Cultural Connections in the Park: Aron Griffith, Maliseet

Park Event · Acadia National Park · Sep 16, 2026 · 11:00 AM–3:00 PM

The Cultural Connections in the Park series occurs on select Wednesdays from June through September.

Aron Griffith, Maliseet

Learn about the artistry and traditions of birchbark with Aron Griffith. Aron, a Maliseet artist who resides in Maine and the Southwest, took on basket making in his early 30s and found a career that fulfilled his goal to raise awareness of the Maliseet traditions and culture. As an artist, he works with Maliseet traditional designs and concepts on birchbark which he gathers in the North Woods and Canada.

Aron is self-taught and has developed his own unique style, including his creations of birchbark dolls, burden baskets & rattles. Each piece of bark is selected carefully and with respect to the birch tree. Etchings are done using a needle or awl, and usually decorated with sweetgrass, spruce root and brown ash. Aron’s baskets are functional pieces as well as decorative and his designs represent various animal and plant life.

Program Details

This program will take place outside near the Sieur de Monts Nature Center. All Cultural Connections programs are sponsored by Dawnland, LLC, are offered in partnership between Acadia National Park and the Abbe Museum, and are free and open to the public.

Source: National Park Service (public domain).