Enrolled Citizen of the Abenaki Nation of Missisquoi
Juried Artist since 2025
Abena Songbird comes from an artistic family. Her mother, who is now legally blind, was a painter; her sister is a talented illustrator currently working with fused glass, and her father was a furniture maker. Her brother is an electrical engineer and home carpenter. Abena’s family is of Abenaki/French Canadian and Irish descent. They have been in the place known as the Winoskitekw Sebo (Winooski River) for many generations, and as Abenaki, for thousands of years. Her paternal great-grandmother was a Pelkey/ Pelletier, and her family traces their Abenaki heritage from the Pelletier/Paquette line.
In the past, Abena has been fortunate to work with some amazing musicians and poets. She recorded a CD of original music and has published a chapbook of poetry called Bitterroot. In 1996, in San Francisco, CA, she was presented the Mary Tall Mountain Poetry Award, which deeply inspired her writing journey. While in California she also created a cyber round-robin poem called, Round Dance 2001 – with 50 national Native artists. After some 30 years, in 2018, she returned to Vermont, her ancestral home. Since returning to Vermont, she has pursued mural painting and now has created three highly esteemed murals in collaboration with other artists and even with some school children. They can be seen in Vermont at the Green Mountain Transit building in Montpelier, at Montpelier’s Gateway Park, and at Smilie Elementary in Bolton.
Artist Statement
The natural world has always inspired me to create – the animals and plants of N’dakinna. I also like to illustrate with graphic design techniques as I do in some of my murals. Most recently I have gone back to creating and weaving with my hands – something I did most as a teenager when I experimented with weaving, embroidery, coiled & pine needle baskets, writing, dream catchers and fiber arts. I incorporate glass beads in my Dream catchers. I hope to learn more basketry & twining technique in the future. I began designing and painting murals in 2022, when I was approached by artists in the Montpelier area who wanted Abenaki art represented in the capital city.
Contact
Email: [email protected]
Etsy Store: SignatureSongbird – Etsy
Installation Art: Murals
- 2024 “Dawn Land Offering at Bolton Falls” – Smilie Elementary, Bolton Vermont.
- 2023 “We Continue to Live” – 1 Taylor Street – Green Mountain Transit Station Mural.
- 2022 “Gathering the Medicines” – Mural -Montpelier Gateway Park.
Available for Purchase
Etsy Shop: SignatureSongbird – Etsy
Affiliations
- Vermont Abenaki Artists Association