Penobscot basket maker Theresa Secord wins national award [Video]

Penobscot basket maker Theresa Secord, who has dedicated her career to preserving the traditional art of weaving, has won a $100,000 award from the Ruth Foundation for the Arts.

“I’m kind of beyond honored and humbled,” Secord said in an interview Tuesday. “It’s a really big one. It’s just really good to be recognized for four decades of my art. I really believe that traditional basketry here in the tribes is transcendental in these times. We’ve seen Wabanaki artists’ lives transformed by their basketry practice, and I definitely feel that has been the case for me.”

Secord, who lives in Farmington, was so surprised by the award that she didn’t believe the news at first.

“I thought the email was spam,” she said with a laugh. “I almost deleted it.”

The Ruth Foundation for the Arts, based in Wisconsin, launched in 2022 and has granted more than $35 million to date. This particular prize goes …