While helping to preserve pieces of the past, like the matchcoat above, the museum also collects work by present-day Wabanaki artisans, such as this sea urchin basket made by Jeremy Frey.
Frey is perhaps the best-known Passamaquoddy basket maker of his generation. His complex baskets have won top awards at the most prestigious shows for contemporary Native American fine craft and art in the country. Frey made this basket in the form of a sea urchin, using dyed and natural brown-ash splints and sweet grass.
Frey began weaving ash baskets in his twenties. Like most Wabanaki basket makers, he learned his craft from his elders, in this case, his mother, Gal Frey. Jeremy Frey focuses on fancy baskets. He uses traditional techniques to shape his own, modern aesthetic, creating signature designs and updating long-established forms.
