SUMMER BENEFIT
July 10, 2026
Thank you to everyone that joined and supported Haystack for our 2026 Summer Benefit! This year’s Benefit raised a record-breaking amount, over $130,000 through the auctions and underwriting support. We are incredibly grateful for the profound generosity of our community.
The 2026 Summer Benefit was dedicated to the early founders of Haystack, a group of Maine craftspeople—primarily Edgar and Marjorie Sewell, Elizabeth Crawford, and William and Estelle Shevis—as well as benefactor Mary Beasom Bishop, who offered generous and sustaining support, and Francis Sumner Merritt and Priscilla Merritt, who served as co-directors in the School's first summer, with Fran Merritt assuming the sole role of director, providing extraordinary vision and direction for Haystack until he retired from the directorship in 1977.
Photos by Nikolai Fox.
Underwriting Support
PREMIER UNDERWRITERS
Chris & Susan Pappas
LEAD UNDERWRITERS
Susan Haas Bralove & Steven Bralove
Rebecca Nemser
Robert L. Pfannebecker Charitable Fund
Gina Podesta & David Stephens
Joan & Pablo Sorensen
UNDERWRITERS
Vicki & Peter Bartholow
Julie Hirschfeld & Bennett Killmer
Charles Holland
Richard Howe
SPONSORS
David Asch & Lynn Cherry
E. John Bullard
Bosco Hernández & Andrew Schapiro
Victoria Hertz & Rod Greenwood
Lissa Hunter & Kirby Pilcher
Lynn & Ed Kneedler
Bob & Macy Lasky
Sarah McNear & Ian Wardropper
Alfred & Nancy Merritt II
Alison Croney Moses
Claire Sanford & Charles Crowley
Rosanne Somerson & Jonathan Cherneff
Chris & Kate Staley
Frances Merritt Thompson & Eric Benke
Host Committee
Rachael Arauz & August Ventimiglia
Abby Barrows & Ben Jackson
Brett Bentson & Emily Case
Susan Haas Bralove & Steven Bralove
E. John Bullard
Thomas M. & Kate Cheney Chappell
Sonya Clark & Darryl Harper
Sara Clugage
Annet Couwenberg & Dan Meyers
Matt & Tanya Crane
Lynn Duryea
Fabio Fernandez & Christine Dunn
Michelle Millar Fisher & Austin Fisher
Mickie Flores & Tim Whitten
Laura & Todd Galaida
Elizabeth Hoelle
Ryan Hoover
Ayumi & Chloe Horie
Richard Howe
Lissa Hunter & Kirby Pilcher
Sequoyah Hunter-Cuyjet
Nina Johnson & Daniel Milewski
Helen Lee
Kaki Martin
Kate McNamara
Al & Nancy Merritt
Alison Croney Moses & David Moses
Rebecca Nemser
John Ollman
Andres Payan Estrada
Robin Petravic & Catherine Bailey
Gina Podesta & David Stephens
Claire Sanford & Charles Crowley
Rosanne Somerson & Jonathan Cherneff
Joan & Pablo Sorensen
Chris Staley & Kate Staley
Val Wicks
CONTACT US
For more information about the Summer Benefit, contact the Development Team at: developmentevents@haystack-mtn.org.