SUMMER WORKSHOPS
Haystack’s summer workshops explore the intersections of craft, art, and design in broad and expansive ways. Nearly all of our workshops are designed for all levels of experience, and regardless of your background there is a place for you here.
2026 Summer Workshops
Explore the 2026 Summer Workshops. Click on a session tab to view the workshops for that session.
Applications open January 6, 2026, see the How to Apply section for more info on the application process.
HOW TO APPLY
General Application
Applicants must be 18 years of age or older to participate in session workshops. Except where noted in the workshop descriptions, workshops are open to all levels—from beginners to advanced. Enrollment in each studio is limited. Applications are reviewed competitively and selections are made to provide:
a balance between first-time and past participants
a broad geographical distribution of participants
a wide range of participants from varied backgrounds and skill levels—from beginners to advanced professionals—who have a clear sense of purpose as to why they want to take the workshop(s) they have selected.
Application is for an entire one-week or two-week session. When completing the application form, please indicate your choice of workshop. Due to the high volume of applications, not all applicants will be accepted.
Summer workshops are open to all skill levels, from beginners to advanced professionals, unless otherwise noted in the workshop description.
GENERAL APPLICATION
Application Opens: January 6, 2026
Application Closes: February 20, 2026
We encourage applicants to review our Fees & Policies and Frequently Asked Questions.
Fellowships
The Haystack Fellowship program of the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts is intended to support individuals with a wide variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and ways of approaching craft. The fellowship program supports individuals who self- identify as benefiting from the elimination of some of the financial barriers to participation in session workshops by covering tuition, room and board costs, and providing a monetary award.
Recognizing obstacles and implicit bias faced by contemporary craftspeople, individuals who are looking to take a risk in their practice, develop as an artist, are at a critical moment in their career, or identify as BIPOC or LGBTQIA+ are encouraged to apply.
Haystack Fellowship recipients are responsible for travel costs, shop fees, and studio material expenses. Award recipients must be 18 years of age or older. Haystack assembles independent committees to select Haystack Fellowship recipients through a competitive review process.
FELLOWSHIP APPLICATION
Application Opens: January 6, 2026
Application Closes: January 30, 2026
We encourage applicants to review our Fees & Policies and Frequently Asked Questions.
Studio Assistant Fellows
Studio Assistant Fellows (SAs) are working fellowship students who play an important role in assisting the workshop faculty with supervising maintenance, organization, and safety in the studios with a community-oriented focus.
Studio Assistants must be familiar with the equipment, processes, and safety in the studio/workshop to which they are applying. SAs help facilitate and provide resources and support students in their studio, but also serve the entire session cohort. They will balance their time between being a workshop participant and providing basic assistance and safety supervision in the studio in collaboration with the faculty and Haystack staff. While responsibilities as an SA may be demanding during the session, there will be time for personal work and study.
Studio Assistant positions are professional development opportunities through the Haystack Fellowship program, receiving tuition, room and board, and a monetary award. SAs are financially responsible for travel and any studio materials they use during their workshops.
Independent committees of artists are assembled to identify and select Studio Assistant Fellows through a competitive review process. In advance of applying, we strongly encourage reviewing the list of Frequently Asked Questions on our website.
2026 STUDIO ASSISTANT FELLOWS OPPORTUNITIES
Session 1
Ceramics | Lynn Duryea + Holly Walker
The Language of Form + Color
Session 2
Blacksmithing | Celeste Flora
Sculptural Forms in Steel + BronzeCeramics | Keith Simpson
Think Tank: Laboratory for Clay Thinkers
Session 3
Ceramics | Chris Staley
The Wisdom from Touching Clay
Session 4
Ceramics | Ibrahim Said
Egyptian + Islamic Design in Clay: Forms, Drawing, ReliefFiber | Angie YooJin Kim
Weaving the Space BetweenGlass | Cedric Mitchell
Handmade Hustler: From Fire to Foundation
Session 5
Ceramics | Courtney Martin
Service, Scale + Intention Through Handbuilding
Fiber | Fernanda Gaspar + Adeye Jean-Baptiste
In the Loop, Off the Loom: Experimental BeadworkGlass | Christopher Kerr-Ayer
Tabletop Architecture
Session 6
Ceramics | Jeremiah Ibarra
Drawing on the PeripheryGlass | Megan Stelljes
Get TogetherGraphics | Ziba Rajabi
Intro to Egg Tempura
STUDIO ASSISTANT APPLICATION
Application Opens: January 6, 2026
Application Closes: January 30, 2026
We encourage applicants to review our Fees & Policies and Frequently Asked Questions.
Thanks to major support from the Windgate Foundation, Haystack has waived applications fees for its summer workshops
2026 Fees + Policies
Tuition, Room + Board
Fixed costs for workshop expenses are tuition, room and board, paid in advance. Additional expenses vary depending on individual workshop shop fees and the cost of workshop materials.
For general workshop applicants, when indicating your preference for housing, be sure to include your first and second choices on your application. While we make every effort to accommodate participants' first housing choice, we cannot guarantee it based on availability.
Meals costs are included in all Room & Board rates, including Day Student rate—meals are never a separate or pro-rated cost. There are no exceptions.
2026 SUMMER WORKSHOP RATES
| Tuition | Session 1–5 | Session 6 |
|---|---|---|
| General Tuition per session |
$1,575 | $842 |
| Glass Tuition per session |
$2,000 | $1,362 |
| Room & Board | Session 1-5 | Session 6 |
| Double with bath | $2,247 | $1,220 |
| Quad with bath | $2,137 | $1,050 |
| Double near central bath |
$1,386 | $814 |
| Triple near central bath |
$1,050 | $576 |
| Dorm near central bath (limited availibility) |
$735 | $417 |
| Day Student Individuals choosing to reside off campus at their own expense |
$638 | $365 |
Deposits
Upon notification of acceptance into a workshop, a $300 non-refundable deposit for each session is required by March 20, 2026, and will be applied to tuition, room, and board.
Final Balance
The full balance of tuition, room, and board must be paid no later than 60 days prior to the start of a given session. Participants will forfeit their workshop spot if the full balance is not made by the payment deadline.
Cancellation Policy
When planning and preparing for programs, Haystack devotes substantial time and resources, and vacancies can be difficult to fill.
All cancellations must be made in writing by email (no phone calls please) to registrar@haystack-mtn.org. For cancellations received 60 days before your session begins, a refund less the $300 non-refundable deposit will be issued. No refunds will be issued for cancellations less than 60 days before the start of your session.
Final dates to cancel and receive a refund:
Session 1 | April 8, 2026
Session 2 | April 22, 2026
Session 3 | May 13, 2026
Session 4 | May 27, 2026
Session 5 | June 10, 2026
Session 6 | June 24, 2026
If it becomes necessary for Haystack to cancel a workshop for any reason, students will be notified and a full refund of tuition, room, and board will be issued.
In the event of any type of cancellation, Haystack is not responsible for refunding airline tickets or other travel costs. Applicants are encouraged to review the information about Travel Insurance.
Travel Insurance
Haystack Mountain School of Crafts has partnered with Travel Insured International to provide travel insurance coverage to interested participants. Haystack recommends that participants with concerns about refunds for cancellations or unforeseen disruptions to travel consider acquiring travel insurance coverage. For more information and plan information, please refer to Travel Insured International’s website.
Shop Fees
Shop Fees cover the cost of materials and supplies used in common in your studio. These costs are the financial responsibility of each participant, including Haystack Fellowship recipients. Shop Fees include supplies your faculty has ordered or provided. Depending on which workshop you are in, Shop Fees can include kiln firing, new glazes made for your workshop, metalsmithing/blacksmithing gas tanks used, coal, cullet, saw blades, sandpaper, any demonstration materials, etc.
A workshop’s estimated maximum Shop Fee will be included on its Student Memo. Haystack calculates these costs specifically for each session to most accurately reflect the amount of supplies used during your workshop. These costs are divided evenly among the workshop participants. Estimated common Shop Fees range from $50 to $250 (2 weeks), and $25 to $200 (1 week). Shop Fees typically do not include the cost of clay, wood, or steel.
Materials
Material costs are not included in the Shop Fees. All workshop participants, including Haystack Fellowship and Studio Assistant Fellowship recipients, are financially responsible for individual amounts of materials used. The Campus Store stocks clay, wood, and steel in the studios. Other materials/supplies are also available for purchase in the Campus Store. A student memo and prep sheet detailing the workshop supplies and other personal items you will need to bring from home will be emailed upon enrollment in a workshop.
Nondiscrimination Policy & Community Guidelines
Everyone coming to Haystack commits to a culture in which all members feel personally safe, listened to, valued, and treated with fairness. Gathering together is an intentional act and a reciprocal process, with every individual sharing responsibility to contribute positively to the community. A shared understanding of our common goals is how we create community.
The campus and programs foster a culture of generosity, investigation, and exchange through the exploration of new ideas in a supportive and inclusive community. We serve an ever-changing group of makers and thinkers, working and learning alongside one another while exploring the intersections of craft, art, and design in broad and expansive ways.
Studio culture is central to the Haystack experience. Individuals must be respectful of shared space and resources, equipment, tools and materials, personal space, and follow the School’s safety and community guidelines at all times. It is essential that individuals listen to others and consider multiple perspectives, including in group discussions.
Haystack is committed to a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We do not discriminate against any individual or group of individuals on the basis of age, color, disability, gender identification, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, economic status, or veteran status. All are welcome.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I attend a workshop?
Anyone interested in attending a workshop will need to submit an application. In the initial application period, all applications are reviewed competitively–see How to Apply for how to submit an application and selection criteria.
Do you offer financial support to attend workshops?
Yes. Haystack’s fellowship program is a competitive opportunity, supporting individuals participating in summer workshops at the School. Fellowships cover tuition, room, and board, and a monetary award. Fellowship recipients are still responsible for travel, shop fees, and studio materials costs.
Fellowship recipients receive housing in the Dorms (11-person sleeping cabins, with shared bathhouses)–if an individual wishes to change their housing, they are responsible for the cost difference, see the Housing page for an overview of all housing options. Housing upgrades are requests and not guaranteed.
Can I purchase a workshop as a gift?
Yes and No. The Summer Workshop applications are done through a competitive review process. If you are interested in purchasing a workshop as a gift, the recipient would first have to apply and be accepted. If they are accepted into a workshop, you would then be able to pay their fees on their behalf.
What are the housing options?
Haystack has several housing options to meet different needs, an overview of Haystack’s housing options is available on the Housing page. All participants should be prepared to share housing. Housing includes twin beds and a lightweight blanket and pillow are provided. If you have particular physical or mobility concerns, please note these on your application.
For General applicants when indicating your preference for housing, be sure to include your first and second choices on your application. While we make every effort to accommodate participants' first housing choice, we cannot guarantee it based on availability.
Haystack Fellows and Studio Assistant Fellows are placed in dorm housing. If you wish to upgrade to another housing type please indicate this in the “Housing Upgrade” question in the application. Participants would be responsible for paying for the upgrade. While we make every effort to accommodate participants' housing upgrade, we cannot guarantee it based on availability.
Can I choose my roommate?
If you wish to room with a specific person, you will need to both submit an application and include your request to room together in the “roommate request” question of the application.
I submitted an application, when will I know if I have been accepted or not?
Notifications for your application will be sent by email to the email address you provided in your application.
Fellowship Application: February 9, 2026
Studio Assistant Fellowship Application: February 9, 2026
General Application: March 13, 2026
Can I take two workshops at once?
No. You may only be enrolled in one workshop during a session.
Do I need to be an accomplished artist to attend a Haystack workshop?
No. For each workshop we select a wide range of participants from varied backgrounds and skill levels. Unless otherwise noted in the workshop descriptions, workshops are open to all levels of participants—from beginners to advanced professionals. If you are interested in a beginner-focused program, please see Square ONE, a session created expressly for beginners.
What is a general schedule for a session?
Overview of general schedules for the two week and one week sessions is available below. Haystack’s studios are open 24/7, seven days a week for participants enrolled in that session. For safety, use of certain tools and techniques may be limited outside of regular studio instruction time. Schedules are subject to change and a more detailed schedule will be shared with accepted participants upon their enrollment in a workshop.
For more information about what to expect while at Haystack, please visit the Life at Haystack page.
TWO WEEK SESSIONS
Session 1–5
Week 1
Sunday | Arrival Day
Monday - Friday
8:00 AM | Breakfast
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM | Studio Session
12:00 PM | Lunch
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM | Studio Session
4:00 PM - 6:00 | Free time/Continue working in studio
6:00 PM | Dinner
7:00 PM | Evening Presentations (on select evenings)
Saturday & Sunday
Free Time
Week 2
Monday - Wednesday | Same as Week 1
Thursday
Morning studio session
Afternoon includes paying store tab, cleaning studio, walk-through, & session auction
Friday | Departure Day
ONE WEEK SESSION
Session 6
Sunday | Arrival Day
Monday - Thursday
8:00 AM | Breakfast
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM | Studio Session
12:00 PM | Lunch
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM | Studio Session
4:00 PM - 6:00 | Free time/Continue working in studio
6:00 PM | Dinner
7:00 PM | Evening Presentations (on select evenings)
Friday
Morning studio session
Afternoon includes paying store tab, cleaning studio, walk-through, & session auction
Saturday | Departure Day