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Wíwənikan…the beauty we carry

Location

Space

Dates

Hand-woven basket made from brown ash, sweet grass with an ornamental antler for the pull on the lid.

Wíwənikan…the beauty we carry is guest curated by Jennifer Neptune, Penobscot basketmaker and beadworker; and Kathleen Mundell, director of Cultural Resources, Inc. Curatorial advisors Gretchen Faulkner, director of the Hudson Museum at the University of Maine, and Theresa Secord, a Penobscot basketmaker and member of the Museum’s Board of Governors, consulted on the exhibition. In addition, the curators collaborated with a team of community advisors: James Francis (Penobscot), Suzanne Greenlaw (Maliseet), Brenda Moore Mitchell (Passamaquoddy), Jennifer Pictou (Micmac), and Frances Soctomah (Passamaquoddy). Julia Gray served as project manager.

Selected Works

Jennifer Neptune

Decorative garment pieces and a headdress arranged on a light background

Niskapisuwin

Tall woven basket with a colorful gradient pattern and a decorative element on top, set against a light background

Reuben “Butch” Phillips

Cone-shaped object made of reddish patterned material resting on a light surface

Mary Sanipass

Three lidded woven baskets of different sizes arranged on a light background

Tim Shay

Sculpted seated figure holding a small basket on a wooden base, set against a light background

Catalogue

Book cover for Wiwenikan: the beauty we carry; a beige textured background with a gradient color scheme, reading “wíwənikan the beauty we carry.”

Installation Views

  • Birchbark canoe displayed in a gallery with mannequin in red regalia, yellow interpretive panel, and landscape mural
  • Birchbark canoe and mannequin in red regalia on display in a gallery with yellow walls and framed artwork
  • Gallery view with ceramic vessels on yellow pedestals, framed artworks on white walls, and carved paddles on a yellow wall in the background
  • Tools and woven materials displayed on a dark gray gallery wall with forest mural, birchbark canoe in the background
  • Gallery view with framed artworks on a yellow wall, ceramic vessels on pedestals, and a mannequin in a beaded garment
  • Introductory gallery wall with text on a yellow panel beside a forest mural and sculpture on pedestal
  • Carved wooden paddles with animal motifs mounted on a yellow gallery wall with interpretive text and framed art
  • Baskets, pottery, and a beaded garment displayed in cases on yellow pedestals in a gallery with framed art on the wall
  • Ceramic vessels on yellow pedestals and framed artworks on white gallery walls with interpretive text
  • Carved wooden paddles mounted on a yellow gallery wall with interpretive text and video screen nearby
  • Baskets and woven objects displayed in clear cases on yellow pedestals against a white gallery wall with interpretive text
  • Birchbark canoe displayed in a gallery with mannequin in red regalia, yellow interpretive panel, and landscape mural

Installation view of Wíwənikan…the beauty we carry, Upper Jetté Galleries, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine, 2019. Photo: Luc Demers

Installation view of Wíwənikan…the beauty we carry, Upper Jetté Galleries, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine, 2019. Photo: Luc Demers

Installation view of Wíwənikan…the beauty we carry, Upper Jetté Galleries, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine, 2019. Photo: Luc Demers

Installation view of Wíwənikan…the beauty we carry, Upper Jetté Galleries, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine, 2019. Photo: Luc Demers

Installation view of Wíwənikan…the beauty we carry, Upper Jetté Galleries, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine, 2019. Photo: Luc Demers

Installation view of Wíwənikan…the beauty we carry, Upper Jetté Galleries, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine, 2019. Photo: Luc Demers

Installation view of Wíwənikan…the beauty we carry, Upper Jetté Galleries, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine, 2019. Photo: Luc Demers

Installation view of Wíwənikan…the beauty we carry, Upper Jetté Galleries, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine, 2019. Photo: Luc Demers

Installation view of Wíwənikan…the beauty we carry, Upper Jetté Galleries, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine, 2019. Photo: Luc Demers

Installation view of Wíwənikan…the beauty we carry, Upper Jetté Galleries, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine, 2019. Photo: Luc Demers

Installation view of Wíwənikan…the beauty we carry, Upper Jetté Galleries, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine, 2019. Photo: Luc Demers

Installation view of Wíwənikan…the beauty we carry, Upper Jetté Gallery, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine, 2019. Photo: Luc Demers