Recent Acquisition of Painting by Mi’kmaq Artist Philip Young

The Museum of American Bird Art (MABA) is thrilled to announce the recent gift from Liza F. Carter of a striking painting by Mi’kmaq artist and environmentalist Philip Young.  

About the Artist 

Born on the Red Bank Reserve (Metepenagiag) in New Brunswick, Canada in 1938, Young attended both the Vesper George School of Art and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, as well as the New Brunswick Provincial Exhibition Center in Fredericton, Canada. Young’s work has been exhibited throughout the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada, including at the People of the Dawn Festival in Nova Scotia, the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology at Brown University, as well as the Museum of the American Indian and the American Indian Community House Invitational Exhibition in New York. Young spent most of his young adult life in Somerville, Massachusetts but moved back to Newcastle as he grew weary of the city’s rapid pace. In 1988 he returned to his native Red Bank in New Brunswick where he passed away in 1993.  

About the New Piece 

This beautiful painting supports the Museum of American Bird Art's commitment to growing its holdings of Indigenous art and amplifying the voices in the rich narrative of bird art and ecological awareness. The deep cultural and spiritual connections between Mi’kmaq communities and the avian world serve as a powerful reminder of both our shared existence and our shared responsibility to protect the environment.  

Loons with Eggs by Philip Young. Silkscreen, 1982. Mass Audubon Collection; Gift of Liza F. Carter, 2025. 

Where to See MABA’s Art 

We hope to have Loons with Eggs on view in the near future. In the meantime, please support our efforts to build a new museum to showcase this work along with other pieces from our incredible collection.

Support MABA

You also can view selections from MABA’s collection at eight sanctuaries across the state as part of MABA in the Wild through September 1, 2025.