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Conversations from the Pointed Firs: Former Abbe Museum Director Chris Newell

January 2, 2022

Chris Newell joins host Peter Neill for an episode that will evoke the spirit of Maine as seen through the history of the native people who lived here since the beginning.

The Maine Monitor is proud to partner with the World Ocean Observatory to bring the Conversations from the Pointed Firs podcast to our audience.

Editor’s Note: The Maine Monitor is partnering with Peter Neill of the World Ocean Observatory to bring you this hour-long interview podcast.

Conversations from the Pointed Firs is a monthly interview-style podcast where Peter talks with authors and artists who live in Maine, work in Maine, or otherwise derive their creativity from the essence of Maine.

The guest for this episode is Chris Newell, the now former executive director of the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor. (Note: This interview was recorded when Newell was still executive director of the museum.)

Newell is a lifetime educator, story-teller, proud member of the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township, and a long-time member of the Mystic River Singers, an internationally acclaimed and award-winning inter-tribal pow wow drum group based in Connecticut.

Newell joined Peter for a discussion about the museum as storyteller and keeper of historical art, artifact and authenticity. Their conversation will evoke the spirit of Maine as seen through the history of the Wabanaki (in Maine, four tribes — the Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, Maliseet and Micmac — are known collectively as the Wabanaki), the native people who have lived here since the beginning.

Peter Neill

Peter Neill is founder and director of the World Ocean Observatory, a web-based place of exchange for information and educational services about the health of the ocean. Throughout his career, Peter has served as an advocate and independent consultant for strategic planning and innovation to organizations devoted to marine affairs, education, and public engagement. He is host of the long-running World Ocean Radio weekly audio feature, celebrating 12 years and 600 episodes in 2021; and Conversations from the Pointed Firs, a one-hour radio show on WERU-FM, wherein he interviews artists and authors who live in Maine, work in Maine, or otherwise derive their creativity from the essence of Maine.