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SmokeSygnals of Mashpee wins Small Business of Year award for creative work for museums

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SmokeSygnals of Mashpee wins Small Business of Year award for creative work for museums

From Provincetown’s Pilgrim Monument and Museum to the National Museum of the American Indian to the Museum De Lakenhal in the Netherlands, SmokeSygnals, a Cape Cod production company, is creating art, exhibits, curriculum and videos that tell the true stories of Indigenous people, messages that are reaching international audiences.  

Named Small Business of the Year by Cape & Islands SCORE, SmokeSygnals will be recognized at a ceremony on May 8. But they are already getting rave reviews and calls for more work from museums near and far. 

Co-owner Steven Peters, a member of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, said the company found a niche with museums telling stories from the perspective of Indigenous peoples. By taking a long historical view and not shirking from the truth, SmokeSygnals has rendered what he says is a true picture of the history of Wampanoags and other Indigenous tribes.  

“I strongly believe the work we’re doing and the way we do it is helping people break down the fundamental causes of systemic racism,” Peters said in an interview on April 11.  

Begun as a traditional marketing company in 2001 by Paula Peters, it changed its focus when it started working with the nonprofit Plymouth 400 on an historical exhibit. That work led to projects with the Pilgrim Monument and Museum in Provincetown, Cape Ann Museum in Gloucester, and Heritage Museum and Gardens in Sandwich.  

The company has worked with the National Museum of the American Indian on a traveling exhibit called, “Sites,” and K360, a Native knowledge curriculum that is free to every school in the country.  

SmokeSygnals’ work on view in the UK and the Netherlands

SmokeSygnals has worked on traveling exhibits currently in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.  

“We’re not just telling the story of the Wampanoag,” Steven Peters said. “We help the public see who these Indigenous communities are. If we can accurately view history and understand events that happened over the last 12,000 years, people can understand how it shaped Indigenous communities today. That allows us to move forward as a society in a far more compassionate, understanding way.”  

The company has six employees and works with Indigenous artists and freelancers to produce videos, design art installations and exhibits, create content and signs, and provide photographs.  

The company came up with a toolkit for members of the United South and Eastern Tribes so they could tell their stories better, Peters said. The nonprofit intertribal organization serves 33 federally recognized tribal nations.   

SmokeSygnals blends the historical with the contemporary and creates a visceral experience for the viewer. At Heritage Gardens and Museums they built a platform for a mishoon, a boat made by burning and carving a tree trunk. People can climb up onto the platform and step inside the boat the Wampanoag used for fishing and traveling. 

At the Cape Ann Museum, a wetu invites people into a traditional Wampanoag home in a “Native Waters, Native Lands” outdoor exhibit. Last summer third graders from across Cape Ann visited the exhibit on field trips.  

“It has enabled us to expand our outreach and storytelling,” said Miranda Aisling, head of education and outreach for the museum. She hopes to continue working with SmokeSygnals in the years ahead. 

Putting the boat into a circular stair setting and using contemporary artists to create illustrations with the wetu marries traditional structure with contemporary art, Peters said. That approach allows the public to see where the Wampanoag were 12,000 years ago, but also how they continue to evolve, he said. 

“We’re a for-profit company with a unique mission-driven approach to projects we’re willing to take on,” Peters said. “We’re not taking on projects that don’t align with our goals.” 

Peters is thankful for the Cape Cod community which he said has been incredibly progressive and supportive. 

“Those museums stepped up and took a chance on us,” he said.   

Denise Coffey writes about business, tourism and issues impacting the Cape’s residents and visitors. Contact her at dcoffey@capecodonline.com .   

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