OLD TOWN – The Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance has been awarded $63,000 in federal funds that will assist the nonprofit organization in a number of ways, according to Executive Director Theresa Secord.

“We’re so excited,” she said Friday. “One of the reasons we wrote the proposal and requested the money from the [United States Department of Agriculture] was for technical assistance in marketing.”

The alliance is focused on preserving and extending the art of basket making within Maine’s American Indian community. One of the organization’s goals is to preserve the ancient tradition of ash and sweetgrass basket making among the Maliseet, Micmac, Passamaquoddy and Penobscot tribes.

In 2002 the alliance opened its first retail store, the Wabanaki Arts Center, to provide an outlet for basket makers and other American Indian artisans to sell their work year-round.

“We’re a prominent retail business here in Old Town,” Secord said, noting that the revenue from sales goes back into the organization and support a master apprenticeship program.

Not only does the work of the alliance support the tribes and artisans, it also attracts consumers to the region.

“There were some people in here today from Indiana and New Jersey,” she said. “The visitors are starting to arrive and purchase.”

Some of the grant funding will go toward marketing efforts for the alliance and individual artists.

Money also will go toward identifying business opportunities for enhanced markets for the gallery and individual artists, including export markets.

“We also want to develop a best practices manual to help some of our entrepreneurs understand the markets and art presentation procedures,” Secord said, adding that money also will be used to assist in purchasing a point-of-sale system to track sales in a more organized manner.

She noted that the gallery affects the city and plays an important role with the tribe. With the recent Georgia-Pacific Corp. mill closure, she said it’s important to let people know that there still are businesses in Old Town that intend on staying where they are.

“It’s important for people to see there are still businesses here,” Secord said. “We have no intention of moving because the business climate might be better someplace else.”