2013 Annual Report

A N N UA L R E P O RT F I SC A L Y E A R 2 013
O C TO B E R 1, 2 012 – S E P T E M B E R 3 0 , 2 013
INSPIRING NEW LEARNING ABOUT THE
WA B A N A K I N AT I O N S W I T H E V E RY V I S I T
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Message from the Chair
Last year was nothing short of awesome!
Our most notable achievement was to
be designated a Smithsonian Affiliate,
the first and only museum in Maine
to be so honored. We marked this
recognition with a celebration in July
in which Kevin Gover, Director of the
National Museum of the American
Indian, and Harold Closter, Director
of Smithsonian Affiliations presented
Abbe President/CEO, Cinnamon
Catlin-Legutko, with the award. This
partnership with the Smithsonian in
Washington, DC enhances our ability
to secure a much larger place for the
Abbe, not just on MDI but in the
state and throughout the country.
In June, Abbe members elected a new
trustee, Katherine Stroud Bucklin.
Katherine is one of the founders of
the Abbe Underground, the museum’s
affinity group for the under-40 crowd.
And she is the owner of Star Gallery,
a new enterprise in Northeast Harbor.
She and her husband Michael live in the
village where both families have strong
year-round and summer ties. Katherine
brings a fresh perspective and energy
to our work, especially in her service
on the Gathering Gala Committee.
Your board continues its new learning,
as our mission inspires us to do. At
our annual retreat in late September,
2012, trustees and staff spent an
invigorating day with facilitator Jamie
Bissonette Lewey, Chair of the Maine
Indian Tribal State Commission,
and Director of the Healing Justice
Program of the New England American
Friends Service Committee. Jamie has
worked for three decades on issues of
sovereignty, self-determination, treaties,
and criminal justice with indigenous
communities in the US, Canada, Mexico,
and South Africa. Her facilitation of our
workshop and her ability to engage us
in respectful and constructive dialogue
between and among our Native and
non-Native board members helped us
gain a deeper understanding of issues
central to Maine’s Native communities.
An outcome of the retreat was a
commitment from trustees and staff to:
• better understand Wabanaki culture, history and values
• examine Abbe museum practices at
every level – collections, operations,
strategic planning, exhibits, advocacy,
programs and events – to see
whether, in what ways, and to what
extent they reflect those values
• take steps toward practices that
embody this commitment
To this end, we have established a
Decolonization Initiative Task Force,
composed of representatives from the
board and staff, to develop a plan of
phased work to do research, create a
guiding document, assess Abbe practices,
and identify and implement changes.
This report marks my final contribution
to our Annual Report as Board Chair.
In August, 2014, Ann Cox Halkett
will assume the leadership role for the
Board. Ann lives in Bar Harbor and is
the development and public relations
writer at the MDI Biological Laboratory.
Her childhood in New York City
was brightened by summers spent at
Tranquility Farm on Frenchman Bay
in Gouldsboro, the site of several of the
Abbe’s digs and field schools. She still
spends part of every summer there with
her extended family, and her affection
for Maine led her to move to Portland
after college and then raise her four
children in Cherryfield. In addition
to her work in development, she has
been an organic blueberry grower,
family planning counselor, newspaper
columnist, and freelance writer.
She has served on the boards of the
Downeast Food Co-op, the Downeast
AIDS Network, and the Narraguagus
Nursery School, and on the vestry of St.
John’s Episcopal Church in Southwest
Harbor. Her bachelor’s and master’s
degrees in English come from Harvard
and the University of Pennsylvania.
It has been an honor to serve as Chair for
five years and I take great pleasure in the
achievements we are making collectively
to expand the reach and visibility of
the Abbe, and to make significant
progress toward being a learning board.
It is with confidence and enthusiasm
that I turn the board helm over to the
enormous talents of Ann Cox Halkett.
-Sandy Wilcox
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Message from the
President & CEO
photo by Rogier van Bakel, Eager Eye Photography
The Abbe is a place of learning, a
place for memories, and a place for
community. It is a museum where
cultures converge, people connect
with each other, and new experiences
and understandings are gained. And
now, as a Smithsonian Affiliate,
we’ve partnered with the world’s
largest museum to bring a piece of
the Smithsonian to Maine. Through
collaborative exhibits, programs,
marketing power, and special
projects, we will dramatically expand
our visibility as a valuable cultural
resource for Maine and beyond.
It’s appropriate that in our 85th year,
we remember Dr. Robert Abbe’s legacy
as we plan for the future. We can
reflect on how the organization has
evolved over time and the impact it
has had on the learning of its hundreds
of thousands of visitors. Education
still remains at the center of what we
do every day, as we share the story
of the Wabanaki Nations, the first
peoples of Maine. The campaign
and subsequent expansion into our
year-round facility in downtown Bar
Harbor made it possible for us to grow
and properly care for the collections
and offer changing exhibits,
workshops, and programs. We are
now an institution that works closely
with Native people - at the staff,
board, and advisory level – to develop
educational content for our audiences.
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This annual report signals the near
completion of our five-year strategic plan.
It is a plan designed to stabilize the Abbe’s
finances and chart a path for the future.
As you’ll see throughout this document,
we’ve done just that and so much more.
That “more” became evident in 2013:
• Receiving the invitation to become a
Smithsonian Affiliate was a wonderful
surprise and our Affiliate status serves
as a “housekeeping seal of approval.”
• Building a birchbark canoe in our
courtyard was a blast and it has made
lasting memories for the participants.
• Making great strides in our Greening
the Abbe initiative by landing a
$220,000 grant from the National
Endowment for the Humanities was
a great milestone in our campaign.
• Spreading our wings as a teacher
resource with the expansion of our
educational staff, establishing new teacher
and curriculum connections across the
state, and matching the second year of
the Institute for Museum and Library
Services grant through our Gala paddle
raise and a gift from the Betterment
Fund are all outstanding achievements
as we consider our state-wide role.
• Producing another year of provocative
and thoughtful exhibits that involved
multiple voices and perspectives from the
Wabanaki communities demonstrates
how Native voice is primary voice
at the Abbe and shows how, as a
museum, we engage audiences through
artifacts and facilitate their access
to Wabanaki history and culture.
As Maine’s first and only Smithsonian
Affiliate, the Abbe’s future is bright and
the trustees and staff are imagining a
brilliant strategic plan of the future.
We will begin our planning efforts
in 2014 and we will look to our
stakeholders to help us strengthen
our ideas and make them feasible.
Finally, as Sandy mentioned in her
letter, she is looking at the end of her
board leadership role in 2014. While
she’ll remain on the board until her
term is complete, I will miss her direct
support, guidance, and motivation.
She has helped me be the best leader
possible and she has shaped a board of
trustees who are engaged and excited
about their roles. And in preparation
for the transition, she has been a
generous mentor for her successor, Ann
Cox Halkett, who will become the
chair in August 2014. Both women
give their all to the museum and I am
the luckiest museum leader I know.
-Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko
Exhibits & Programs
Education is the focus of our work at the Abbe Museum.
The most visible way we educate our audiences is through
exhibits and educational programs. This last year, we
showcased a variety of topics, using traditional and new
exhibit spaces. In particular, over the winter we renovated
the back room at our Sieur de Monts location, opening
it up for exhibit space. This was made possible through
a special gift from the Sharpe Family Foundation.
Through our exhibits, programs, workshops, and
demonstrations, visitors are encouraged to learn about
Wabanaki history from a first-person perspective.
New understanding brings new opportunities
for growth, as visitors to the Abbe Museum
consider complex implications of colonization,
sovereignty, and cross-cultural exchange.
WABANAKI GUIDES
February 7 through December 28, 2013
Guest curators Donald Soctomah,
Passamaquoddy, and James Eric
Francis, Sr., Penobscot
Wabanaki Guides, our major exhibit for the 2013
season, welcomed visitors on a journey through
Maine’s woods, rivers, lakes, and coast, alongside
Native guides throughout history and into the
present. The exhibit highlighted the unique ways
Wabanaki knowledge of the land and waterways
influenced Maine’s early visitors and it illustrated
how this legacy is linked to the modern-day
tribes, tourism, and environmental sustainability
in Maine. Maine’s changing seasons framed the
varied role of Wabanaki guides over time, and
the importance of guiding in contemporary
Wabanaki communities was shared by current
guides and their clients. The exhibit included
some great hands-on activities for kids of all ages,
including a tracking game, a winter survival
quiz, and a general store where young visitors
could select their supplies for a trip with a
Wabanaki guide. Programming associated with
the exhibit included tracking workshops, talks
by contemporary Wabanaki guides, a place
names tour of Mount Desert Island, and a panel
discussion, Sipul Ckuwaponahkik: Rivers of the
Dawnland, highlighting contemporary issues
that the Wabanaki people face when trying to
maintain sovereignty over a common resource.
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Exhibits (cont.)
2013 WAPONAHKI
STUDENT ART SHOW
N’TOLONAPEMK: OUR
REL ATIVE’S PL ACE
April 18 through December 28, 2013
November 2, 2012 through April 2014
A collaboration of Maine Indian
Education and the Abbe Museum.
Guest curators Donald Soctomah, Passamaquoddy,
Ellen Cowie, Northeast Archaeology
Research Center, and Arthur Spiess, Maine
Historic Preservation Commission
This year’s Student Art Show featured 36 artists
from the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township
and at Pleasant Point and the Penobscot Nation
at Indian Island. They ranged in age from prekindergarten through grade twelve. Through the
expressive works of these young artists we glimpsed
their lives, culture, and natural surroundings.
Watercolor, pencil, pastel, and acrylic were
employed with confidence to bring images to life:
a dancing whale, passionate flowers, birds and
deer, a washer woman, and Mount Katahdin.
Special thanks to K.A. McDonald Picture
Framing in Bar Harbor for their generous in-kind
contribution, professionally framing all of the
artwork for this important collaborative exhibit.
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This exhibit tells the stories of an 8,600 year
old Passamaquoddy village site on Meddybemps
Lake in eastern Maine through the diverse, yet
complimentary, perspectives of Passamaquoddy
traditional knowledge, archaeology, and a variety
of natural sciences. N’tolonapemk was a Superfund
clean-up site because of a toxic waste dump
created at the outlet of the lake in the late 20th
century. Part of the project included extensive
archaeological investigations, and the involvement
of the Passamaquoddy community throughout
the project led to a rich and varied interpretation
of the site. This involvement helped heal the land,
and demonstrated how much more we can learn
when we consider the diversity of perspectives on
Wabanaki history. The exhibit featured artifacts
uncovered at the site, now housed at the Abbe.
ST. SAUVEUR: A MEETING
OF NATIONS
Opened May 23, 2013 at the Abbe at
Sieur de Monts Spring, ongoing
On the 400th anniversary of the short-lived
French Jesuit mission on Frenchman Bay, this
exhibit looks at what we know about the mission,
including the ongoing debate about where exactly
it was located. But it also delves into the wider
context of Wabanaki-French-English interaction
from the early sixteenth century through 1762.
The interactions, conflicts, accommodations, and
diplomacy between these three nations in eastern
Maine over two centuries present a complicated
history that continues to have implications
for the Wabanaki in the region today.
INDIVISIBLE: AFRICAN NATIVE AMERICAN LIVES
IN THE AMERICAS
May 23 through August 4, 2013
IndiVisible is a traveling exhibit from the
National Museum of the American Indian,
the National Museum of African American
History and Culture, and the Smithsonian
Institution Traveling Exhibition Service.
As a brand new Smithsonian Affiliate, the
Abbe was exciting to host this exhibit about the
intersection of American Indian and African
American people and cultures. IndiVisible
explored historical and contemporary stories of
peoples and communities whose shared histories
are woven into the fabric of American identity,
but whose presence has long been invisible to
many in the U.S. The exhibition shed light on
the dynamics of race, community, culture, and
creativity, while addressing the human desire
to belong. With compelling text and powerful
graphics, the exhibition included accounts of
cultural integration and diffusion as well as the
struggle to define and preserve identity. The
Abbe, working with the Smithsonian, produced
a number of compelling programs around this
exhibit, including a panel discussion about blood
quantum debates among the Wabanaki tribes,
a genealogy workshop, and a discussion with
exhibit curator Gabrielle Tayac, Piscataway,
titled Displacement, Adoption, and Citizenship.
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Education at the Abbe
CULTUR AL CONNECTIONS
IN THE PARK
After the success of the programs in 2012, the Abbe Museum
once again organized a series of Native-led programs and
demonstrations in Acadia National Park. With a total
of ten programs that were attended by more than two
thousand people, Cultural Connections in the Park provided
visitors to Mount Desert Island with the opportunity to
learn about Wabanaki history, culture, and traditions.
These programs teach visitors about the Wabanaki’s
deep-rooted connections to their homelands, encourage
participants to consider the Wabanaki contributions to
Maine history and technology, and share the important role
that collaboration plays in the preservation of culture.
Acadia visitors connected with a talented group of
Wabanaki educators, artists, and culture keepers:
John Dennis, Mik’maq, hand drumming
Eldon Hanning, Micmac, ash preparation and basketmaking
Dawna Meader-York, Passamaquoddy, moccasin-making
Ron Bear and Dean Francis, Penobscot, hand drumming
Rick Hunt and Carolyn Black-Hunt - The Laughing Couple
Storytelling Duo, Abenaki, storytelling and live illustration
Hawk Henries, Nipmuck, flute playing
Burnurwurbskek Singers, Penobscot,
drumming, singing and dancing
George Neptune, Passamaquoddy, basketmaking
and birchbark canoe building
Butch Jacobs, Passamaquoddy, ash pounding
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A HISTORIC CANOE-BUILD
Over four weeks in August and September, Abbe visitors
witnessed history in the making: the first birchbark canoe
to be built on Mount Desert Island in over 100 years.
Made possible by a gift from Donna and David Reis,
master canoe builders Steve Cayard and David Moses
Bridges, Passamaquoddy, spent 200 hours gathering
birchbark, spruce roots, and maple and cedar wood,
and another 500 hours constructing the fourteen-foot
canoe. Weighing approximately 60 pounds, and capable
of carrying up to 800 pounds, the birchbark canoe is a
perfect aquatic vehicle. Visitors were encouraged to ask
questions and participate in the construction of the canoe.
Made mostly with hand tools and etched with traditional
Passamaquoddy designs, it is now a permanent addition
to the Abbe’s education collection. Unlike the permanent
collection, pieces in the education collections are meant
for handling, interaction, and travel to outreach programs.
This tactile experience provides participants with an
engaging way of understanding Wabanaki culture.
Our history was not always recorded in a positive light. It
created stereotypes or failed to recognize or understand the
native way of life. Through educational programs, exhibits and
advocacy, the Abbe has shown there is beauty and dignity to
the culture and traditions of the indigenous people of Maine.
-Butch Phillips, Penobscot Nation
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Education (cont.)
photo by Mel Rice
ABBE
EDUCATIONAL
PROGRAMS BY
THE NUMBERS
2,000 students and 500
teachers in Maine attended
fifty-seven school and
teacher programs
7,000 people attended
77 public programs
2,000 people attended
10 public programs in
Acadia National Park
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E XPANDING EDUCATIONAL PROGR AMS
In 2012, the Abbe was awarded a matching federal grant from the Institute
of Museum and Library Services. This grant supports the development of
a three-year teacher training program to re-frame classroom conversations
to comply with LD-291, Maine’s Wabanaki Teaching Initiative, and
enabled us to hire a Museum Educator, George Neptune, Passamaquoddy.
In addition to various lesson plans, Neptune has also created several
new educational programs that provide students with a much deeper
understanding of Wabanaki material and social culture, both past and
present. With lesson plans well underway, year two of the IMLS award
focuses on developing, refining, and assessing the effectiveness of the lesson
plans, and shifts focus toward the direct teacher training elements.
The new programs include: Wabanaki song and dance, storytelling, imitation
“birchbark” activities, imitation “ash” weaving activities, Passamaquoddy
language based activities, Indian stereotypes, candy basket workshops,
imitation wampum belt workshops, beading workshops, Wabanaki Guides
tracking workshop, and an IndiVisible fashion design workshop.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL
FIELD SCHOOL AT
TR ANQUILIT Y FARM
The pictures of the past at Tranquility
Farm are starting to come into better focus
as we continue to return to the site over
multiple seasons, building each year on
what was uncovered during previous field
schools. A small and enthusiastic group
spent the week excavating two areas of
the site. Exciting artifacts included bone
and stone points, a whetstone, clusters of
both dentate-stamped and cord-wrapped
stick impressed pottery, and a beautiful
stemmed spear point made of white quartz.
Even more important, perhaps, than the
cool artifacts, is the discovery of several
features that are evidence of how people
lived on the site. We have uncovered
evidence of at least two house pits or house
floors, and in some locations, fire hearths
and storage pits associated with the houses.
When added to a house floor uncovered
during field schools at the site in the
1990s, we are developing an increasingly
detailed picture of the lives of the
Wabanaki ancestors at Tranquility Farm.
In addition to learning how to excavate
a shell midden site, participants in the
2013 field school learned about flint
knapping (stone tool making) from
Chris Sockalexis, Penobscot Nation
Tribal Historic Preservation Officer
and about Passamaquoddy language
and music from Abbe Museum
educator George Neptune. Penobscot
archaeologist Bonnie Newsom shared
her ongoing doctoral research on pottery
manufacture and what it might be able
to tell us about the individuals and
communities who created the pottery,
and Art Spiess and David Haliwell
went into more depth on what we
know about the animals harvested for
food on the site and in the region, and
how we know about it. And this year’s
hardy group of budding archaeologists
weathered some pretty wild summer
weather with great fortitude!
“The Abbe Museum’s
archaeology field School
gave me access to Native and
non-Native perspectives on
past Indigenous settlements
and lifeways, enriched by
hands-on learning during
a week-long excavation
on the coast of Maine. I
learned more during my
week in the field with the
Abbe Museum than I could
have imagined possible!”
- Ani St. Amand, 2013 Field
School Participant
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Decolonization Initiative
In late 2012, the Abbe Museum Board of Trustees established
a Decolonization Initiative Task Force. The Initiative was
an outgrowth of the 2012 Board Annual Retreat, facilitated
by Jamie Bissonette Lewey, where trustees and staff tackled
the complex issue of sovereignty. To quote Jamie, “The
understanding of what is encompassed in the idea of
sovereignty and how it is achieved is crucial in the building
of relationships between Native and non-Native people.”
An outcome of the retreat was a commitment
from trustees and the staff to:
• better understand Wabanaki culture, history and values
• examine the Abbe’s museum practices at
every level to see whether, in what ways, and
to what extent they reflect those values
• conduct colleague interviews with standardized questions; compile results
• prepare an annotated bibliography
• create a guiding document/philosophy
Phase 2: Assess the Abbe
• determine subject areas
• identify needed changes and possible roadblocks and develop
alternatives/solutions
Phase 3: Implement the Changes
• establish timetable and impacts of the recommended changes
• makes changes (document and communicate)
• develop evaluative measures
• take steps toward practices that embody this commitment
Phase 4: Maintain and Improve
In our discussions following the retreat, terms like
“colonialism,” “colonization,” and “decolonization”
surfaced, suggesting a framework for engaging this
commitment. A Decolonization Initiative began
and a Task Force appointed to lead the effort.
• develop training strategy for incoming board and staff
• do regular check-ups/offer trainings
• respond to feedback loop
During its initial convening, the Task Force considered the
scope of its work, and identified key concepts that underpin
the discussions board and staff are having. These include,
but are not limited to: sovereignty (cultural and legal),
culture, decolonization, colonization, racism, history of the
Abbe Museum, and vocabulary/jargon. As we consider and
understand these concepts, we will also conduct phased work
that will move the Abbe toward decolonized museum practices.
Phase 1: Develop Awareness
• establish scope of the initiative and a management plan
• research and reading
In 2013, the Abbe Museum became a member
of the International Coalition for the Sites of
Conscience, which has this mission, “We are
sites, individuals, and initiatives activating
the power of places of memory to engage the
public in connecting past and present in order
to envision and shape a more just and humane
future.” The Abbe team looks to Sites for
advice and training as we tackle challenging
topics around race, stereotypes, and current
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The DCI Task Force has identified sectors of museum
operations that must be considered in the decolonization
process: collections, operations, governance, strategic
planning, exhibits, advocacy, programs and events. Other
sectors may be identified during the research phase.
The Task Force is excited about its work and is looking
forward to sharing our lessons and ideas with our
colleagues and friends. We recognize that there is
not an end date for this initiative; it is a constant
process. But, we anticipate developing key findings
that will help the Abbe and the tribal communities
we work with as well as the tribal communities across
the U.S. that collaborate with our peer museums.
events. For more information about this
organization, visit sitesofconscience.org.
In addition, the board and staff have begun
working with Steve Wessler, a human rights
educator and trainer, who has led racial bias
training at the Abbe. This heightened level of
training is helping the Abbe team communicate
more clearly and effectively with the public.
NATIVE AMERICAN
FESTIVAL AND
BASKETMAKERS MARKET
In its 20th year, the Native American Festival and
Basketmakers Market focused on the market which
features basketmakers and other artists, representing
all four tribes in Maine and beyond. Among this
group are nationally renowned contemporary and
traditional basketmakers who travel to Bar Harbor
to sell their work, drawing collectors from across the
country. Interspersed in the market atmosphere were
Native dancers, drumming, singing, storytelling,
and more. Attendees enjoyed fry bread, watched
ash pounding demonstrations, and participated
in educational activities in the Abbe tent.
Thanks to a generous marketing grant from the
Maine Office of Tourism, we doubled our attendance,
attracting nearly 2,000 participants. It was a
festival to remember and it has set the foundation
for another great event on July 12, 2014.
My grandmother loved baskets
of all kinds and I grew up
appreciating them. When we
moved to MDI, I investigated
the Sieur de Monts museum
and began to learn about the
Native American basketmakers.
I am proud to support the
Abbe Museum and its support
of the beautiful work of the
four tribes of Maine.
-Ann Staples Waldron
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Gifts to the Collection and New Acquisitions
New Cultural Identity, cream wool skirt and cap, beaded with gold plate
seed beads, by Leon Sockbeson (LEON), 2011, gift of the artist.
Purchases at the 2012 Maine Indian Basketmakers Sale and Demonstration
at the Hudson Museum, Diane Kopec Collection Fund:
Fancy basket by Frank Hanning, Micmac, brown ash.
Pack basket by Gabriel Frey, Passamaquoddy, brown ash.
Talking stick by Joe Dana, Penobscot, birch.
Talking stick by Erik Sappier, Penobscot, birch.
Coiled sweetgrass basket by Paul St. John, Passamaquoddy and Ojibwa,
sweetgrass, twine, glass beads, porcupine quills, and birchbark.
Fiddleheads beaded purse, wool with glass beads, by
Rhonda Besaw, 2011, gift of the artist.
Etched birchbark box by David Moses Bridge, Passamaquoddy.
Museum purchase, Friends of the Collection Fund.
Fancy basket by Doris Chapman, Passamaquoddy, 2007, gift of W. Jean Rohrer.
Sewing basket by Clara Neptune Keezer, Passamaquoddy,
2007, gift of W. Jean Rohrer.
Fancy basket by Clara Neptune Keezer, Passamaquoddy,
2006, gift of W. Jean Rohrer.
Birchbark mocuck by Eric Otter Bacon, Passamaquoddy, 2012.
Museum purchase, Friends of the Collection Fund.
Purchases at the 2013 Native American Festival, Diane Kopec Collection Fund:
Loon by Gina Brooks, Maliseet, pen and ink on paper, 16” x 11”
Salmon, by Gina Brooks, Maliseet, pen and ink on paper, 12.5” x 9.5”
Moose, by Gina Brooks, Maliseet, pen and ink on paper, 13.5” x 10.25”
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Bear, by Gina Brooks, Maliseet, pen and ink on paper, 16” x 11”
Fancy basket by Amanda Ennis, Maliseet, brown ash,
sweetgrass, dye, glass and metal beads, and wire.
Fancy point basket by Ganessa Bryant, Penobscot, brown ash, dye, and sweetgrass.
Large point basket by Max Sanipass Romero, Mi’kmaq/
Laguna and Taos Pueblo, brown ash, sweetgrass.
Dragonfly necklace by Gal Frey, Passamaquoddy, seed
beads and semi-precious stone beads.
Library
The Maine Woods, by Henry David Thoreau, 1906, and History of the Indians of North
and South America, by Samuel Griswold Goodrich, 1848. Gift of Sturgis Turnbull.
Collection of books on Native American culture and
religion, gift of MaryAnn Sheridan.
Back issues of American Indian Art magazine and National Museum
of the American Indian magazine, gift of Beverly Crofoot.
My first interaction with the Abbe Museum was as a volunteer
for the Gala Committee. The experience was so thrilling, due
to the great personalities of the Abbe staff and volunteers,
it quickly evolved into co-creating the Abbe Underground,
a young friends group. My involvement grew as I learned
more about the Abbe and their mission to champion the
living history - past, present and future - of the different
Native populations here on the island and beyond. Museums
have always held a special place for me and the Abbe stands
out as celebrating an entire culture in all aspects. I look
forward to my growing commitment to the Abbe Museum.
-Katherine Stroud Bucklin, Abbe Trustee
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Smithsonian Affiliation
On the eve of the 20th Native American Festival and Basketmakers Market, July 5, the Abbe celebrated many
successes: our status as a Smithsonian Affiliate, the Smithsonian traveling exhibit Indivisible: African-Native
American Lives in the Americas and the Festival, and we threw in our Annual Meeting to boot! It was a perfect
evening: beautiful weather, 150 guests and wonderful speeches by Harold Closter, Director of Smithsonian
Affiliations, Kevin Gover, Director of the National Museum of the American Indian and Theresa Secord,
Executive Director of the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance. Some memorable quotes from the evening:
It is absolutely clear that you are doing
great work here at the Abbe, and we are
so thrilled to be partnering with you.
We have so much appreciation for the Abbe for
working so closely with us; the gift shop here is the
largest retail seller of Wabanaki baskets in Maine.
I have been blown away by the vibrancy and
enduring quality of art and culture in this region.
Through our partnership with the Abbe, we hope
to reach more and more people here, especially
those who cannot come to Washington, while
also spreading the work of the Abbe nationally.
-Harold Closter
-Theresa Secord, Penobscot
It is very gratifying to us to see how the museums
are working with Native American communities
and the partnership that they are developing; and
you can see everywhere around you here that the
Abbe is developing a fine relationship with the
tribal communities.
-Kevin Gover, Pawnee
As the first and only Smithsonian Affiliate in Maine (less than 200 in the nation), we’ve established a long-term
partnership that will provide the Abbe access to the Smithsonian’s many resources, including its 136 million
object collections, scholarships and educational opportunities for staff, traveling exhibits and membership benefits.
Additionally, the Abbe and the Smithsonian will begin to pursue collaborations with one another, spreading the
work of both cultural institutions. Thanks to you, we were able to achieve this Affiliate status which will help us in
so many ways – increased attendance, collaborative projects, new approaches to our museum work, and so much
more. We’re just getting started!
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We made outstanding progress on the Greening the
Abbe initiative this year by implementing a number
of changes in the first part of the Greening project.
This included the installation of a new HVAC
controls system, which is web-accessible with a
graphic interface. This new system has made the
controls easy to work with and more transparent to
non-HVAC technicians like the Abbe staff, and our
improved understanding of the system and how to
make appropriate adjustments has brought about
more efficient and reliable operations of the system.
At the same time, a variety of adjustments were
made to the entire climate control system in the
building, such as better utilization of system
set-backs and more appropriate use of the heat
recovery system. The air handling system was
re-balanced, and light-filtering film was installed
on the windows in the Circle of Four Directions.
Overall, as a result of the changes to the HVAC
system, we have reduced oil consumption by
19% and electricity consumption by 5%.
Early steps in improving the efficiency of the Abbe’s
lighting system have included the replacement of
incandescent light bulbs in the Community Gallery
with LED bulbs, and this is ongoing in other
spaces in the museum. We are also now using LED
task lighting at our desks, and limiting the use of
overhead lighting. Abbe staff are also getting much
better at turning off lights when a room is not in
use, and closing doors that do not need to be open
to make it easier for the HVAC system to keep each
space at the appropriate temperature and humidity.
In December of 2012 we applied for an
implementation grant from the National
Endowment for the Humanities to support
several key components of the Greening project,
including a major overhaul of our gallery lighting
and changes and updates to our dehumidification
systems. In July we received word that we had
been awarded a $220,000 grant, to make these
upgrades, beginning in January of 2014.
With the exciting changes that have been
achieved, and the big projects expected to be
completed in the coming year, the Greening the
Abbe is quickly taking us to a more sustainable
future for the Abbe’s amazing facilities.
One of the goals of the Greening the Abbe is to reduce
waste and environmental impact from the exhibit
fabrication process. Exhibit fabrication materials
from Indians and Rusticators were substantially
repurposed or recycled to create Wabanaki Guides.
80% repurposed: used in the
fabrication of Wabanaki Guides
10% repurposed: used to create or improve
storage in exhibit prep space
2% recycled: 12 pounds of metal recycled (screws,
nails, etc.); scrap wood used for kindling
8% discarded: to the landfill
We have also switched to recycled or recyclable materials
used to mount exhibit graphics, and some of our large
exhibit graphic material is now printed on fabric banners
that can easily be stored and reused in future exhibits.
17
Message from the
Director of Development
This last year was an exciting
time for the Abbe Museum in
many ways. We celebrated 85
years as an institution, researched
and fabricated five new exhibits,
hosted 30,000 visitors from
around the world, and we became
Maine’s first Smithsonian Affiliate.
All of this was made possible
by you and we are extremely
grateful for your generosity.
Support for our 2013 flagship
exhibit, Wabanaki Guides,
was very strong. Thanks to
generous individuals, businesses
and foundations, we exceeded
the fundraising goals and
our audiences benefited by
experiencing a one-of-a-kind
exhibit accompanied by a full
year of robust programming.
A clear standout was the
month-long artist-in-residency
program, building a birchbark
canoe from start to finish.
Master canoe builders David
Moses Bridges, Passamaquoddy,
and Steve Cayard worked
through the various stages of
construction for a rapt audience.
In addition, the five new
18
exhibits were accompanied by a
combined total of 52 programs,
workshops, and demonstrations.
Thanks to your membership and
annual fund donations, most of
our programs are offered at no
charge and are open to the public.
In the spring of 2013, we received a
generous grant from the Betterment
Foundation to match a three-year
grant for educational programs
that we received from the Institute
for Museum and Library Services
(IMLS) in the summer of 2012.
At our annual Gathering Gala
in July, an additional matching
$33,000 was donated during the
paddle raise to support education
at the Abbe. The Gala is our
largest annual fundraising event
and accounts for about 10% of
our annual goal. Thanks to the
generosity of our auction donors,
artists, sponsors, and guests, the
2013 Gala was one of our most
successful events in recent history.
We launched the Greening the
Abbe initiative at our 2012 gala
with our first paddle raise. It was
a terrific success and in the fall
of that year, we began making
necessary changes to our systems
to lower our carbon footprint and
electricity bills. In July 2013—one
year later—we received a grant
for $220,000 from the National
Endowment for the Humanities to
continue our efforts toward making
the museum more environmentally
responsible and sustainable.
Thank you for contributing to the
fiscal health and vibrancy of the
Abbe Museum. I cannot emphasize
enough that your gift, no matter the
size, truly makes a difference. It is
because of you that we were asked
to become a Smithsonian Affiliate
and it is because of you that we can
continue to produce the high-quality
educational programs and exhibits
that our visitors expect. Through
your support, we are able to reach
out and inspire new learning about
the Wabanaki for thousands of
Maine school children, teachers and
visitors. Thank you for helping to
create a more understanding and
respectful society by supporting the
educational experiences at the Abbe.
Thank you for all you do.
-Hannah Whalen
THE GOLDEN
TROWEL AWARD
The rarely-seen, highly-coveted Golden Trowel
Award was given to the Acadia Corporation,
which has been an incredible supporter of
the Abbe Museum through the popular
Tea, Popovers, and Archaeology program held
at the Jordan Pond House each October.
For fourteen years, they have generously
opened their doors and made popover magic
happen, all in the spirit of education and
archaeological interest. Many of the attendees
have been there every year – and they really
know what an amazing gift the Acadia
Corporation is to the Abbe Museum. In recent years, they’ve increased their support
to the Abbe. This summer, they funded ten
Cultural Connections programs inside Acadia
National Park. Native demonstrators and
artisans were present on Wednesdays in July
and August and the series included drumming
performances, storytelling, ash pounding
demonstrations, and so much more. And, for
the past few years, the Abbe staff has worked
closely with Acadia Corp to provide Nativemade products for the Jordan Pond House
shop and other concession locations. This has
allowed us to grow as an economic engine for
the tribal communities – we were able to buy
more at markets and on buying trips which
had a positive impact on everyone involved
in the production of beautiful basketry,
jewelry, and other Wabanaki-made crafts.
Beginning in 2014, Acadia Corporation will
not be the concessioner in Acadia National
Park. Another contractor, Dawnland, LLC,
will take over the reins. This is the end of an era
for Acadia Corp and the Abbe, but not the end
of an important partnership and friendship.
We are so grateful to all the wonderful people
who work at Acadia Corp and we especially
appreciate the talent and support of Dave
Woodside and Michael Daley (pictured above.)
To mark this relationship and the end of
an era, we honored the Acadia Corporation
with the highest award the Abbe Museum
bestows, the Golden Trowel Award. Given to
individuals and organizations who support the
Abbe above and beyond the call of duty and
who are committed to our mission and our
work, this is only the third time this award has
been given in our eighty five year history. In
2013, we honored the Acadia Corporation.
19
Membership and Gifts
Our fiscal year now ends in September, so the following donations were received October 1, 2012 – September 30,
2013. Gifts received during the remainder of 2013 will be included in our 2014 Annual Report.
Over the winter of 2012-2013, we converted our donor database. If there are any errors in these lists, they are
wholly our own and are the result of the conversion. Please let us know if you find any errors by contacting
[email protected]. We apologize in advance for any incorrect information you may find.
Quillwork Level
Drs. John and Lynn Benson
Charles Butt
Brown Ash Level
Anonymous
Katherine Stroud Bucklin and Michael
Bucklin
Millard F. Coffin
Mr. and Mrs. Gavin H. Watson, Jr.
Howard B. Wellman
Peter and Tia Rosengarten
Birchbark Level
Anonymous
Gerald and Marie Berlin
Edward W. and Susan W. Clayton
Coach Stop Inn
Mary J. Herman
Rachel Krevans
Barbara McLeod and David Hales
Elma Abbe Rickards
Clint Stretch
Sandy Wilcox and Jack Russell
Sweetgrass Level
Mr. and Mrs. R. Abbott
Charles and Barbara Adams
Alan and Diane Amendt
Judy Bancroft
Laurie Beasley
Robert and Ellen Beekman
Dick and Vicky Bergman
Leslie C. and Barbara J. Brewer
Elizabeth Brown and Mark Smith
J. Linzee and Linda Allen Brown
20
Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko and
Lawrence Legutko
Joseph F. and Alyne K. Cistone
Sylvia Y. Cough
Sally Scully Crock
Val Davis and Les Harbour
Drs. Jeffrey M. and Linda R. Dunn
David and Susan Edson
Mark Eggleton and Janet Berkel
Suzanne FitzGerald
Gary Friedmann
Ed and Patsy Fogarty
Richard and Barbara Fox
Lance and Anne Funderburk
Celia Gibbs and Wendy Palmquist
Sheldon and Jill Goldthwait
Rennie and David Greenfield
Bill and Anita Haviland
Nancy and Joseph Hayes
Susan Pope Hays
Mr. and Mrs. John Henderson
Elizabeth and Melville Hodder
Dave and Carolyn Hollenbeck
Barbara and Bill Jackson
John Maddaus and Elizabeth Johns
Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence C. Johnston
Mr. and Mrs. James M. Kellogg
Dr. and Mrs. Julius R. Krevans
George and Elise S. Liddle
Cynthia E. Livingston and Henry L.P.
Schmelzer
The Lustusky Family
Rebecca J. MacQuinn
Grace L. Madeira
Margaret Martin
Alan and Vittoria McIlhenny
Douglas Monteith and Mary Allen
Richard and Marcia Morrison
Susan and David Myers
Helen A. and Walter M. Norton
Jane Porter
Nancy and Dan Poteet
Ivan and Sherry Rasmussen
Mr. and Mrs. John Reeves
Sydney Roberts Rockefeller
Jean Rohrer
Lucy Rowe and Keith Hutchison
Ann Koch Schonberger
Patti and Jerry Selig
Peter and Lucy Bell Sellers
Dean Silvers
Howard and Dee Solomon
Drs. Martha and Arthur Spiess
Michael Sprowls
Robert and Linda Thayer
Dr. Brad and Lynn P. Thompson
John L. Thorndike
Louisa and John Troubh
Gerard Vasisko and Margot Woolley
Ann Staples Waldron
Mrs. Doris Walton
Household Level
Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Whipple Abbe
Brie Abbe and Mwaura Ngoima
Timothy and Karen Acerno
Anonymous (2)
Ann Axtmann and Tibor J. Pusztai
r. scott baltz
Mr. and Mrs. Eric S. Beckjord
Margaret Beckman and Christy Stout
Fred and Ann Benson
Steve Bien
Stephen Bicknell and Margo Boyd
Connie and Tristan Birkenmeier
Brian and Jennifer Booher
Candice Bray and Peter Smith
Maureen and Bucky Brooks
Phil and Astri Brooks
Obadiah Bourne Buell
Joan Catlin
Henry A. Chary
Deborah Chase and Mary Campbell
Julia Clark and John Gray
Mark and Libby Cluett
Jim and Dorothy Clunan
Darron and Karen Collins
Leza and Jim Colquhoun
Richard and Betty Crawford
Deborah Cressler and Susan Haggstrom
Liz Cutler and Sam Lynos Payson
Pamela outdusis Cunningham
Janet Dailey
Farahad Dastoor and Jean MacRae
Pete and Lynn Desrochers
Jeremy and Susan Dickson-Smith
Mary C. Drury
Walter Dunton
Dominic Efter
Lawrence and Elizabeth Estey
David and Jean Evans
Gretchen Faulkner
Samuel and Elise Felton
Mr. and Mrs. Nathaniel R. Fenton
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas H. Finlay
Judith and David Fischer
Elsie Flemings and Richard Cleary
Ted Fletcher and Ann Kidder
Michael and Jean Forbes
Gwen Frankfeldt
Charles and Joan Frost
Joan Furnari
Kathryn Gaianguest
Christopher Gardner
Denise Garone and Family
Tim Garrity and Lynn Boulger
Kelsey George
Christine, Thomas and Ambriel Gerber
Joseph and Cathryn Gerstner
Fred Myers and Faye Ginsburg
Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Goetzl
Ann and Peter Gommers
Robert Gossart and Judith BurgerGossart
John and Marie Gower
Katie Greene
Andy and Susan Griffiths
Charlie and Susanne Grosjean
Lisa Hall
Brad and Carla Haskell
Jon Ho and Julie Havener
Home and Away Gallery
William and Nina Horner
Mona Johnson
John Engel and Deborah Jones
Jennifer Judd-McGee and Sam McGee
Linda Rowell-Kelley
Jack and Margaret Kelley
Anna Kennedy
Wendy Knickerbocker and David Avery
Chris and Kathleen Koch
Anne Kozak
Dr. and Mrs. J.R. and Mary Krevans
Joseph and Judith Leader
Evelyn Lieb
Brian Lindquist and David Schmidt
Carol Lindsey and Andrina McCaffrey
Jim and Eileen Linnane
Lunaforms LLC
Mrs. Marcia T. MacKinnon
Marcy MacKinnon
Michael and JoAnne Mandracchia
James and Judy Marcogliese
Roger and Peggy Marks
Susan R. Mayne and Deann LeBeau
Ann McAlhany and Lorraine Schinck
Donna Meader-York
Brenda Merritt
Larry and Phyllis Mobraaten
Dr. Alvin H. Morrison and Dr. Ann M.
Spinney
Robert and Mary Naftzger
Hal Weaver and Anne Nash
Susan and Jarvis Newman
Marie Nolf
Lenny Novak
Cora Olgay and Alan Rosenquist
Michael and Ellie Pancoe
Molly Neptune Parker
Daniel Pelletier
Butch Phillips
Richard and Patricia Phillips-Doyle
Dani Piquette-Kelly
Kathy Pollard
Darren Ranco and Stephanie Strong
Rosamond and Fred Rea
Rachael Robinson
Veronica Breceda and Kassandra
Robledo
Hilda K. and Thomas H. Roderick
Katherine Goldthwait Ruhlin
James J. Russell and Vicki
VanDenburgh
Jules and Bob Sabo
Silvio and Rose Saidemberg
David and Diane Sanderson
Michael and Edith Savage
Thomas Schley
Dick and Julia Schloss
Ann Sears and William McArtor
Derrick Sekulich
Abby Simpson and Todd Mydland
Nicholas and Edyth Smith
Jeremy Smith and Susan DicksonSmith
Ann and Kaighn Smith
Chadbourn H. Smith
Sarah Sockbeson and Nicholas
Halsdorff
Sheridan and Barbara Steele
Brian S. Robinson
Terry Thompson and Earl Frederick
Mr. and Mrs. W.N. Thorndike
Ms. Lucy Tracy
21
Membership and Gifts (cont.)
Joseph P. Tracy
Murray and Helene Tuchman
Carey and Claudia Turnbull
Eric and Linda Uberseder
Russ and Jane Van Arsdale
Jennifer and Eric Vanhorne
Michael Vermette
Wayne and Michelle Walker
Patricia Ward Bailey
Richard and Carol Whalen
Hannah and Stephen Whalen
Raymond and Laurie Williams
Marilyn and Jerry Winkelstein
Arthur and Juanita Wood
Eleanor and Winthrop Wright
INDIVIDUAL Level
Anonymous (2)
Virginia Pratt Agar
Judith Baker
Judith Blake
Donald C. Briggs
Sharon Broom
Eric Buch
Leonetta Burns
Nancy Buzzell
Joan Carey
Mr. Jon Clark
Lisa Horsch Clark
Jeffrey S. Coleman
Lucy Creevey
Autumn Demaine
Cass Dowden
Susan Dreier
Patricia Eagan
Peggy Forster
Marilyn George
John F. Gibbons Jr.
Ellen M. Gilmore
Judith Gould
Donald E. Hall II
Kelly Hrenko
22
Henrietta Humphreys
Judith Husson
Cynthia Jablonski
Ruth Jellison
Adele Kluck
Helen Koch
Elizabeth Koopman
Claudia Lynn Koppleman
Vesta Kowalski
Paul Kozak
Jude Lamb
Susan Lapinski
Martha Leahy
Dr. Susan Lees
Margaret MacDonald
Kathy MacLeod
Joanne Marian
Mary Vesta Marston-Scott
Stefanie Matteson
Anne Mazlish
Carolyn Anne Miller
Joyce B. Moore
Wanda Moran
Rev. Frank P. Morin
William O’Brien III
Mary O’Meara
Larry Onie
Esther Pasztory
Susan Plaisted
Marcia Pond Anderson
Bonnie Preston
Dorothy Pulis
Carol Ray
Catherine Rhodes
Ann Richards
Rebecca Sargent
Helen Scalia
Maryjane Smith
Judith F. Strout
Judith P. Swazey
Jane Tawney
Judith Teeter
Katharine Thomas
Margaret Thurston
Dr. Kathy Trenholm
Carol Tsaousis
Marty Williams
STUDENT LEVEL
Nancy Prisk
Corey Ames Heyward
Community Partners
Business Partner
Business Patron
The Acadia Corporation
Bangor Daily News
Bar Harbor Bank & Trust
Bar Harbor Inn and Witham Family Limited
Partnership
Coastal Radiology
The First
K.A. McDonald Picture Framing
Machias Savings Bank
Maine Indian Education
Maine Public Broadcasting Network - MPBN
A & B Naturals
Acadia National Park Tours &
Transportation Inc.
Acadia Realty Group
Cafe This Way
Camden National Bank
Chickadee Hill Flowers
Graycote Inn
House Wine
Inn at Bay Ledge
Inns at Ullikana
Islesford Dock Restaurant
Jordan-Fernald
L.S. Robinson Co.
Mache Bistro
Mira Monte Inn
Primrose Inn
Saltair Inn
$1000
Business Associate
$500
Barter Family Gallery
Geddy’s Pub
Galyn’s Galley
Oli’s Trolley
Reel Pizza
WERU-FM
Shane Ellis Bands
West Street Café
Business Sponsor
$300
Bar Harbor Campground
Coach Stop Inn
L.S. Robinson Co.
Mount Desert Island Hospital
Sawyer’s Market
Side Street Cafe
$150
The Abbe does so much to
help bring awareness about
the Wabanaki Nations to
the general public. It is an
incredible resource to have right
here in our own backyard and
Machias Savings Bank is very
pleased to support the efforts of
this wonderful organization.
-Matt Horton, Assistant Vice President, Branch Manager, Bar Harbor, ME
23
Annual Giving
Katahdin Circle
$5,000+
Anonymous
Mrs. Marcia T. MacKinnon
Alice and Brad Wellman
Leadership Circle
$1,000 – 4,999
Anonymous Foundation
Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko and Lawrence
Legutko
Sylvia Cough
Gerbic Foundation/Peter Gerbic
Jack and Margaret Kelley
Robert P. and Arlene R. Kogod Family
Foundation
Libra Foundation
Anne S. Howells Charitable Trust
Joan V. Netland
Mr. and Mrs. George Putnam
The David Rockefeller Fund
Mr. & Mrs. David Rockefeller, Jr.
Jean Rohrer
Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Sharpe
Mr. and Mrs. William N. Thorndike, Jr.
Ann Staples Waldron
Katharine F. Wellman and Douglas B. Wells
Howard B. Wellman
Richard and Christine Wellman
Sandy Wilcox and Jack Russell
Arthur and Juanita Wood
Sustaining Donors
$1 - $999
Anonymous (3)
Trish Brown, Cleve Abbe and Cory Abbe
Elfriede Abbe*
Jean Worth Abbe
Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Whipple Abbe
Mr. and Mrs. R. Abbott
Charles and Barbara Adams
Mr. and Mrs. John Adams
Harry Adams
24
Alan and Diane Amendt
Judith Baker
Alan and Patricia Baldwin
Bar Harbor Congregational Church
Ron Beard
Mr. and Mrs. Eric S. Beckjord
Robert and Ellen Beekman
Bee’s Inc.
Joan Stroud Blaine
Dean E. Booher
Dr. H. W. Borns, Jr.
F. Gorham and Amy Brigham
Sharon and Dick Broom
John and Emily Brown
Mark and Barbara Campbell
Deborah Chase and Mary Campbell
Joseph F. and Alyne K. Cistone
Julia Clark and John Gray
CLYNK Hannaford Community Cash
Jacque Cohen and Bea Beaudoin
Dru Colbert and Nancy Andrews
Mr. and Mrs. Tristram C. Colket, Jr.
Community Foundation of the
Chattahoochee Valley
Sylvia and John Constable
Doug and Posie Cowan
Mary Cox-Golden
Deborah Cressler and Susan Haggstrom
Liz Cutler and Sam Lynos Payson
Sally Scully Crock
Margaret Cruikshank
David and Pepper Cwik
Peggy J. Danneman
Farahad Dastoor and Jean MacRae
Dwight B. Demeritt, Jr.
Pete and Lynn Desrochers
Jeremy and Susan Dickson-Smith
Mary and Charles Dethier
Drs. Jeffrey M. and Linda R. Dunn
Deborah M. Dyer
Mr. Benjamin Emory and Dr. Dianna
Emory
Enivar Charitable Fund
Lawrence and Elizabeth Estey
David and Jean Evans
Marc Ewing
Richard Faust
Mr. and Mrs. Nathaniel R. Fenton
Ted Fletcher and Ann Kidder
Peggy Forster
Brian Fox
Gary Friedmann
Shirley Fuerst
Lance and Anne Funderburk
Joseph and Cathryn Gerstner
Charles and Mazzie Gogolak
Sheldon and Jill Goldthwait
Robert M. Goodman
Elizabeth K. Gorer
Robert Gossart and Judith BurgerGossart
Judith Gould
Katherine M. Haffner and Herman G.
Haffner
Ann Cox Halkett
Donald E. Hall II
Gerard and Jane Haraden
Peter D’Arcy and Alexandra M.
Harrison
Bill and Anita Haviland
Suzanne and Charles Hedrick
William and Susan Hersey
John and Elizabeth Hewlett
Donald and Martha Hobbs
Dave and Carolyn Hollenbeck
Betsey Holtzmann
Steve and Nancy Homer
William and Nina Horner
Barbara and Bill Jackson
Dobbs Productions
Nancy E. Jones
Mr. and Mrs. James M. Kellogg
Deborah Kiley
Dennis Kiley and Johannah Blackman
Adele Kluck
Chris and Kathleen Koch
Diane Kopec and Betts Swanton
Vesta Kowalski
Dr. and Mrs. J.R. and Mary Krevans
Robert and Anne Krieg
Deborah A. Lamson
Joseph and Judith Leader
Steven Katona and Susan Lerner
Evelyn Lieb
Linda Long
Patrick Trowbridge and Pat Lown
The Lustusky Family
Kathy MacLeod
Grace L. Madeira
Margaret Martin
Miss Marguerite D. McAdoo
Bunny McBride and Harald Prins
Danielle Meier
Margot and Roger Milliken, Jr.
George and Heather Mitchell
Howard Monroe and Victor Stanley
Rev. Frank P. Morin
Anne Mulholland
Mary Peltz Nevius
Marianne New
Mr. and Mrs. William V.P. Newlin
Lynn Nobil
Carl Nold
Marie Nolf
Helen A. and Walter M. Norton
W. Kent Olson
Mary O’Meara
Fred Schneper and Sally O’Neil
Rodney T. and Ardis K. Ono
Michael and Ellie Pancoe
John Porter
Nancy and Dan Poteet
Mrs. Eben W. Pyne
R.D.R. Realty
Darren Ranco and Stephanie Strong
Mrs. Barbara Rappaport
James Mroch and Mary Ratner
Rosamond and Fred Rea
Mr. and Mrs. John Reeves
Donna and David Reis
Linda Robinson
Roc Caivano Architect
Sydney Roberts Rockefeller
Gordon Bok and Carol Rohl
Deborah Rush
James J. Russell and Vicki VanDenburgh
Ed and Martie Samek
Katharine Schutt
Mr. and Mrs. Henry D. Sharpe, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Lester Smallidge
Mr. Edward F. Snyder
Drs. Martha and Arthur Spiess
Roberta and Alan Sprague
Nancy and Elizabeth Sprowls
Michael Sprowls
The Stanley Works
Stewart Brecher Architects
Anne and Fred Stocking
Roslyn Strong
Mr. and Mrs. W.N. Thorndike
Emily Trask-Eaton
Gerard Vasisko and Margot Woolley
Thomas L. Watt
Hannah and Stephen Whalen
James and Theresa Willard
Raymond and Laurie Williams
Marguerite Williams
Marilyn and Jerry Winkelstein
Dave and Kathy Woodside
Carol Woolman and Richard Bullock
Susan and John Wuorinen
* deceased
Endowment Support
Anonymous
Additional Support
for the Abbe Museum
Aysgarth Station
The Bluenose Inn
Maine Historic Preservation Commission
Patti and Jerry Selig
Drs. Martha and Arthur Spiess
Pat Stewart
Katherine Stroud Bucklin and Michael Bucklin
Steve Wessler
Greening the Abbe
Initiative
Gerald and Marie Berlin
Cheryl and Brian Keim
Jack and Margaret Kelley
Jean Rohrer
Mr. and Mrs. Henry D. Sharpe, Jr.
25
The 2013 GatheringGala Sponsors
A huge thanks goes out to everyone who contributed
to and attended the 2013 Gathering Gala at the Bar
Harbor Club on July 17. The event was a tremendous
success! Thanks to 216 Gala guests, 21 sponsors,
70 artists and experience donors, and a lively crew
of volunteers, the Abbe had a record-setting night.
Through this outpouring of generosity, the Gala raised
over $131,000 for the Abbe Museum. We received over
$108,000 in gifts to support the paddle raise, Teach a
Child ~ Support a Teacher, exceeding our original goal!
All of the Gala contributions make it possible for the
Abbe to continue producing educational programs and
exhibits that inspire thousands of visitors and students
and encourage people of all ages and backgrounds to
learn about the history and contemporary lives of the
Wabanaki people. This year, the gifts from the paddle
raise will be used to match the three-year grant that the
Abbe received from the Institute for Museum and Library
Services which will allow the Abbe to produce teaching
resources and support for over 800 teachers and travel
to all 16 counties of Maine working with the Tribes and
the Maine Department of Education to offer on-site
workshops, training, and community networking.
From the Board of Trustees and the Abbe staff, a
huge thank you to all who played a role in the Gala,
contributing to the financial health and vibrancy of the
Abbe Museum. Your generosity ensures that we will
continue to shine as a beacon of learning for our local
communities, the state of Maine, and around the world.
Sieur de Monts Level
$2,500
Bar Harbor Bank and Trust
Darling’s
Basketmaker LEVEL
$1,500
Bangor Daily News
Boston Private Bank and Trust Company
Machias Savings Bank
Canoe LEVEL
$500
Anonymous
Atlantic Landscape Construction
Barbara McLeod and David Hales
The Bluenose
DeadRiver Company
Full Circle Printing Solutions
Jordan Fernald
Lynam Insurance
North American Power
Packard Judd Kaye
RH Foster
Window Panes
26
Wigwam LEVEL
$250
Asticou Inn
BHA, LLC
Fiore
Macey’s
Siam Orchid
Viking Lumber
INDIVIDUAL DonORS
Carole Beal
Drs. John and Lynn Benson
Richard and Barbara Dickson
Marilyn George
Dan and Nancy Poteet
Mary and Ron Prokopius
Nancy Stewart
Alice and Brad Wellman
Gala Artists and
Auction Donors
r. scott baltz
Bar Harbor Bank and Trust
Philip Barter
Benjamin Mendlowitz Marine
Photography
Drs. John and Linda Benson
Jennifer Steen Booher
Ashley Bryan
Obadiah Bourne Buell
Cape Air
Pam outdusis Cunningham
Diver Ed
Jeff Dunn
Walter R. Dunton Jr.
Jean Forbes
Dr. Joseph and Cathryn Gerstner
Ann and Peter Gommers
Amy Gower
Charlie Grosjean
Gull Rock Pottery
Lisa Hall
Nicholas Halsdorff
Scott Hatcher
Julie Havener
Cookie and Bill Horner
Henry Isaacs
Jennifer Judd-McGee
Jackson Laboratory
Leslie Jones
Jordan Pond House
Maggie Kelley/Simply Pearls
Dan Kirschner
Lunaform
Dee Lustusky
George Neptune
Lenny Novak
photo by Rogier van Bakel, Eager Eye Photography
Marcia MacKinnon
Marcy MacKinnon
Brenda Park Merritt
Mount Desert Island
Biological Laboratory
Ellie Pancoe
Molly Neptune Parker
Butch Phillips
Ann Pollard
Kathy Pollard
Carolyn and David Rapkievian
Ann R. Roberts
Jean Rohrer
Linda Rowell-Kelley
Jack Russell
Rose Saidemburg
Sid Salvatore
Derrick Sekulich
Sam Shaw
Sherman’s Books and Stationery
Arlene Shoemaker
Mr. and Mrs. David Shultz/
Home & Away Gallery
Marion Smith
Sarah Sockbeson
Philip S. Steel/Salty Dog Gallery
Striking Gold Jewelers
Tiffany White Photography
Fred Tomah
Joe Tracy
Lucy Tracy
Michael Vermette
Hannah Casey Whalen
Melina White
Sandy Wilcox
Wild Acadia Fun Park
and Waterslides
Dawna Meader-York
Julia Zito
Special thanks to Senator Dennis Damon
for donating his time and talent to be the
Gathering Gala Auctioneer.
27
Paddle Raise
During the Gathering Gala,
attendees were asked to raise
their paddle and make a gift
to support our teacher training
initiative, Teach a Child – Support
Teacher. These gifts also serve as
a match for our three-year grant
award from the Institute for
Museum and Library Services.
photo by Rogier van Bakel, Eager Eye Photography
PADDLE RAISE DONORS
Jim and Diane Ash
M. Atherton
Joanne and Paul Bean
Emily M. Beck and Geoffrey P. Young
Gerald and Marie Berlin
Michael Boland and Deirdre Swords
Brian and Jennifer Booher
D. Bookham
Hugh Buchan
John Collier and Susan Ferrante-Collier
Darron and Karen Collins
Jeff Dalrymple
Deb DeWalt and Skip Wilson
Drs. Jeffrey M. and Linda R. Dunn
Walter Dunton
David and Susan Edson
Mr. and Mrs. Nathaniel R. Fenton
Tom and Carroll Fernald
Elsie Flemings and Richard Cleary
Ed and Patsy Fogarty
Marilyn George
Judith Goldstein
Joe and Cathryn Gerstner
Ann Cox Halkett
Peter and Elizabeth Hansen
Jane Harrison
Hilary Harwood
Scott and Chloe Hatcher
Elizabeth and Melville Hodder
William and Nina Horner
Sam and Laura Judd
Jack and Margaret Kelley
Dr. and Mrs. Julius R. Krevans
Cynthia E. Livingston and Henry L.P. Schmelzer
Barbara McLeod and David Hales
Jan Mactier
28
Margot and Roger Milliken, Jr.
Robert and Deborah Milotte
Susan Pope Hays
James Mroch and Mary Ratner
Peter and Melissa Ossanna
John and Ruth Overton
Michael and Ellie Pancoe
Catherine Planchart
Nancy and Dan Poteet
Dave Quist
Darren Ranco and Stephanie Strong
Nelson and May Ranco
David and Donna Reis
Ann R. Roberts
Linda Robinson
Jean Rohrer
Peter Rudolph
Ken and Sidney Salvatore
Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Sharpe
Mr. and Mrs. Henry D. Sharpe, Jr.
Abby Simpson and Todd Mydland
Sarah Sockbeson and Nicholas Halsdorff
Julie Stone
Mary Taradash
Jane Tawney
Murray and Helen Tuchman
Rick Tyson
Greg and Julie Veilleux
Howard B. Wellman
Katharine F. Wellman and Douglas B. Wells
Richard and Christine Wellman
Alice and Brad Wellman
David White
Sandy Wilcox and Jack Russell
Thank You
Our mission is only possible with the support of
exhibit and educational program sponsors. They
provide critical funding that allows us to connect
with multiple audiences from all over the world.
Cultural Connections at the Abbe series – Bar Harbor Bank &
Trust and the Maine Arts Commission
Cultural Connections in the Park series – Acadia Corporation
IndiVisible: African-Native American Lives in the Americas (and
accompanying programs) – The Smithsonian Community
Grant Program, funded by MetLife Foundation, Maine
Community Foundation
St. Sauveur: A Meeting of Nations exhibit and Sieur de Monts
renovations – Mr. and Mrs. Douglas and Ann Sharpe/
Sharpe Family Foundation
Training Maine’s Classroom Teachers to Meet the Wabanaki
Initiative (teacher training program) – The Betterment
Fund and the Institute for Museum and Library Services
Native American Festival and Basketmakers Market –
Maine Office of Tourism, Bangor Daily News, National
Endowment for the Arts, College of the Atlantic, Maine
Indian Basketmakers Alliance
Wabanaki Guides (and accompanying programs) –
Anonymous Foundation, Bangor Daily News, Bar Harbor
Bank and Trust, The Margaret E. Burnham Charitable
Trust, Charles Butt, Davis Family Foundation, Bill and
Cookie Horner, Lynam Trust, Donna and David Reis,
Mr. and Mrs. Douglas and Ann Sharpe/Sharpe Family
Foundation
N’tolonapemk – Machias Savings Bank, Easter Foundation/
Anne and Fred Osborn III, Maine Humanities Council
2013 Waponahki Student Art Show – Maine Indian Education,
K.A. McDonald Custom Picture Framing
LE AVING A LEGACY
Great museums don’t just
happen. They are built through
the generous and steady support
of private donors. This support
reflects a belief in the importance
of museums as places to learn,
inspire, preserve cultures and
history, understand diversity,
and share new ideas and stories.
Each year the Abbe Museum
brings creative and educational
exhibitions, programs, workshops,
and demonstrations about the
Wabanaki people to visitors from
Mount Desert Island, Maine,
the United States and around the
world. None of this is possible
without the participation of
private donors. Your gifts have
helped shape this museum and
reflect the cultural opportunities
that build strong communities.
We encourage you to join the
Abbe’s Sieur de Monts Planned
Giving Society by making
a planned gift, helping to
preserve the Abbe Museum for
generations to come. If you have
already remembered us in your
estate plans, please let us know
that we may honor you today.
Please call the Development
Office at 207-288-3519 to discuss
how we can work together to
ensure a strong future for the
Abbe and our community.
29
Volunteers
a special thanks
The Abbe Museum is grateful for the incredible
services donated by our volunteers in 2013, from
cooking for special events, to flower arranging, to
pounding nails. Thank you one and all for donating
your gifts to the Abbe Museum; we could not do it
without you! If you would like to learn more about
becoming a volunteer at the Abbe please contact the
Museum or email [email protected].
Mark Agostini
Patricia Ayala Rocabado
Lizza Backes
Shannon Bean
Joanne Bean
John Bench
John Benson
Marie Berlin
Maria Biasin
Chelsea Bothen
David Moses Bridges
Katherine Stroud Bucklin
Michael Bucklin
Richard Cleary
Rachel Cleary
Jane Clifton
John Collier
Susan Ferrante-Collier
Ann Cox Halkett
Jeff and Linda Dunn
Abigail Dangler
Katy Degrass
Lou Gallagher
Joe and Cathy Gerstner
Ellen Gilmore
Astra Haldeman
Angela Haskell
Chloe Hatcher
Cookie Horner
Ellen Iida
Mona Johnson
Margaret Kelley
Dennis Kiley
Rebecca Kirkwood
Brianna Kirkwood
Larry Legutko
Dee Lustusky
Roger and Peggy Marks
Barbara McLeod
Danielle Meier
Deborah Messer
Nicole Ouellette
30
Patti Selig
Allison Shank
Kyle Shank
Doug Sharpe
Arthur Speiss
Martha Speiss
Anna Travers
Dan Poteet
Zoë Reifsnyder
Darren Ranco
Jean Rohrer
Jack Russell
Stephen Whalen
Sandy Wilcox
Diane Zito
Frank Zito
Culinary Arts
Committee
Patti Selig
2012-2013 Chair
Jeff and Linda Dunn
Sue Ferrante-Collier
Joseph and Cathryn Gerstner
Chloe Hatcher
Debby Messer
Sandy Wilcox
Abbe
Underground
Committee
Mark Agostini
Lizza Backes
Shannon Bean
Maria Biasin
Johannah Blackman
Chelsea Bothen
Katherine Stroud Bucklin
Astra Haldeman
Angela Haskell
Danielle Meier
George Neptune
Allison Shank
Kyle Shank
Zoë Reifsnyder
Whitney Thurston
The Abbe Underground launched in April
2012. The “Underground” is a young friends
group at the Abbe focusing on people ages
21-40. This group was created to ensure
that the museum continues to reach new
audiences, initiating a vibrant future of
engaged members. The Underground hosts
quarterly events designed specifically to
involve the next generation with the Abbe
Museum. Underground events are not
traditionally advertised — they are spread
through word of mouth and social media.
Finances
from the Director of Finance, John Brown
The fiscal year ending September 2013
(FY13) represents five years of fiscal
improvement at the Abbe. After a
period of uneven budget performance
and recession years, the Abbe has
carefully climbed to improved budget
performance. This is the result of
conservative budgeting, accountability,
successful fundraising initiatives, and
strategic financial management.
• The shift of fiscal years in 2011
(creating an audited nine-month fiscal
year) to September 30 proved to be a
good strategy, bracketing our two most
successful quarters around our two
slower quarters (seasonal impact).
• All staff members have a role
in the budgeting process and are
held accountable for spending and
income, when appropriate.
• As the Abbe staff and trustees have
strengthened our connections with
donors and stakeholders, and as we have
re-structured our development plans
and opportunities, we have attracted
more charitable gifts each year.
We anticipate further improvement
over the next five years as we grow
our investments, secure endowment
gifts, and make a strong case for
support to our friends. Thank you
for helping us along the way.
$1,20 0,0 0 0
$1,0 0 0,0 0 0
$1,0 0 0,0 0 0
$80 0,0 0 0
$60 0,0 0 0
$40 0,0 0 0
$20 0,0 0 0
2013
2012
INCOME
2011
2010
20 09
E XPENSE
Audit services for FY13 provided
by BHA, LLC. A full copy of the
2013 audit, or previous audits, is
available upon request. If you wish to
learn more about the Abbe Museum
finances, please call 288-3519 and
speak with John Brown or Cinnamon
Catlin-Legutko.
31
Finances (cont.)
five-year comparative balance sheet
Assets
Cash & equivalents
Restricted investments
9/30/13
215,289
1,197,578
9/30/12
320,991
1,147,571
9/30/11
151,178
1,147,571
12/31/2010
107,826
1,322,631
12/31/2009
86,639
1,347,357
Receiveables
Inventory
Prepaid expenses
Fixed assets, net, building, equipment
67,075
64,187
10,211
2,922,303
4,476643
115,556
63,860
8,556
2,950,575
4,607,109
135,255
55,226
11,482
3,071,645
4,572,357
183,858
33,251
11,367
3,169,476
4,828,409
152,860
37,331
16,506
3,300,916
4,941,609
19,294
46,143
14,024
38,350
16,536
36,854
12,168
8,713
19,541
Liabilities & Net Assets
Current liabilities
Accounts payable
Accrued expenses
Deferred revenue
Current of long-term debt
Long-term debt, less current portion
1,500
9,763
375,822
9,306
383,712
750
9,073
394,755
Gift certificates outstanding
410,000
410,000
175
Total liabilities
Net Assets
451,022
446,892
457,218
431,806
429,541
Unrestricted, building, equipment, cash
Temporarily restricted, use
Permanently restricted, endowment
2,757,165
49,813
1,218,643
4,476,643
2,797,459
144,115
1,218,643
4,607,109
2,801,033
95,463
1,218,643
4,572,357
3,070,357
107,603
1,218,643
4,828,409
2,979,346
311,754
1,220,968
4,941,609
Investment fund activity, Boston Private Bank
For the fiscal
year ended
9/30/13
For the fiscal
year ended
9/30/12
For the fiscal
year ended
12/31/10
For the fiscal
year ended
12/31/09
Beginning balance
Contributions, additions
Income & dividends
Gains/(losses) in value
Temporarily restricted transfers to operations
Unrestricted transfers to separate account
1,071,322
50,007
37,594
84,654
(40,114)
992,622
For the 9
month fiscal
year ended
12/31/11
1,322,631
77,508
23,341
(24,978)
(33,275)
(419,050)
1,347,357
8,600
35,627
80,472
(136,406)
1,135,723
34,766
28,860
186,219
(26,294)
Fees
Ending balance
(11,466)
1,191,997
(12,151)
1,071,322
8,895
937,281
(13,019)
1,322,631
(11,916)
1,347,357
endowment
32
40,044
96,624
(45,816)
At this time, we do not fund depreciation. The 2014
budget includes partially funded depreciation.
income
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
Contributions
In-kind contributions
Admissions
Merchandise sales
Membership
Program revenue
Fundraising events
Event rental
Endowment funds for operations
Interest & dividends, other
Total operating income
240,096
21,749
87,740
117,736
34,562
68,396
79,005
840
40,114
(36,592)
653,646
299,136
21,997
77,900
133,407
34,099
22,534
62,801
450
45,295
(5,340)
692,279
143,583
12,796
66,150
111,049
22,507
49,676
46,885
1,200
288,048
10,299
73,781
140,685
34,043
27,293
35,765
1,00
243,140
12,020
68,097
146,951
30,829
116,680
48,477
(36,308)
417,538
116,894
727,808
(322,037)
344,157
2013
ENDOWMENT FUNDS FOR
OPER ATIONS - 5%
FUNDR AISING E VENTS - 11%
CONTRIBUTIONS - 36%
PROGR AM RE VENUE - 10%
MEMBERSHIP - 5%
IN - KIND CONTRIBUTIONS - 3%
MERCHANDISE SALES - 18%
ADMISSIONS - 12%
33
expenses
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
General mission related
Guest services
General & administrative
Facilities
Fundraising
Total operating expenses
Net operating deficit
400,658
100,151
184,722
106,242
161,511
953,284
(299,638)
255,008
136,659
169,435
108,786
130,372
800,260
(107,981)
162,238
125,113
124,469
192,400
71,189
675,408
(257,870)
192,658
161,858
169,508
122,575
80,299
726,899
909
194,871
179,597
251,556
119,223
91,914
837,160
(493,003)
176,681
97,448
274,129
74,237
74,237
18,990
18,990
54,870
54,870
other income & expenses
Other income
Net increase in designated funds
Restricted contributions
Net other income
136,243
128,950
265,193
2013
FUNDR AISING - 17%
GENER AL MISSION
REL ATED - 42%
FACILITIES - 11%
GENER AL AND
ADMINISTR ATIVE - 19%
GUEST SERVICES - 11%
The years 2011 - 2013 were audited or reviewed by BHA, LLC. The
previous two years were audited by Nickerson Professional Association.
34
Board of
Trustees
David Moses Bridges
Katherine Stroud Bucklin
Richard Cleary
Jeff Dalrymple, Treasurer
Linda K. Dunn
Ann Cox Halkett, Vice Chair
William Haviland
Margaret Kelley
Barbara McLeod, Secretary
Rick Phillips-Doyle
Darren J. Ranco
Douglas Sharpe
Arthur E. Spiess
Alice Wellman, Honorary Trustee
Sandra K. Wilcox, Chair
Abbe Museum
Native Advisory
Council Members
John Dennis, Aroostook Band of Micmac
Chief Brenda Commander, Houlton Band of
Maliseet
Vera Francis, Passamaquoddy, Pleasant Point
Brenda Moore-Mitchell, Passamaquoddy,
Pleasant Point
Rick Phillips-Doyle, Passamaquoddy, Pleasant
Point
James Francis, Penobscot Nation
Darren Ranco, Penobscot Nation
Chris Sockalexis, Penobscot Nation
Vice Chief Bill Thompson, Penobscot Nation
Cassandra Dana, Passamaquoddy, Indian
Township
George Neptune, Passamaquoddy, Indian
Township
Donald Soctomah, Passamaquoddy, Indian
Township
Abbe Museum Staff
Raney Bench, Curator of Education
Johannah Blackman, Manager of Museum Services
John Brown, Director of Finance and Administration
Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko, President and CEO
Julia Clark, Curator of Collections
George Neptune, Museum Educator
Allison Shank, Manager of Guest and Creative Services
Hannah Whalen, Director of Development
The Abbe is more, much more than a
museum... It enshrines and enriches
that most precious filament of
continuity of heritage from the past to
the present to the future of the First
People. We are privileged and proud
being part of the Abbe’s mission.
-Joseph and Cathy Gerstner
35
abbemuseum .org
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