Image of four baskets on a white background. Each is ornately woven with curls and sweetgrass details. Two have sweetgrass braid loop handles and two have brown ash flowers on the cover.

Dolly Barnes (Artist Profile)

November 5, 2024 News

Dolly Barnes learned to make baskets from her mother, Molly Neptune Parker (1939-2020). Molly was an acclaimed Wabanaki basketmaker who received a 2012 National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellow and a First Peoples’ Fund Community Spirit Award. 

As a child, Dolly created her first baskets using scraps. Over time, her mother taught her fancy basket styles, particularly flower top baskets, passed down from prior generations. Dolly continued to make these styles, but also vases, tall open cylinder baskets, knitting baskets, button baskets, and forms ornamented with curl work and sweetgrass braid. 

Dolly’s work has been showcased in various exhibitions, including the Portland Museum of Art, where her baskets are displayed alongside those of her mother, emphasizing the enduring legacy of Passamaquoddy weaving traditions.

In addition to her artistic endeavors, Dolly has been actively involved in education within her community. She was appointed a social worker for the Indian Township Passamaquoddy School Department for the 2021-2022 academic year. More recently, she was nominated Assistant Principal for the 2024-2025 school year, highlighting her commitment to supporting and guiding students in her community.

Through her artistry and dedication to education, Dolly Barnes continues to make significant contributions to the cultural and social fabric of the Passamaquoddy community.

For more information, click here for Dolly’s Wabanaki Artist Directory page.

A basket with a cluster of wooden flowers on the cover. The side of the basket is woven with both blue and tan wood.
In 2025 Dolly was commissioned to make the Friends of the Hudson Museum raffle basket.

Photos: Dolly Barnes – Passamaquoddy Basketmaker

Video: Molly Neptune Parker – National Heritage Fellow

Upcoming 2026 Wabanaki Winter Market (Saturday, December 12, 2026):

Organized by the Hudson Museum, the Wabanaki Winter Market is New England’s largest holiday gathering of Wabanaki artists. The annual December event features award-winning Wabanaki weavers as well as new artists representing the next generation of artists.

The 2026 Wabanaki Winter Market is supported in part by the through the Alton ’38 and Adelaide Hamm Campus Activity Fund.

Location of the event: The (2 Flagstaff Road | 91¸£Àû)

Date: Saturday, December 12, 2026 (from 9 am to 3 pm)

Contact: Gretchen Faulkner | Director, Hudson Museum (207.581.1904)

For event updates, please visit: