2012 Maine Indian Basketmakers Sale, Demonstration Dec. 8

The University of Maine Hudson Museum’s 18th annual Maine Indian Basketmakers Sale and Demonstration, 9 a.m.–3 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 8 at the Collins Center for the Arts, will offer members of the public an opportunity to purchase one-of-a-kind art, and also a chance to learn about Maine Indian culture and traditions. The annual event is free and open to the public.

A collaboration with the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance, the sale and demonstration this year will feature the work of more than 50 artists from Maine’s four tribes — Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Maliseet and Micmac. It is considered the largest holiday gathering of Maine Indian artists in New England, according to Hudson Museum Director Gretchen Faulkner.

Master basketmaker Molly Neptune Parker, a Passamaquoddy artist from Princeton, Maine, and winner of are recent National Heritage Fellow Award from the National Endowment for the Arts, will be at the show with her family. Her granddaughters Lydia and Mali Soctomah, both University of Maine students, have been learning the art form from their grandmother and intend to display some of their baskets.

The day also includes a book reading for children, traditional music, drumming, dancing and talks on Passamaquoddy medicine. Additional information, including a complete schedule of events, is on the Hudson Museum website. For more information or to request a disability accommodation, call the museum, 207.581.1904.

Contact: George Manlove, 207.581.3756