Abbe Museum

The Abbe Museum will design, fabricate, and install a permanent exhibit showcasing the history and culture of Maine's native Wabanaki people. The exhibit will include content, artifacts, images, and interactive elements informed by the museum's interpretive framework, its Native Advisory Council, and Native advisors. Tribal communities in Maine are often misrepresented, and providing open forums where Native people represent themselves and their communities can mitigate misrepresentation and racism. A comprehensive exhibit at the Abbe provides such a forum and can benefit Wabanaki people by creating a better-informed citizenry. Evidence of the project's impact will be gathered by measuring repeat visitation rates by the general public; public program participation rates; media coverage, reviews and blogs about the exhibit; and the response from the tribal communities and Native visitors to the museum.