Theresa Secord (born 1958) is an artist,

basketmaker Basket weaving (also basketry or basket making) is the process of weaving or sewing pliable materials into three-dimensional artifacts, such as baskets, mats, mesh bags or even furniture. Craftspeople and artists specialized in making baskets ...

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althou ...

and

activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

from

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

. She is a member of the

Penobscot The Penobscot (Abenaki: ''Pαnawάhpskewi'') are an Indigenous people in North America from the Northeastern Woodlands region. They are organized as a federally recognized tribe in Maine and as a First Nations band government in the Atlantic pr ...

nation, and the great-granddaughter of the well-known weaver Philomene Saulis Nelson. She co-founded, and was the director of, the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance (MIBA) in

Bar Harbor Bar Harbor is a resort town on Mount Desert Island in Hancock County, Maine, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population is 5,089. During the summer and fall seasons, it is a popular tourist destination and, until a catastrophic fire i ...

, Maine. When apprenticing with basketmaker Madeline Tomer Shay, Secord learned that she was one of few young Wabanaki people who was taught to make brown ash and sweet-grass baskets. After Shay's death, Secord founded MIBA in 1993 as a way to preserve Wabanaki language and culture. In 2003, the MIBA received the International Prize for Rural Creativity in part for lowering the average age of basketmakers in Maine from 63 to 43. Her work has been shown at the

Hudson Museum The Hudson Museum is an anthropology museum that is operated by the University of Maine and is located in the Collins Center for the Arts in Orono, Maine. The museum's collections include Maine Native American baskets and basket-making tools, Pr ...

at the

University of Maine The University of Maine (UMaine or UMO) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Orono, Maine. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the Flagship universities, flagshi ...

, at the

National Museum of the American Indian The National Museum of the American Indian is a museum in the United States devoted to the culture of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. It is part of the Smithsonian Institution group of museums and research centers. The museum has three ...

in New York, and at the

Southwest Museum of the American Indian The Southwest Museum of the American Indian is a museum, library, and archive located in the Mt. Washington neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, above the north-western bank of the Arroyo Seco (Los Angeles County) canyon and stream. The muse ...

in Los Angeles. She is the great niece of the renowned

dancer, actress and writer

Molly Spotted Elk Mary Nelson Archambaud (born Mary Alice Nelson; Penobscot pronunciation: Molly Dellis; ), best known by her stage name Molly Spotted Elk, was a Penobscot Indian dancer, actress, and writer who was born on the Penobscot Indian Island Reservation ...

, and her great-grandmother is Philomene Saulis Nelson, considered an "acclaimed weaver."

Education

Secord earned a B.A. in Geology from the

University of Southern Maine The University of Southern Maine (USM) is a public university with campuses in Portland, Gorham and Lewiston in the U.S. state of Maine. It is the southernmost of the University of Maine System. It was founded as two separate state universitie ...

in 1981 and an M.S. in Economic Geology from the

University of Wisconsin-Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

in 1984. She served as Staff Geologist for the

Penobscot Nation The Penobscot (Abenaki: ''Pαnawάhpskewi'') are an Indigenous people in North America from the Northeastern Woodlands region. They are organized as a federally recognized tribe in Maine and as a First Nations band government in the Atlantic pro ...

. Secord studied weaving and Penobscot language with Madeline Tomer Shay from 1988 to 1993.

Personal life

Secord has two sons, Caleb Hoffman and Will Hoffman. Both are basketmakers.

Awards and honors

*Secord received the "Prize for Women's Creativity in Rural Life" by the Women's World Summit Foundation in 2003 for helping rural basket makers rise out of poverty, becoming the first U.S. citizen to receive this award. She was one of five award winners invited to present her work at the

United Nations Commission on Human Rights The United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) was a functional commission within the overall framework of the United Nations from 1946 until it was replaced by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2006. It was a subsidiary body of t ...

in Geneva, Switzerland. *In 2009, she received the Community Spirit Award from the First Peoples Fund. *She was a recipient of a 2016

National Heritage Fellowship The National Heritage Fellowship is a lifetime honor presented to master folk and traditional artists by the National Endowment for the Arts. Similar to Japan's Living National Treasure award, the Fellowship is the United States government's h ...

awarded by the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

, which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. *She was the 2017

Bernard Osher Bernard Osher (born 1927) is an American businessman, best known for his work as a philanthropist. Life and career Osher was born to a Jewish family and raised in Biddeford, Maine. In 1948, he graduated with a B.A. from Bowdoin College. He s ...

Lecturer at the

Portland Museum of Art The Portland Museum of Art, or PMA, is the largest and oldest public art institution in the U.S. state of Maine. Founded as the Portland Society of Art in 1882. It is located in the downtown area known as The Arts District in Portland, Maine. Hi ...

Published works

Changing Faces of Tradition: A Report on the Folk and Traditional Art in the United States - Chapter 5 OrganizingTwo Maine Forest Pests: A Comparison of Approaches to Understanding Threats to Hemlock and Ash Trees in Maine

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Secord, Theresa Women basketweavers Native American basket weavers Artists from Maine Penobscot people Living people 1958 births National Heritage Fellowship winners University of Southern Maine alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Letters and Science alumni 20th-century Native Americans 21st-century Native Americans 21st-century Native American women 20th-century American women artists 21st-century American women artists