Enrolled Citizen of the Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk Abenaki Nation
Juried Artist since 2014
Michael Descoteaux grew up in small town Vermont on a family farm where his love of animals grew and his respect for his surroundings developed. Michael Descoteaux is a wildlife and scenic photographer. He has combined his native Indian roots, his love of wildlife and his surrounding with photography to bring you these images. Michael’s photos are taken close to where he now resides in his hometown of Concord, Vermont where he was born and raised. He enjoys spending hours every day exploring his local environment and bringing the beauty he sees back for all to see. Michael also takes his photographs and uses them to create one of a kind bead works of wildlife. All of Michael’s bead work is custom designed by him and created on the loom he fashioned.
Artist Statement
As a photographer, I often consider ways to present my photos to the public in different ways. After having watched a beading demonstration, I began to consider the possibility of recreating my photos in beadwork. After researching methods of bead working, I settled on loom beading. Using my photos, I began to create designs. Most of the designs I create are one of a kind. Things like flags and other designs that are unchangeable are repeated. I custom design head bands arm bands and special request regalia beading. With each piece, I create I am guided by Creator and by Mother Earth. Mother gives me inspiration and Creator guides me as I create the design, the ancestors guide my hands as I weave on the loom. When I create on the loom, I feel and see the design come to life. I create a story with the beads, and in doing so, I give the person who brings the piece home a personal connection to Mother Earth and the Creator.
Having grown up in Rural Vermont on a family farm, I was always exposed to all the splendor Mother nature had to offer. As a child, my days were spent in the woods or in the fields. I found great comfort in the freedom being outside. In high school, I took a class in photography and through this class I found a way to forever capture the beautiful things I saw every day. Years later the desire to capture my surrounding was reignited. As the flame of my Native ancestry burned with me, I began to find a deep and personal connection with all my surroundings. As I turned to photography to show others what I was seeing I discovered that each year Creator and Mother gifted me with subjects that allowed me to become part of their lives for a while. These gifts have given me a wondrous insight into the world around me. Through my photography, I can share these incredible experiences with the world. From Creators gifts through my lens to all the people my Photos shall stand as a testimony of the beauty, our Great Mother and Creator gives each of us.
Contact Info
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: Michael Descoteaux Photography
Exhibits
2017
Alnobak: Wearing Our Heritage. Traveling Exhibit. Lake Champlain Maritime Museum
2016
Parley and Protocol: Abenaki Diplomacy Past and Present. Fort Necessity National Battlefield, Farmington, PA.
2015
Parley and Protocol: Abenaki Diplomacy Past and Present. Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, Vergennes, VT
2014
- Traditional Sources, Contemporary Visions – Invitational Group Art Exhibit. Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, Vergennes, VT
- All of my Relations: Faces and Effigies from the Native World – Invitational Group Art Exhibit. Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum, Warner, NH
2013 Photography Exhibits:
- Lions Club Arts show St Johnsbury Academy St Johnsbury, VT
- Autumn on the green Art festival Danville, VT
- Thetford Academy art show Thetford, VT
- Green Mountain Mall St Johnsbury, VT
2012
- Lions Club Arts show St Johnsbury Academy St Johnsbury, VT
- Autumn on the green Art festival Danville, VT
- Thetford Academy art show Thetford, VT
- Green Mountain Mall St Johnsbury, VT
2011
- Lions Club Arts show St Johnsbury Academy St Johnsbury, VT
- Thetford Academy art show Thetford, VT
- Green Mountains Mall St Johnsbury, VT
Affiliations
Vermont Abenaki Artists Association