Abbe Museum Announces Powerful Panel Lineup for 2025 Dawnland Festival of Arts & Ideas
Indigenous-led conversations highlight thought leadership across climate, art, technology, land, history, and food systems
BAR HARBOR— The Abbe Museum’s Dawnland Festival of Arts & Ideas has announced its full lineup of Indigenous-led panel discussions, taking place July 12-13, 2025, on the campus of the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine. These four sessions represent a core part of this free summer event, bringing together Wabanaki and other Native thought leaders to explore some of the biggest questions of our time.
Featuring more than a dozen scholars, cultural leaders, artists, historians, technologists, land stewards, and food sovereignty advocates, these panels are part of a larger weekend that also includes live performances, a 50+ artisan marketplace, and family-friendly programming, all presented by Abbe Museum.
“Native arts and cultures cannot be separated from Native ways of knowing,” said Betsy Richards (Cherokee Nation), executive director and senior partner with Wabanaki Nations. “The Dawnland Festival of Arts & Ideas continues to celebrate the Native creative economy on Wabanaki homelands while lifting up Indigenous thought leadership vital to the conversation on a healthy planet and society for us all.”
Saturday, July 12, 2025 - Panel Schedule
(All panels to take place on the campus of the College of the Atlantic)
2:30-3:20 p.m. EST - Panel #1 - Native Arts, Cultures, & Technology
This conversation explores the intersections of emerging technologies and Indigenous expressive cultures from performance and visual art to language preservation and digital platforms.
Panelists:
Ty Defoe (Ojibwe + Oneida Nations), Grammy Award-Winning Interdisciplinary Artist and Futurist
Emma Hassencahl-Perley (Wolastoqey), Curator, Writer, and Artist
Dwayne Tomah (Passamaquoddy Nation), Language Keeper and Co-Creator of Apple’s Passamaquoddy Language App
4-4:50 p.m. EST - Panel #2 - Wabanaki Forest Futures
This panel addresses future visions for forest management, Ash tree protection, and climate resilience through the lens of Wabanaki land stewardship and traditional ecological knowledge.
Panelists:
Tyler Everett (Mi’kmaq Nation), University of Maine Forestry Researcher
Chuck Loring (Penobscot Nation), Penobscot Nation Director of Cultural Resources
Richard Silliboy (Mi’kmaq Nation), Master Basketmaker and Former Vice Chief
Sunday, July 13, 2025 - Panel Schedule
(All panels to take place on the campus of the College of the Atlantic)
2:30-3:20 p.m. EST - Panel #3 - Centering Wabanaki Voices in America’s 250th
As the United States marks its semiquincentennial, this conversation highlights Wabanaki presence in the national narrative.
Panelists:
Zeke Crofton-MacDonald (Houlton Band of Maliseet), Tribal Ambassador, Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians
James Francis (Penobscot Nation), Penobscot Nation Director of Cultural and Historical Preservation and Artist.
Siera Hyte (Cherokee Nation), Curator of Indigenous American Art, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
4-4:50 p.m. EST - Panel #4 - Indigenous Farm to Table
This session explores farming, food systems, culinary excellence, and well-being through the lens of Indigenous food sovereignty.
Panelists:
Dawn Spears (Narragansett), Artist, Native Arts Consultant, and Co-Owner Ashawaug Farm
Cassius Spears (Narragansett), Agricultural Expert, Cultural Educator, and Co-Owner of Ashawaug Farm
Anthony Sutton (Passamaquoddy Nation), Assistant Professor of Native American Studies and Food Systems, University of Maine
Jasmine Thompson-Tintor (Penobscot Nation), Restaurateur and Food Sovereignty Advocate
All panels are free and open to the public. Seating is first-come, first-served, with priority given to pre-registered attendees.
Register at www.DawnlandFestival.org.
Assistance with registration is available by calling Abbe Museum at (207) 288-3519 or emailing info@abbemusuem.org.