Center for Community Programs
Past Exhibitions, Programs and Workshops
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| The new Center for Community Programs is located in Deer Isle village. |
Background
The Center for Community Programs, in Deer Isle village, was established as a year-round facility so that Haystack could continue building relationships with its community and to remain a leader in the craft movement through innovative programming. The Center is located at 22 Church Street (Route 15), opposite Bar Harbor Bank & Trust.
In 2006 Haystack purchased the former Blue Heron Gallery and adjacent home with a generous bequest from longtime Haystack trustee, Charlie Gailis. Built circa 1850, the property was most recently owned by the late Mary Nyburg, a Haystack Trustee, advocate and friend. Prior to that, the property was formerly owned by Haystack Life Trustee and friend, Jane Weiss (now Jane Weiss Garrett). Jane originally renovated the barn to house her gallery, Timeless Designs, which also featured work of Haystack faculty.
The barn has been winterized to create a 760 sq. ft. space for exhibitions, workshops, lectures, and community gatherings and the house now serves as the permanent offices for the Haystack staff. Renovations continue on the facility with builders working on an addition, which will connect the barn to the main house and provide for added storage space and a handicapped accessible bathroom. Additional funding for these renovations were donated by Eleanor and Sam Rosenfeld.
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| George Stevens Academy junior, Allison Fleck, works with instructor Gayle Fraas in the Fiber Studio, while Deer Isle-Stonington junior, Laurie Cousins works at a table in the background, during a dye sublimation workshop led by Fraas and Duncan Slade, during Haystack’s 25th Student Craft Institute. |
This past Memorial Day weekend, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts hosted its 25th annual Student Craft Institute. 72 high school students from throughout Maine were nominated by their art teachers to participate in the three-day intensive crafts program for distinguished art students. The Student Craft Institute is open to all Maine high schools with an art program, and draws students from points across the state.
This year’s sessions were led by Ernie Paterno (beginner beadmaking intensive), the owner of Filament Gallery and an instructor at Maine College of Art; Farrell Ruppert (blacksmithing), a studio artist from Deer Isle; Kari Radasch (clay) studio artist from Westbrook, Maine; Anne-Claude Cotty (pinhole photography), a studio artist from Stonington; Gayle Fraas and Duncan Slade (dye sublimation), husband and wife and artist team from Edgecomb, Maine; and Matthew Hincman (wood/sculpture), from Massachusetts College of Art. Funding for the Student Craft Institute was provided by the William Penn Foundation and Haystack’s program endowment.
Haystack’s high school mentor program took place this year from February through April.
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| Artist Mary Howe works with students Da Hae Jeong (center) from Korea and Di Wang from China. Both are exchange students at George Stevens Academy in Blue Hill and participated with five other students from Deer Isle-Stonington High School and George Stevens Academy in a one-day workshop, where participants made portfolio boxes |
In addition to the workshops in these artists’ studios, for the first time in the program Haystack’s new Center for Community Programs, provided space for a one-day portfolio box-making workshop, led by Mary Howe. The seven students who participated in the session were joined by Katie Greene, art teacher from George Stevens Academy and a frequent Haystack student herself, who worked alongside her students.
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| Wooden bowls on display at the Student Mentor Exhibition. |
This year, nine makers from Deer Isle and the Blue Hill Peninsula (Mark Bell, Bruce Bulger, Ann-Claude Cotty, Mary Howe, Chris Joyce, Chris Leith, Farrell Ruppert, James Walsh, and Fred Woell) worked with thiry-one students. The work the students made, along with work by their mentors, was exhibited at the Center for Community Programs from April 18-May 9. The opening featured live music by PATTYCAKE 600, a band of local high students, one of whom participated in Haystack’s programs for teens.
Funding for the Student Mentor Program was provided from a donor advised fund of the Maine Community Foundation and support for exhibitions was provided by the Benwood Foundation.
Fall/Winter 2007
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| Sonya Clark led two half-day workshops as part of the Beaded Blessing exhibition. |
From November 14 to December 16, 2007, a traveling exhibition called Beaded Blessings, developed by artist and Haystack trustee, Sonya Clark was on display at the Center. The show was comprised of over 4000 beaded prayers inspired by African amulet traditions.
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| Island residents made beaded packets during the fall workshops. |
Each contributed piece is a sealed beaded packet containing the written wishes, hopes, dreams and prayers of the international participants. These beaded prayers were created by participants in workshops led by Clark, who was on site in November to talk about the project, for a reception, and to lead two half day workshops at the Center with Island residents as part of the exhibition. The completed pieces from those workshops will be added to the exhibition. To date, Beaded Blessings has been displayed throughout the US and in Australia, Brazil, and Ghana.
Spring/Summer 2007
On June 24, 2007 Haystack opened the doors to the new Center for Community Programs. The opening exhibition featured the work of students and faculty who participated in Haystack's 2007 Student Mentor Program.
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| Local high school students work with artists in the community as part of Haystack's Mentors Program. |
The Haystack Mentors Program, now in it’s 10th year, provides a unique educational experience in the arts for high school students in our local community. Each spring, approximately 40 students the local area are placed in local artist studios for several weekends where they receive training in an individualized and intensive setting. By working with artist in their local communities, students are able to develop relationships with their artist neighbors, and become familiar with arts education resources in their community. Participants in the Student Mentor Program are selected by teacher nomination or by self-nomination.
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| The Center provides an ideal space for small exhibitions, programs and gatherings. |
Haystack's Student Craft Institute and Studio Based Learning program are also coordinated under the auspices of the new Center for Community Programs. Additionally, Haystack is committed to a broader series of community programs through its new Center; initiatives that will include exhibitions and other community based residencies. Haystack's new Center provides a central place for planning, organizing and implementing these programs.