Theresa Secord's guest appearances

Theresa Secord

Make/Time

Art Works Podcast

John Adams

Kevin Young

Nicholson Baker

Jake Gyllenhaal

Tracy K. Smith

Danielle Evans

Lynn Nottage

Josh Ritter

Michael Berry

Sebastian Junger

Jacob Lawrence

Rhiannon Giddens

Ron Capps

Jericho Brown

John Collins

OwlTail

We are celebrating Native American Heritage Month and the NEA National Heritage Award by revisiting Theresa Secord—a 2106 awardee and Penobscot basketmaker.   Although Secord’s great-grandmother was renowned for her baskets woven from the bark black ash tree and sweet grass, Theresa herself didn’t learn to weave until she was an adult.  In the podcast she discusses returning to the reservation after getting a master’s degree in geology and becoming interested in the traditional cultural art forms of the Wabanaki and learning basketry from an elder Penobscot basketmaker.  Becoming an accomplished and award-winning artist, Secord talks about her growing awareness that basket-making was close to becoming a dying art form and her determination not to watch this fade into history;  she discusses co-founding the Maine Indian Basketmaker’s Alliance—an organization she led for 21 years, and her continuing commitment to conservation to preserve the ash tree against the destruction of the invasive emerald ash borer beetle.  Join us online on November 17 when we premier the documentary called “Roots of American Culture”  a celebration of the  artistry of  the 2022 National Heritage Fellows. Check out our website arts.gov for more details. We’d love to know your thoughts--email us at  artworkspod@arts.gov.

We are celebrating <a href="https://nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Native American Heritage Month</a> and the <a href="https://www.arts.gov/honors/heritage" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">NEA National Heritage Award</a> by revisiting <a href="https://www.arts.gov/honors/heritage/theresa-secord" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Theresa Secord</a>—a 2106 awardee and Penobscot basketmaker.   Although Secord’s great-grandmother was renowned for her baskets woven from the bark black ash tree and sweet grass, Theresa herself didn’t learn to weave until she was an adult.  In the podcast she discusses returning to the reservation after getting a master’s degree in geology and becoming interested in the traditional cultural art forms of the Wabanaki and learning basketry from an elder Penobscot basketmaker.  Becoming an accomplished and award-winning artist, Secord talks about her growing awareness that basket-making was close to becoming a dying art form and her determination not to watch this fade into history;  she discusses co-founding the Maine Indian Basketmaker’s Alliance—an organization she led for 21 years, and her continuing commitment to conservation to preserve the ash tree against the destruction of the invasive emerald ash borer beetle.  Join us online on November 17 when we premier the documentary called <a href="https://www.arts.gov/honors/heritage" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">“Roots of American Culture” </a> a celebration of the  artistry of  the 2022 National Heritage Fellows. Check out our website <a href="https://www.arts.gov/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">arts.gov</a> for more details. We’d love to know your thoughts--email us at  <a href="mailto:artworkspod@arts.gov" rel="nofollow">artworkspod@arts.gov</a>.

Celebrating Native American Heritage Month by Revisiting Award-Winning Penobscot Basketmaker Theresa Secord

Theresa Secord is a Penobscot basket weaver and founder of the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance. She was recently named an American Heritage Fellow by the National Endowment for the Arts. A lifelong Mainer, she grew up off reservation and eventually became a geologist. Theresa came to basketmaking through studying her native language as an adult; the weaving was a tactile part of the language lessons, and Theresa soon realized was more artist than linguist, and she's never turned back. Her work with the alliance has resulted in a rejuvenation of the the basketmaking tradition; the number of weavers from Wabanaki tribes has grown from a handful to scores, and it has become a viable source of income and renown for native weavers again. Recently, Theresa has stepped down from her organizing work to return to her own artistry, where she focuses on fancy basket work and on using new materials in place of the sacred and endangered Brown Ash.  Make/Time shares conversations about craft, inspiration, and the creative process. Listen to leading makers and thinkers talk about where they came from, what they're making, and where they're going next. Make/Time is hosted by Stuart Kestenbaum and is a project of craftschools.us.

Theresa Secord is a Penobscot basket weaver and founder of the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance. She was recently named an American Heritage Fellow by the National Endowment for the Arts. A lifelong Mainer, she grew up off reservation and eventually became a geologist. Theresa came to basketmaking through studying her native language as an adult; the weaving was a tactile part of the language lessons, and Theresa soon realized was more artist than linguist, and she's never turned back. Her work with the alliance has resulted in a rejuvenation of the the basketmaking tradition; the number of weavers from Wabanaki tribes has grown from a handful to scores, and it has become a viable source of income and renown for native weavers again. Recently, Theresa has stepped down from her organizing work to return to her own artistry, where she focuses on fancy basket work and on using new materials in place of the sacred and endangered Brown Ash.  Make/Time shares conversations about craft, inspiration, and the creative process. Listen to leading makers and thinkers talk about where they came from, what they're making, and where they're going next. Make/Time is hosted by Stuart Kestenbaum and is a project of <a href="http://craftschools.us" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">craftschools.us</a>.

Bringing an ancient art form into the 21st century.

Bringing an ancient art form into the 21st century.