Posts in Press
Haystack at 75: School celebrates history, future of craft education

Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, perched on a cliff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean’s Jericho Bay, is celebrating its 75th season of workshops for people who want to take a deep dive into a craft, whether they are beginners looking to try something new or more experienced makers who need time, space and support to push forward with new artistic endeavors.

From the start, Haystack has taken an unusual approach to crafts education.

“We are radically flexible in the way that we do things, and in our pedagogy,” said Executive Director Perry Price, who took over from Paul Sacaridiz in 2023. “There’s no faculty that’s the same. There’s no matriculated students. People come for two-week sessions, and then they leave.”

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PressKate LochnerThe Ellsworth American
Craft in America: Organizations Who are Elevating the Art Form and Supporting Innovation in the Field

Across the country, artists are working in strong craft traditions—from woodworking and ceramics to fiber arts and metalworking (to name a few!)—with many pushing the boundaries of craft by using new technologies and processes to innovate on what we understand craft to be and where it is placed in the art canon.

In this article, we’re highlighting organizations who are supporting and uplifting craft, including their current and upcoming opportunities for craft artists. 

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PressKate LochnerNew York Foundation for the Arts
1772 Foundation Grants for Maine Historic Preservation Projects

Maine Preservation has announced the 20 organizations granted funds by The 1772 Foundation in 2026. Grants were provided for exterior repair and restoration including painting, surface restoration, chimneys, porches, roofs, windows, foundations and sills, masonry repointing, and installation of fire/security systems. Projects were evaluated by Maine Preservation staff, who also will administer the grants. Each grantee was required to have matching funds for its project.

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PressKate LochnerMaine Preservation
Haystack opens season with Island Workshop Day

DEER ISLE—Haystack Mountain School of Crafts opened its 75th season by hosting the annual Island Workshop Day on May 2, welcoming residents of Deer Isle, Stonington, and the greater Blue Hill peninsula for a special day-long creative arts program. According to a press release, the program is designed to accommodate participants of “all skill levels and backgrounds.”

Support for the 2026 Island Workshop Day participants came from the Deer Isle Artists Association, the release said.

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PressKate LochnerThe Rising Tide
Haystack at 75 - An Experiment in Community and Education

Today we’re sharing a piece in celebration of the school's 75th year, in conversation with Haystack Executive Director Perry Price. We talk about the history of Haystack and the iconic campus that is perched on a cliff above the Atlantic Ocean; why it still calls itself a school of craft and not art; how the craft school experience differs from an academic institution; and finally, how Haystack has approached teaching technology.

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PressKate LochnerWhy Make?
Speakers Converge Across the East Coast in Honor of Haystack Mountain's 75th Anniversary

For 75 years, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts has been bringing craft artists and educators to Deer Isle on Maine’s central coast to connect, learn, create, and innovate. Some of those who have walked the iconic central campus stairway down to the water’s edge and slept in the cedar-shingled cabins have gone on to reshape the field of craft.  

As part of the School’s 75th anniversary, the Distinguished Speaker Series will highlight several of the visionary artists and thinkers who have also been guiding voices at Haystack.

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PressKate LochnerAmerican Craft Council
Haystack Celebrates Seventy Five Years of Craft and Community

Located in a scenic spot on the Maine coast, the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts is an iconic place for people who create. Founded in 1950, Haystack offers an array of programs including one and two-week studio workshops to participants of all skill levels as well as the two-week Open Studio Residency program. The School also hosts exhibitions, tours, auctions, artist presentations, and shorter workshops for Maine residents and high school students. As Haystack celebrates its 75th anniversary year staff are taking time to reflect on its significant contributions to the field and to the community.

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PressKate LochnerNew England Art News
Take things into your own hands at these Maine makerspaces

Do you love tinkering?

Been longing to learn your way around a 3D printer, table saw or pottery wheel but don’t want to invest in expensive equipment? Or are you simply looking to expand your horizons in the company of avid creators of all ages and backgrounds?

One of Maine’s makerspaces may be just the ticket.

A makerspace is a cross between a lab and a workshop, a place that gives hands-on creators, from novice hobbyists to expert engineers, the equipment and support they need to bring their ideas to life—and forge community in the process.

As makerspaces gain in popularity, if you don’t see any in your area now, there may well be one soon. (A word of caution: if you are unfamiliar with how to use a particular tool the correct and safe way, ask an experienced fellow maker or staff member—they’ll be glad to help.)

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PressKate LochnerGreen & Healthy Maine
Episode 708: Craft as Community - 75 years of Haystack

For many makers, opportunities to focus solely on creative exploration—without the pressure to produce work for sale or prove our worth through finished pieces—feel impossibly rare or reserved for those along a traditional academic path. When you discovered your craft later in life, already juggling mortgages and responsibilities you can't simply walk away from, where do you turn for intentional study and community that actually fits your reality? Craft schools exist outside traditional academia, offering experiences from weekend workshops to multi-week residencies that welcome makers at every stage—and in celebration of Haystack Mountain School of Crafts' 75th anniversary, Perry Price shares what makes these singular learning experiences so transformative.

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Podcast, PressHaystack Mountain School of CraftsThe Makers Playbook