
Passamaquoddy Basket Weaver Jeremy Frey, From Addiction To Adulation
A popular retelling of the Wabanaki creation story states that man came from the bark of ash trees. The basket trees. The magic, giant-hero Gloosekap shot the trees with his bow and arrow and from the split wood human beings came forth.
The Wabanaki come from ash trees in what is now called Maine.
The same ash trees being obliterated by invasive emerald ash borers across the country. Tens of millions of ash trees lost to the shiny, metallic green, half-inch insect in Michigan's lower peninsula alone. It is believed the bug came to America via the Great Lakes having burrowed into wooden shipping pallets originating in its native Asia.
First identified in the U.S. in Michigan in 2002, Maine had its first sighting in May of 2018. The insects don't travel far themselves, but as was the case with transport from Asia to Michigan, human activity spreads them beyond what the bug can accomplish. Moving firewood from one place to another is the likely reason for how the insect has been able to hopscotch into 33 states and Canada, killing hundreds of millions of trees in what amounts to the blink of an eye in forest terms.
DON'T MOVE FIREWOOD BEYOND WHERE IT'S SOURCED!
Jeremy Frey (Passamaquoddy, b. 1978) occupies the space between the ash tree's life-giving past and its ominous future. The most celebrated weaver of Passamaquoddy baskets ever, each of Frey's creations carries a memory of Gloosekap, a warning of the emerald ash borer, and the artist's unique signature.
He has imagined and achieved designs and forms in Passamaquoddy basket weaving previously unthought of. Breathtaking innovations of conceit and skill. New materials and bold experimentation with color, pattern, shape, and scale. Intricately woven double-walled baskets. Baskets inside of baskets recalling nesting dolls.
Thanks to Frey, Passamaquoddy ash baskets have finally made the jump to being recognized as fine art. Museum pieces. Following stops at the Portland Museum of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago, the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, CT now presents 'Jeremy Frey: Woven,' through September 7, 2025. The tour marks the artist's first solo museum exhibition and the first major retrospective of a Passamaquoddy artist presented at fine art museums in the U.S.
'Woven' offers a comprehensive exploration of Frey's 20-plus year career with more than 50 woven baskets crafted from natural materials like sweetgrass, cedar, spruce root, and porcupine quills. And, of course, ash. Brown ash to be specific–alternately known as black ash. Brown ash grows in wet areas resulting in a supple wood, perfect for peeling into thin strips then weaving into baskets.
But for how long?
While the emerald ash borer has yet to be found in the small town where Frey lives near Bangor, that is likely an inevitability. Frey, who sources all his own trees–tall and straight without branches on the trunk to interrupt the wood–has been taking from the forest a little more than needed for years, creating a reserve. A reserve of material for the continuance of his artmaking and the continuance of his culture should brown ash vanish from the forest.
'I've been to ground zero where (the emerald ash borer infestation) started and went out in the woods and saw what the devastation can be,' Frey told Forbes.com. 'Our creation legend is that we come from the ash tree, my people, and the basketry goes into that as well. It's a twofold hit. Then I think about how it all happened. Globalization. Commercialism. I'm just as responsible as anyone if you buy something that comes on a pallet that bug was in.'
Global commerce and consumerism and the transnational shipping it requires has spread invasive species around the world to devastating ecological and economic effect. In addition to the emerald ash borer, a partial list includes zebra mussels carried to the Great Lakes in shipping ballast, 'rat spills' in the Aleutian Islands, and stowaway brown tree snakes on Guam.
Frey shares a fatalistic perspective about what the loss of brown ash trees would mean to Passamaquoddy culture.
'I guess it's not any different from the thousands of other things we've lost, but if we came from a certain thing and it no longer exists, it's devastating, but it's not like Native people haven't been devastated a hundred thousand times before,' he said. 'We'll continue on. It's just another thing at this point. I hate to say it that way. I almost feel like, 'There goes another one,' but at the same time, if those legends are true, and if we actually came from a tree like that, that's another part of the Mother just gone. It's powerful being in the woods and harvesting them. It's one of my favorite parts of what I do. I know I'll miss that.' From Addiction To Adulation
Jeremy Frey (Passamaquoddy, b. 1978) 'Bluejay,' 2021. Black ash, cedar bark, birch bark, porcupine quills, natural undyed and aniline dyed porcupine quills, 12 x 9 in. Bruce Museum, Gift in memory of Maryann and Jay Chai, 2024.05.52.a - .b Paul Mutino
Frey didn't pick up weaving until his 20s despite the practice running seven generations deep in his family. He worked kitchen jobs. Long hours, little pay, getting high in his downtime to decompress. His addiction hadn't gotten so bad, however, that he couldn't recognize his life spiraling downward.
'It wasn't my plan,' Frey explained of his introduction to basket weaving. 'I came home to clean up. I just wanted to come home. My mother was learning to weave from an elder in the community at the time.'
That elder was Sylvia Gabriel (1929–2003).
Frey's mother, Gal Frey (b. 1957), had her own reasons for not wanting to embrace the family basketmaking tradition earlier in life.
'She was raised on the reservation before there was much support for the reservation,' Frey said. 'Everyone was very, very poor. My grandfather made baskets and he was a lobsterman. Sometimes to eat, the kids would have to work on baskets, and so it didn't have positive (associations).'
Basketmaking for Gal Frey wasn't an art project, 'It was a feed your brothers because they're hungry' project, in Jeremy Frey's words. 'That doesn't stir a lot of happy emotions.'
Gabriel passed the fundamentals of her 'point style' on to Gal Frey, who passed them on to her son.
'She asked me if I wanted to try. It was very frustrating at first, but I've done art my whole life,' Frey remembers. 'When I was younger, I sculpted, I carved, I painted, I drew. When me and my brother got together, rather than playing with toys, we'd draw stories, or we'd make characters out of clay, carve our own swords to sword fight. I used to make dinosaurs out of tin foil, brontosaurus.'
Mother and son were also instructed by the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance–an organization committed to resuscitating Wabanaki basketry.
Jeremy Frey found basketmaking, the time and concentration involved, a perfect and productive replacement for his addiction, idle hands being the devil's workshop and all that. A form of meditation. A therapy.
'I just buried myself into basketry and I replaced that obsession of drug use with an obsession of art, an obsession of weaving,' Frey said.
He was quickly rewarded. Attending smaller and then larger Native American art markets, his baskets sold.
'When I first came into the market, basketry was dying off, and it was being reintroduced through a few elders. Those elders were old, arthritic, their quality had come down. What they were teaching was a lower quality,' Frey said. 'Their students had learned from a teacher who wasn't at their peak anymore. There were a few very talented weavers, but for the most part, a lot had been lost.'
Sizing up the competition, Frey also recognized he needed to stand out to sell work.
'When I went to my first market, my instinct was to walk around the entire show and look at every single basket there. I had a few pieces that were just modeled after my mother's and they were not unique at all,' Frey said. 'I went home and started rethinking what was possible.'
His traditional basketmaking gradually evolved into contemporary fine art one tweak after another.
'One of the first things I did was I took the traditional weaves and I made them very tiny. So instead of having quarter inch weavers, they were like 32nd of an inch weavers,' Frey said. 'Then I had to find a way for that weave to support itself because it's so tiny, it could just collapse on itself. I had to learn about material preparation, material choice, the way that the ribs are laid. I had to basically redesign the traditional basket to suit the new designs. With that came the next thing and the next thing, the next thing. Every year I would bring something that no one had seen before. I did that for years.'
His baskets took the Native art scene by storm. In 2011, he was awarded Best in Show at the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts Indian Market in Santa Fe, the oldest, largest, and most prestigious exhibition of Indigenous art in the world. Frey became the first basket maker in the event's then 90-year history to do so. He'd also won Best in Show earlier that year at the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market in Phoenix–his first time entering–becoming only the second artist ever to accomplish that double play. In 2015, he again won Best in Show at the Heard, the second most prestigious Native American art fair, becoming the first artist to do so.
He wanted more. To reach more people. A wider audience beyond Native Art.
'That was a great way for me to get my work introduced to the world–I'm not knocking it in any way–but as an artist who is trying to put their soul into the world, I wanted to see my baskets, my art, (received) not as a Native's art–and again, I love all the support that that's given me–but I want to keep pushing, I want to make art that inspires everyone. If I knew a way that I could have art change the world, I want it to be profound, and I want it to still be a basket from the woods. I don't know how to do that, but wouldn't it be cool?' Basket Making Becomes Fine Art
Jeremy Frey (Passamaquoddy, born 1978), 'Loon' (detail), 2020, ash, cedar bark, porcupine quill on birch bark, and dye, 36 x 23 x 23 inches. Private collection of Catherine Stiefel, California. © Jeremy Frey. Eric Stoner
Early in his career, Frey developed a formula that produced income while feeding his desire to push the boundaries of creativity.
'I used to go to a show and I'd make one big piece, one of my favorite, big, complex pieces, and then I'd make a bunch of filler pieces so I could pay the bills. If I sell these four or five pieces, I'll get to the next show. I'll pay rent.' Frey explained. 'If (the big basket) didn't sell, at least I got to experiment, to try something new. Now, working in a gallery space, in the contemporary art world, having exposure, I can make just art pieces.'
Frey's success at the Native art markets led to representation in New York with Karma gallery, which put him on the mainstream contemporary art radar, ultimately leading to institutional interest, selling pieces to leading art museums around the country, as opposed to exclusively individual collectors.
'For me, it's freedom. It's freedom to create whatever I want to create versus making orders,' Frey said. 'Usually, when you do an order, especially with basketry, you're doing an order of something someone's already seen, and so your growth is slower because you're remaking things you've made before. I have no desire to sit on a design that exists. I get bored of my work if it doesn't get better. There has to be something brand new about a piece or I'm not thrilled. Working in this space I'm working in now, I'm able to be more imaginative.'
That imagination is spreading to other mediums. Frey has prints and a video on view in the exhibition as well. They'll never replace his baskets, and hopefully, they'll never need to. More From Forbes Forbes SWAIA Santa Fe Indian Market: The World's Greatest Art Fair By Chadd Scott Forbes Cara Romero's First Major Solo Museum Show Opening At Hood Museum Of Art By Chadd Scott Forbes Indigenous Group Of Seven Artworks Together Again At The Whyte Museum In Banff, Alberta By Chadd Scott
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My Pick: Royals is a deep sleeper for the Chiefs. Worthy and Brown have both dealt with injuries at different points in training camp, while Rice could face a possible suspension to start the year. If any of those players miss time, the fourth-rounder Royals is the next man up. He probably won't ever crack my starting lineup, but there's at least a path to him returning value in the opening weeks. Round 14 Pick Player Team 235 Amari Cooper Brett Kundtz 236 Russell Wilson Adam Hellwig 237 Antonio Gibson Mike Graben 238 Roman Wilson John Adams 239 Tutu Atwell Jason Jung 240 Jalen Nailor Dan Titus 241 Calvin Austin III Dan Harris 242 Phil Mafah Collin Brennan 243 Daniel Jones Justin Boone 244 Keaton Mitchell Scott Pianowski 245 Tory Horton Brett Rader 246 Elic Ayomanor Jason Klabacha 247 Jermaine Burton Mo Castillo 248 Ollie Gordon II Trevor Brigham 249 Theo Johnson Matt Harmon 250 JuJu Smith-Schuster Aaron Tan 251 Tyler Higbee Jonathan Bassey 252 Cole Kmet Ben Zweiman Nailor is a very sneaky pick here and I was disappointed he didn't fall to me in the final round. Similar to the Chiefs scenario, Minnesota might be without Addison early in the season if the league issues a suspension before then. That would create an opportunity for Nailor to temporarily play the No. 2 receiver role in the Vikings offense. Nailor caught touchdowns in both games Addison missed last year. My Pick: With Richardson playing well so far in camp, Jones seems like the underdog to start for the Colts in Week 1. Even so, I didn't take a second quarterback and wasn't particularly thrilled by any of the names still available when I was on the clock at 243rd overall. So, taking a QB with a chance to win himself a starting job over the next month made sense.
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The Best Recently Added TV Shows To Watch On Hulu In August
New month. New shows. Streaming services are adding a ton of new seasons of shows in a wide range of genres. That includes Hulu, which has always led the way when it comes to TV and never has an empty bag. Here are the 21 best recently added shows on Hulu for August 2025: Floribama Shore Follow the wild lives of Southerners hitting the party scenes of Florida's nightlife on the panhandle. Seasons added: 1 and 2 Available: Aug 1 Watch it on Hulu. Castaways try to outplay, outwit, and outlast in Survivor: South Pacific (S23) featuring the polarizing "Redemption Island" and One World (S24) with same-beach tribes. Seasons added: 23 and 24 Available: Aug 1 Watch it on Hulu. Boss CBS Corporate executives put on disguises to go undercover in their own companies. Seasons added: 7 and 11 Available: Aug 1 Watch it on Hulu. The Beast Three participants must survive 30 days in the wild with no food, shelter, or items. Seasons added: 1 Watch it on Hulu. Lives Here People recount their terrifying experiences living alongside people who committed atrocious crimes. Seasons added: 16 Watch it on Hulu. of the Hill Hank and Peggy Hill return to Texas and reconnect with old friends. Seasons added: 14 Watch it on Hulu. Drive-Ins, and Dives Guy Fieri goes all over the country looking for the greatest (and most delicious) diners, dine-ins, and dives. Seasons added: 3 and 4 Watch it on Hulu Aug 23. Impossible Failing family-owned restaurants receive tough love from Chef Robert Irvine to save their business in two days. Seasons added: 2 Watch it on Hulu Aug 23. Great Food Truck Race Food truck owners team up to compete against each other to win rounds and earn a $50,000 prize. Seasons added: 15 Watch it on Hulu Aug 23. The complete original fantasy sitcom about a witch who marries an ordinary mortal man. Seasons added: 1–8 Watch it on Hulu Aug 28. Cam Body cam footage and the stories from the officers. Seasons added: 8 and 9 Watch it on Hulu. the Heck Did I Buy This House? Remorseful homeowners seek the help of designer and renovator Kim Wolfe (also a castaway of Survivor Season 24) to fix their homes. Seasons added: 1 and 2 Watch it on Hulu Aug 7. Challenge Celebs party, hook up, and fight one another all while competing in daring challenges for cash prizes. Seasons added: 13 and 19 Watch it on Hulu Aug 9. Unknown Follow Josh Gates as he explores the secrets behind hidden treasures and lost history. Seasons added: 7 and 8 Watch it on Hulu Aug 9. Dangers in My Heart Something for anime fans: An antisocial boy and a popular girl meet and second-guess their own personalities. Seasons added: 1 and 2 Watch it on Hulu Aug 14. No Evil True crime fans will hit record for this series that pieces together clues from open crime cases through surveillance cameras. Seasons added: 5, 6, and 7 Watch it on Hulu Aug 14 (5 & 6 on Aug 16). Flip Off Exes Tarek El Moussa and Christina Haack compete against each other in a house flipping competition with drama on and off screen. Seasons added: 1 Watch it on Hulu Aug 7. Case Files: Murder in the Bayou Follow stories of cold cases buried in the muck of the swamp. Seasons added: 1 Watch it on Hulu Aug 16. Diana Show: Greatest Playtime Adventures The top-rated kids' show comes to Hulu as Diana and Roma have fun adventures. Seasons added: 1 Watch it on Hulu. Cooks in America Follow the cooking competition, so bad, it's good. Celebrated chefs mentor amateur cooks in a cooking competition that proves practice makes perfect. RIP Anne Burrell. Seasons added: 28 Watch it on Hulu Aug 23. lastly, Storage Wars Yuuuup. Pawn shop owners look to outbid one another for abandoned storage units in hopes of finding hidden gems and big payouts. Seasons added: 12 Watch it on Hulu Aug 28. Which TV show is gonna be at the top of your list? Comment below! Watch all these shows and more on Hulu.
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Couple Gets Engaged at Airport Where They First Met in a Proposal Straight Out of a Rom-Com
The pair met in February 2023 at the major transportation portNEED TO KNOW A couple got engaged at the Philadelphia International Airport Matthew Brenner and Lesley Venella met at the airport in February 2023, when Brenner saw Venella taking a photo in front of a "Welcome to Philadelphia" sign Over two years later, the husband-to-be popped the big question to Venella at the same airport where they metIt was like something out of a movie! A couple got engaged at the Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), where their unique love story began. The airport shared a video on social media about how the major transportation port brought Matthew Brenner and Lesley Venella together. The pair met in February 2023, according to PHL, when Brenner saw Venella taking a photo in front of a "Welcome to Philadelphia" sign after his flight from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The gentleman offered to take her photo and the rest was history. The two exchanged phone numbers and began a long-distance relationship. Brenner then "packed a single checked bag, sold his karate school and moved over 1,000 miles to build a life with Lesley." Now, over two years later, the husband-to-be popped the big question to Venella at the same airport where they met. In fact, he brought them back to the exact area where they exchanged their first words and even covered the welcome sign to read "Will you marry me?" The couple were joined by their parents at the airport and "over 100 strangers" who had stuck around to witness the sweet proposal. "Congratulations, Matthew and Lesley. You met as strangers in our terminal and now you're building a life together. We are truly honored that PHL was the starting point for your love story," the airport wrote in the video. The couple spoke with WPHL about their dreamy meet-cute and proposal. Looking back on their fateful first encounter, Venella said, "We were waiting for our respective rides to come and get us from the airport, so we were kind of up against the clock. We exchanged numbers, and then I was only scheduled to be in for the weekend. But I told him that I would cancel my flight to return to Florida on Monday if he would take me out the following day." Brenner admitted that he thought the relationship would be "a fun, like, little fling, or something," at first due to their distance, given that she was based in Florida while he lived in Philadelphia. "But then as things grew, I was like, 'Oh, wait, this person's actually amazing.' And I was like, there's no better feeling in the world to find someone that's incredible and, and that you're willing to literally pack up your bags and move for them, like, really uproot your whole life," he added. As for the proposal, Brenner did not expect to get such a passionate response from passersby. He recalled the large crowd at baggage claim being "sat there with their phones out." "And there was like this, like thunderous roar, and I didn't expect that. These people actually got a better view than our families," the man said. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories. The story has received tons of attention on social media, where people are celebrating the couple's engagement and expressing their own desire for an airport love story. "How special is this?!! He gets extra points for being kind and sentimental! Congratulations to both of you," wrote one person. "Why can't this happen to me? I work in the airport," joked another. A third person said they "absolutely love this" and gave the couple their blessing. Read the original article on People