Craft Chat: Theresa Secord and Caleb Hoffman (Digital Program)
This online Craft Chat brings together Theresa Secord and Caleb Hoffman, artists, basketmakers, and members of the Penobscot Nation. They will discuss the process, materials, and cultural meaning of traditional Penobscot basketry, as well as their contemporary artistic practices and current work. Both artists’ work is featured in Fuller Craft Museum’s permanent collection exhibition *The Vessel*.
Secord, a traditional Penobscot basketmaker, learned to weave on Indian Island, Maine, in 1988 from community elder Madeline Tomer Shay. She uses wooden forms and tools inherited from her great-grandmother and dating to the late 1800s. Secord is the founding director of the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance and has taught many people to weave baskets from ash and sweet grass. Her honors include the National Endowment for the Arts’ 2016 National Heritage Fellowship, the First Peoples Fund’s 2009 Community Spirit Award, and the Women’s World Summit Foundation’s 2003 Prize for Creativity in Rural Life.
Hoffman began making baskets at age eight and first learned from his mother, Secord. He has participated in MIBA workshops, festivals, markets, and other gatherings for more than two decades, learning from Wabanaki artists and culture bearers. In 2023, he began an apprenticeship with Passamaquoddy artist Jeremy Frey. His work includes weaving baskets and preparing materials by pounding ash logs, splitting, scraping, and gauging the wood. The page also identifies his work *Tribute* (2026), with photography by Will Howcroft.
When: Thursday, November 19
Showtimes: 5:30–6:30 PM
Format: Online-only digital program presented through Zoom
Tickets: Price not available
Registration: Registration is required. The Zoom link will be sent to participants 24 hours before the program.
Ages: All ages
Artists: Theresa Secord and Caleb Hoffman
Venue: Fuller Craft Museum, presented as a digital program
Accessibility and questions: Attendees with questions or concerns about participating in a digital event can contact Fuller Craft Museum at 508-588-6000.
Support: The program is supported by grants from local cultural councils through the Massachusetts Cultural Council.