Passamaquoddy artist Jeremy Frey named MacArthur Fellow for redefining traditional basketry

A member of the Passamaquoddy Tribe from Maine has received a 2025 MacArthur Fellowship. Artist Jeremy Frey is one of 22 fellows who will receive the $800,000 award commonly known as a “genius grant.” The “no-strings-attached” fellowship recognizes “extraordinarily talented and creative individuals as an investment in their potential,” according to the MacArthur Foundation.

In a video interview released by the foundation, Frey said his goal is to help redefine craft as fine art through his work in basketry, sculpture and weaving. He uses natural materials such as black ash and sweetgrass and said his family has practiced basketry for seven generations.

His work has been exhibited at the Portland Art Museum in Maine, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Bruce Museum in Connecticut, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C.