Wampum: Stories from the Shells of Native America 

Exhibition dates: August 7 - September 8, 2024

This wampum exhibit, curated and assembled by Native artists and educators, tells a story of Wampanoag resilience–Wampanoag art, culture, stories, and ideas are here to stay. The centerpiece of the exhibit is a magnificent new wampum belt, through which Wampanoag artists of today share their stories and creative aspirations.​

Made from the purple and white shells of the whelk and quahog, wampum beads embody the Wampanoag connection to the sea and to life itself. Each wampum bead is imbued with memory and meaning by the maker, and the belt, held together by soft, yet durable brain-tanned lace warps, has developed into a remarkable tapestry of art, community, and tribal history. 

Julia Marden and Jason Widdiss, both members of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head Aquinnah, led the belt weaving and bead making efforts, respectively. Andre Strongbearheart Gaines, an artist and cultural steward of the Nipmuc Nation, led the traditional brain tanning process. A truly communal effort, many other Wampanoag artists and tribal members contributed beads to this wampum belt and helped to complete it.