Haystack School

🚨Open Summer Workshops at Haystack!🚨 If you missed our application window for a 2026 summer workshop at Haystack, now is your chance to apply at the 🔗 in bio. There is still time to craft your Haystack experience. Swipe for some FAQs about Open Call, or continue reading here: 🔹 What is Open Call? Open Call is Haystack’s final round of enrollment for summer workshops. Not all accepted applicants from the initial application period are able to attend, creating open seats in workshops. 🔹 Which workshops have openings? See the Open Call section under How to Apply on our website for a list of workshop openings. The list of workshop openings will be updated throughout the summer. There is no guarantee which workshops will have open spaces. Some workshops will have multiple openings, some may have only one, and others will have none. 🔹 Is on-campus housing available? On-campus housing is limited for Open Call. If accepted, we will do our best to accommodate housing requests; however, it is not guaranteed. An overview of housing options on campus can be found on the Housing page on Haystack’s website. 🔹 I already applied. Do I have to apply again for Open Call? No. If you previously submitted a general application for the 2026 summer workshops or Square ONE and are interested in one of the workshop openings, please email the registrar: [email protected]. 🔹 How do I apply for the Open Call? Applications for Open Call are submitted through StarRez, Haystack’s new online portal. 1) Navigate to StarRez 2) Select Login if you have an existing StarRez account, or Create New Account if not 3) Select Sessions 1–6 or Square ONE in the navigation menu 4) Scroll down the page to the Open Call Application box and start your application 🔹 What is the deadline for Open Call? There is no deadline for Open Call. Workshop openings are first come, first served until full. 🔹 I submitted an Open Call application. What happens next? You will receive a notification about the status of your application within two (2) weeks of the submission date. #HaystackAt75 #CraftEducation #CraftCommunity #CraftSchoolExperience #ContemporaryCraft

We are so excited to share a brand new short film honoring Haystack’s past, present, and future. This video was filmed on the Haystack campus during the summer 2025 season by @charlienordstromart of @northstreammedia (Portland, Maine). We are incredibly grateful for how he so brilliantly captured the #HaystackExperience. THANK YOU to @cel.fel (Session 6 Ceramics instructor), @workinuse (Open Studio Resident), @electriccalavera (Session 6 Graphics instructor), and @charliewhiskeytango (Fab Lab Resident), who took the time out of their busy Haystack schedules to share their own Haystack experiences. We’re also sending our gratitude to all of the summer workshop, Open Studio Residency, and Open Door participants, Studio Assistants, Visiting Artists, and Fab Lab Residents for their participation! Let us know what you think in the comments ⬇️ #HaystackMountainSchoolOfCrafts #HaystackSchool #HaystackWorkshops #HaystackAt75 #CraftWorkshops #CraftSchool #CraftSchoolExperience #CraftEducation #CraftCommunity #ContemporaryCraft #CraftLegacy #SupportCraft #DownEastMaine #VisitDeerIsle #BlueHillPeninsulaChamberOfCommerce

The Haystack 2026 Summer Programs schedule is now live! From novices to advanced practitioners and anyone in between, there is a place for everyone here at Haystack. Here are some of the key details: 🔹46 workshops spanning ceramics, blacksmithing, fiber, glass, graphics, metals, wood, and writing taught by 49 leaders in the craft field ✨ 🔹Open Studio Residency returns to the spring, allowing for blacksmithing! ⚒️ 🔹NEW OPPORTUNITY: Apply as an Open Studio Residency Studio Technician, who support Residents during their use and navigation of the studios. Studio Techs receive an honorarium of $1,500, room and board on campus, and limited travel costs covered. 🔥 🔹Applications open January 6. Deadlines for 2026 are January 30 for Studio Assistant Fellowship, Haystack Fellowship, Open Studio Residency, and Studio Tech applications, and February 20 for general Summer Workshop and Square ONE applications. 🗓️ 🔹No application fees in 2026 thanks to generous support from the Windgate Foundation! We are incredibly grateful for their continued support in helping to increase access for everyone 🙏 Click the 🔗in bio to explore our 2026 workshops now!⁠ #HaystackMountainSchoolOfCrafts #HaystackSchool #HaystackWorkshops #HaystackAt75 #Haystack2026 #CraftWorkshops #CraftSchool #CraftSchoolExperience #CraftEducation #CraftCommunity #ContemporaryCraft #CraftLegacy #SupportCraft #Ceramics #Fiber #Graphics #Metals #Blacksmithing #GlassBlowing #WoodCraft #Writing #DownEastMaine #VisitDeerIsle #BlueHillPeninsulaChamberOfCommerce

They say that the expert at anything was once a beginner… and we have a few open spaces for beginners to a discipline or media in the Square ONE program this summer (July 5-9)! Keep scrolling to learn more about these opportunities to gather and learn together in a supportive environment, and click the 🔗 in bio to apply. BLACKSMITHING Intro to Oxy-Acetylene Torch Welding: Steel Hollow Form Sculpture with Rhea Vedro (she/her) @rheavedro Learn to work with fire and weld your own small hollow-form steel objects using thin sheet steel and oxy-acetylene welding torches in this fun, introductory workshop. CERAMICS Thrown Together with Gillan Doty (he/him) @gillandotypottery Participants will gain skills for basic wheel-thrown pottery, including insight into throwing techniques, building a repertoire of simple forms, learning about different characteristics of clay, and more! FIBER Weave-aoke! You’ve Got Me Weavin’ Emotions with John Fifield-Perez (he/him) @john.fifieldperez As we share in the delights and frustrations of weaving on a floor loom for the first time, we will prioritize reciprocity, honesty, vulnerability, and ultimately, community, in which each individual participates as both performer and audience. GRAPHICS Creatively Cyanotyping with Jaida Grey Eagle (she/her) @jaida.greyeagle Rooted in experimentation and process, this workshop invites you to approach cyanotyping with curiosity and openness. METALS Chain Reaction with J Taran Diamond (she/her) @jdiamondmetalsmith Build simple and complex chains from sheet and wire links. While making these chains, learn the basics of cutting, forming, texturing, soldering, and finishing metal. WRITING The Knowing Body in Prose with Tom Martin (he/him) Center the experience of craft in your writing! #HaystackAt75 #CraftEducation #CraftCommunity #CraftSchoolExperience #ContemporaryCraft

Thank you to our first group of Pre-Session volunteers for your loving labor! ❤️ From organizing and cleaning studios and replacing deck boards to hauling wood, painting, and helping out in the Store, our long-standing annual volunteer program is instrumental in getting Haystack up and running for the summer season. #CraftSchool #HaystackAt75 #VolunteersRock #CraftCommunity #SpringCleaning

What did Haystack get up to in April? Here are some of the highlights coming out of our winter programs… ⤵️ ☔ Our Make + Take workshops wrapped up, and using recycled materials was a running theme! We created votives out of recycled kitchen waste and oyster bags with Julie Morringello (@modernmaine ) and made mobiles out of recycled plastics, wood, and metal components with Jake Horsey (@jake_horsey ). ☔ For the 11th year running, the Haystack Fab Lab collaborated with the 7th grade science class at Deer Isle Stonington Elementary. Students recycled marine debris to create incredible ocean-themed mobiles for Ms. Knight’s classroom. ☔ The Creative Makers after-school program also wrapped up this month! Students helped sort and shred various plastic marine debris for future use. ☔ We welcomed some new and returning seasonal staff, and the admin staff made the move from our office in Deer Isle village back to campus! We’re also so grateful to Marshall Carpentry of Penobscot for the new roofs on the front office and maintenance building 💗 📸: James Rutter, Technology Director + Phoebe Zildjian, Fab Lab Coordinator. Haystack’s Make + Takes are supported in part by Haystack’s Program Endowment, with additional funding provided by grants from NEA Our Town, Onion Foundation, and Windgate Foundation. #FabLab #STEAM #HaystackMountainSchoolOfCrafts #CraftEducation #HaystackAt75

Dreaming of a craft school summer? 💭 We still have a few open spaces in Session 2 workshops (June 21-July 3) - keep scrolling to read about the workshops, and click the 🔗 in bio to apply! BLACKSMITHING Sculptural Forms in Steel + Bronze with Celeste Flores (she/her) @clay_and_steel Learn tapering, leaf forging, punching, riveting, and forge welding before moving into more advanced explorations of bronze smithing. CERAMICS Think Tank: Laboratory for Clay Thinkers with Keith Simpson (he/him) @earlyamericanrobotpottery Designed for artists and potters with an adventurous spirit, this workshop offers a primer in experimental methods for pushing ceramics into the future while remaining grounded in its rich past. GRAPHICS Printmaking + Paper Folding! with Taro Takizawa (he/him) @tarotakizawart Combine printmaking and paper folding techniques to explore the possibilities of three-dimensional works on paper. METALS Works Like A Charm with Zahra Almajidi (she/her) @archivalbeing Learn how a jump ring, a chain, a bezel, or simple pin back can turn your everyday found object into a wearable charm. WOOD Benches Build Community with Christina Boy (she/her) @christinaboydesign A stool is for one, a bench for more than one: to gather, wait, gaze….together. In this immersive workshop, we will start by building sample stools, then take what you have learned to design and build your own bench to create a space for communing with others. *** Enrollment in each studio is limited and on a first come, first served basis until workshops are full. On-campus housing is limited. If accepted, Haystack will try our best to accommodate housing requests; however, it is not guaranteed. If you previously applied through the initial 2026 general workshop application and are interested in one of the workshop openings, please email the Registrar directly at [email protected]. *** #HaystackAt75 #CraftEducation #CraftCommunity #CraftSchoolExperience #ContemporaryCraft

Haystack launched our 75th season last Saturday with our annual community-based program, Island Workshop Day! 🏝️ We celebrated spring by getting creative in all-level workshops alongside new and old friends from Deer Isle, Stonington, and the greater Blue Hill Peninsula, gathering around incredible food and immersing ourselves in the Haystack campus. ⁠ ⁠ This year we offered workshops on blacksmithing with Jeff Toman, embroidery with Amy Tingle (@tingle ), pinhole photography with Chris Pinchbeck (@pinchbeckphoto ), chain-making with Shelby Goldsmith, alginate mold making with Kristy Summers, and box building with Ned Merrick. ⁠ A BIG ✨thank you ✨ to all our instructors, studio assistants, staff, volunteers, participants, and our community partners at Healthy Island Project (@healthyislandproject ). We are also so grateful to Deer Isle Artists Association (@diaaartists ), whose support allowed all participants to attend for free this year! #HaystackAt75 #VisitDeerIsle #CraftCommunity #CraftSchoolExperience #MadeAtHaystack

There’s still time to join us at Haystack to build community this summer! ✨ We have a few limited spaces in Session 1 workshops (June 7-19) - keep scrolling to read about the workshops, and click the 🔗 in bio to apply. ⚒️ BLACKSMITHING Slammers + Tongs: Toolmaking for Blacksmiths with Anna Koplik (she/her) @arkoplik Learn the art of toolmaking and boost your skills and self-sufficiency as a blacksmith in a welcoming and inclusive environment! 🪡 FIBER Dye, Cut, Sew with Rachael Levine (she/her) @ARAEshibori Experiment with Shibori techniques, leaning into multi-step dye processes. Add and remove color and discover unexpected colorways, letting the fabric be your guide. 🖼️ GRAPHICS Woodblock Printmaking: Embodied Exquisite Corpses with Brett Taylor (he/him) @pt_press Create large-scale relief printing by carving woodblocks in a collaborative printshop setting. Rooted in the Surrealist game, “Exquisite Corpse,” this project reimagines the body as a shared site of creation. 💠 METALS Echoes: Interconnections between Metal and Glass with Laura Mochales Matte (she/her) @lauraamochales Explore the fluid boundaries between metal and glass through the process of enameling. 🪵 WOOD Digital Carving with Matthew Hebert (he/him) @eleetwarez This workshop will focus on three tech­niques: Rhinoc­eros model­ing soft­ware, photogram­me­try, and CNC router carving. #HaystackAt75 #CraftEducation #CraftCommunity #CraftSchoolExperience #ContemporaryCraft *** Enrollment in each studio is limited and on a first come, first served basis until workshops are full. On-campus housing is limited. If accepted, Haystack will try our best to accommodate housing requests; however, it is not guaranteed. If you previously applied through the initial 2026 general workshop application and are interested in one of the workshop openings, please email the Registrar directly at [email protected]. ***

Ecological designer Beth Ferguson (@bethjferguson ) returned to Deer Isle for our first Winter #MakerResidency! Beth spent two weeks pursuing her own research and experimenting with digital fabrication, sustainable materials, and new hybrid craft processes, as well as assisting with the after-school Creative Makers program. Frequent collaborator Eldy Lázaro (@sust_ainable ) worked with Beth to expand Haystack’s biomaterials library using lobster, crab, and oyster shells in addition to sugar kelp foraged from Causeway Beach Preserve. The residency culminated with a public hands-on workshop on 3D-Printed Weaving, developed in partnership with Deer Isle Adult & Community Education (@deerisleadulted ). 📸: Beth Ferguson, Eldy Lázaro + Phoebe Zildjian, Fab Lab Coordinator Haystack’s Winter Maker Residency is supported in part by Haystack’s Program Endowment, with additional funding provided by grants from G. W Bailey Foundation and NEA Our Town. #FabLab #STEAM #HaystackMountainSchoolOfCrafts #HaystackAt75

Each spring, Haystack’s Mentor Program provides local high school students with the opportunity to learn from professional artists and makers in their community. 🤝 This year, 12 students participated from Ellsworth High School, George Stevens Academy, Blue Hill Harbor School, Bucksport High School, and area homeschools. Make sure to visit the @bluehillpubliclibrary to see what some of these mentor students created, on display through the end of April for #StudentArtMonth! We can’t say “thank you!” enough to our 2026 Mentor Program instructors for sharing their time, skills, and passion with students: Jeff Toman (Blacksmithing), Elise Teixido (Ceramics), Brier-Rose Werner-Brown @elsewernerglass (Glass), Rebecca Daugherty (Graphics), Maureen Farr @mozelle_fine_jewelry (Metals), and Kristy Summers (Sculpture). Thanks to ongoing fundraising efforts and the generosity of our donors, the Mentor Program is underwritten by Haystack’s Program Endowment, with additional operational support from the Onion Foundation and Windgate Foundation. #MentorProgram #StudentArtist #ContemporaryCraft #CraftCommunity

Enjoy the soothing sights and sounds of unboxing “Haystack In A Box.” You can learn more about our time capsule -of sorts- created in honor of our 75th anniversary moment at the 🔗 in bio. #SupportCraft #HaystackAt75 #CraftLegacy #Unboxing #ASMR