The month of February offers several great opportunities to experience the rich traditions of Maine art in Portland galleries, and the best may well be at Aucocisco on Congress Street.

In the main gallery by the front door, David Moses Bridges, a Passamaqoddy, displays a 16-foot, hand-hewn birch bark canoe. More than a canoe, it’s an aesthetic wonder, down to the finely etched native motifs that adorn the sides of the canoe.

A basket maker, Bridges also shows many other examples of his work throughout the gallery. He shares the space with a peer, Richard Van Buren.

Bridges made the canoe with a single sheet of birch bark, and harvested the ribs and other structural supports from cedar and maple. He tied it all together with red spruce roots. The boat is seaworthy, made entirely from hand with natural materials.

It is gorgeous, and well worth a look. The show remains up until March 1.

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