Haystack's exhibition series is an outgrowth of Haystack’s commitment to supporting the dynamic work being done by makers of contemporary craft and to the creative process implicit in that. Haystack’s Center for Community Programs in Deer Isle village provides a year-round gallery and educational facility - a renovated barn with a 760 square foot space for exhibitions, workshops, lectures, and community gatherings, which is winterized and handicapped accessible. The Center opened in June of 2007 and has featured exhibitions of Haystack’s Student Mentor Program and Beaded Blessings, an international traveling exhibition, as well as community-based workshops. The initial summer exhibit, Haystack: Creative Process, opened in June 2008 and was the first of a new ongoing summer series. Each summer, the school will mount new exhibits documenting Haystack’s impact on contemporary craft over time; significant shows that will establish the Center for Community Programs as a leading exhibitor of significant work by American craft makers.

Concurrently during the summer season, Haystack continues its exhibitions and lectures at its campus. These events, free and open to the public, attract a cross section of island residents and summer visitors, as well as our workshop participants. These exhibitions are an incredible resource for the community—featuring work by internationally distinguished makers—and also provide an opportunity to learn about these makers’ creative process as well.

Exhibitions at Haystack's Center for Community Programs are open Thursdays–Sundays, noon–5:00 p.m.

Summer 2010

Haystack: Board/Board, currently on view at the Center for Community Programs

Haystack is currently showing its second exhibit of the summer. Haystack: Board/Board, on view from July 25–September 5, features work by Haystack’s artist board members, created with recycled wood from the lower half of Haystack’s main stairs, which were replaced this spring. Works on view range from wood sculpture and furniture to mixed media and metal pieces made with the flashing found under each board. Click on the names in the list below to see images of the work and statements by each artist.

The exhibiting artists include:

Black and White Urchin Basket by Jeremy Frey

Previously this summer Haystack ran Wabanaki Basketry, which was on view from June 13–July 18. This exhibit was mounted in collaboration with Cultural Resources, Inc. of Rockport, Maine and the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance, based in Old Town. For centuries, Maine’s Micmac, Maliseet, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot tribes have been passing on the tradition of sweet grass and brown ash basketry to the next generation. Wabanaki Basketry explored the range of styles, materials, and teaching techniques used in one of the state’s oldest art forms.

As part of the exhibition, Maine basketmakers and visiting artists (from left to right below) Molly Neptune Parker, Theresa Secord, and Jeremy Frey demonstrated their techniques and discussed their work.

Wabanaki Basketry was supported by a Celebrating Traditional Arts grant from the Maine Arts Commission.

Spring 2010

Haystack's Student Mentor Program provides an opportunity for students from area high schools to work with local artists in their studios.

Haystack hosted an opening reception for its annual Student Mentor Program Exhibition on Friday, April 9, from 3:00 – 6:00 p.m., at Haystack’s Center for Community Programs. The event featured the Deer Isle-Stonington High School student Jazz Combo, Route 15, from 4:00 - 4:30 p.m. The exhibition included the work of 12 local artist mentors and 49 students from Deer Isle-Stonington High School, George Stevens Academy, and the Blue Hill Harbor School, and was on view until April 30.

For a look at our 2007-2009 exhibitions, visit Past Exhibitions.