Basket Making Workshop at Abbe Museum

Bar Harbor, Maine - Have you always wanted to learn how to weave your own basket? On Saturday, March 16 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, join Abbe Museum Educator and Passamaquoddy Master Basketmaker George Neptune to learn how to weave your own ash basket! Participants will learn the art of creating their own candy basket which they will be able to bring home at the end of the day. While all ages are encouraged to participate in this workshop, priority will be given to children; children under the age of seven may require the assistance of an adult.

Neptune has been making baskets since the age of four. He learned the traditional art form from his grandmother, Molly Neptune Parker, recipient of the 2012 National Endowment for the Arts Traditional Heritage Fellowship.  His baskets are now featured at the Abbe Museum, the Hudson Museum, the University of Michigan Museum, and many other museums across the country. As the Abbe’s Museum Educator, Neptune leads many programs and workshops geared towards children and adults alike throughout the year.

“I’m very excited for the Candy Basket Workshop!  I’m also nervous, as it will be the first basket class that I have taught on my own.  Many local kids have been attending my weaving workshops and have learned some of the basics; now they get a chance to try their hand at a true Passamaquoddy tradition!”

The workshop is free and open to the public, but space and materials are limited so reservations are required. Please contact Neptune to make reservations at either george@abbemuseum.org or 207-288-3519.

The mission of the Abbe Museum is to inspire new learning about the Wabanaki Nations with every visit. The Abbe holds the largest and best-documented collection of Wabanaki basketry of any museum in the world and holds a collection of over 50,000 archeological, historic and contemporary objects. Current exhibits include: Wabanaki Guides, N’tolonapemk: Our Relatives’ Place and Layers of Time: Archaeology at the Abbe Museum.  Museum Winter Hours Thursday – Saturday 10:00am – 4:00pm. For more information, visit www.abbemuseum.org or call 207-288-3519.