertical paintings in rustic, rough-hewn wooden frames are displayed in a row. The first painting on the left shows a twilight shoreline featuring a "POSTED" trespassing sign amidst green plants. The central piece depicts a vibrant sunset over a calm body of water with a rocky foreground. The final painting on the right shows a large white snowy owl in mid-flight against a dark, cloudy sky.
  • Against a dark plum wall, a weathered metal shield-shaped sign, an antique US Route 1 marker for Maine, divided into four distinct quadrants painted in the colors of a medicine wheel: white at the top, yellow on the right, red at the bottom, and black on the left.
  • A small bronze sculpture of a standing Indigenous figure wearing a feathered headdress is positioned on a wooden base atop a white pedestal. The figure is shown in profile, extending one hand forward to hold a small, delicately woven light-colored basket. Soft, directional light from the right casts dramatic shadows across the wall and the sculpture, highlighting the fine detail of the bronze work and the texture of the miniature basket.
  • A large, cylindrical wall in a gallery featuring a dark purple and green gradient background covered in intricate white geometric patterns. Bold, stylized white text in the center reads "MAWTE BOUND TOGETHER". The surrounding space displays several other artworks on dark green walls, including a framed piece and an open shadow box containing a circular pattern.
  • A projection on a large, curved wall displays a black-and-white portrait of an Indigenous woman's face, partially overlaid with moving water ripples and geometric patterns. In front of the screen, two grey cylindrical ottomans provide seating on a polished concrete floor, while the surrounding gallery walls in shades of plum and deep teal feature various sculptures and wall-mounted artworks. To the left, a small woven basket is displayed in a clear acrylic case atop a tall grey pedestal.
  • A small, intricate basket titled displayed within a clear acrylic case on a grey pedestal. The woven vessel, crafted from brown ash, blue iron oxide, braided sweetgrass, and birch bark, features subtle color bands and delicate side handles. In the background, a large curved screen displays a blurred black-and-white portrait of a woman, while a grey ottoman sits on the polished gallery floor.
  • A dark, curved installation wall with a black-and-white graphic pattern of repeating stylized symbols. In the center, the bold white text reads "MAWTE BOUND TOGETHER". To the right, three vertical paintings in rustic wooden frames are followed by a painted shield-shaped sign and a bronze sculpture on a white pedestal. The composition is framed by a tall stained-glass window at the far end of the hallway that features vibrant purple flowers and reflects light onto the polished floor.
  • A glass gallery door with the word "ARTISTS" in a stylized, outlined white font, followed by a list of names in solid white text: nolan altvater, Melcolm Beaulieu, Alexandra {Neptune} Francis, James Eric Francis, Sr., Gabriel Frey, Suzanne Greenlaw, Sierra Autumn Henries, Brian Johnson, Tania Morey, J. Rae Pictou, Ann Pollard-Ranco, Sarah Sockbeson
  • A corner, one wall dark teal and the other a brown hue, both decorated with a vertical band of white geometric patterns.

Installation view of Mαwte: Bound Together, the Colby Museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, Waterville, Maine, 2025. Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Mαwte: Bound Together, the Colby Museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, Waterville, Maine, 2025. Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Mαwte: Bound Together, the Colby Museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, Waterville, Maine, 2025. Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Mαwte: Bound Together, the Colby Museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, Waterville, Maine, 2025. Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Mαwte: Bound Together, the Colby Museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, Waterville, Maine, 2025. Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Mαwte: Bound Together, the Colby Museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, Waterville, Maine, 2025. Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Mαwte: Bound Together, the Colby Museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, Waterville, Maine, 2025. Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Mαwte: Bound Together, the Colby Museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, Waterville, Maine, 2025. Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Mαwte: Bound Together, the Colby Museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, Waterville, Maine, 2025. Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Mαwte: Bound Together, the Colby Museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, Waterville, Maine, 2025. Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Mαwte: Bound Together, the Colby Museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, Waterville, Maine, 2025. Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Mαwte: Bound Together, the Colby Museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, Waterville, Maine, 2025. Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Mαwte: Bound Together, the Colby Museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, Waterville, Maine, 2025. Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Mαwte: Bound Together, the Colby Museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, Waterville, Maine, 2025. Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Mαwte: Bound Together, the Colby Museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, Waterville, Maine, 2025. Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Mαwte: Bound Together, the Colby Museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, Waterville, Maine, 2025. Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Mαwte: Bound Together, the Colby Museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, Waterville, Maine, 2025. Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Mαwte: Bound Together, the Colby Museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, Waterville, Maine, 2025. Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Mαwte: Bound Together, the Colby Museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, Waterville, Maine, 2025. Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Mαwte: Bound Together, the Colby Museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, Waterville, Maine, 2025. Photo: Abby Lank