Summer Workshops Current — Haystack Mountain School of Crafts

Party Furniture/Furniture Party

Party Furniture/Furniture Party

This workshop fosters human connection through making and experiencing art, craft, and design. Participants will design and build wood objects that facilitate social engagement through intentional interaction. They will then work collaboratively and create an end-of-session event that encourages visitors to interact with the objects and ultimately, each other. Basic hand tool, machine tools, and joinery techniques will be demonstrated as needed (mortise and tenon, splined miters, etc.). Use of upholstery, moving parts, and alternative materials are a possibility. Anything goes! All levels welcome.

Annie Evelyn (she/her) seeks to bring joy, human connection, and self-discovery to all she does.

Session 2Molly FlaniganNovember 21, 2024Wood, Annie Evelyn

Re-membering A Black Craft Tradition

Re-membering A Black Craft Tradition

No chairmakers, past or present, have woven seats quite like the Poynors of Central Tennessee. This multigenerational family of formerly enslaved chairmakers harvested white oak splints, a labor intensive process typically used in basketry, to weave the seats of their distinct ladderback chairs. Over 150 years later, many of these intricately patterned seats still remain intact yet the knowledge of how they were constructed doesn't. My hope is that I, and workshop participants, will recreate and document this process in order to preserve this incredible tradition.

Robell Awake (he/him) is a chairmaker, teacher, and researcher based in Atlanta, GA.

Session 2Molly FlaniganNovember 21, 2024Visiting Artist, Robell Awake

Prototyping Alternative Futures

Prototyping Alternative Futures

During her residency, Sophia Brueckner will explore and reimagine the future of technology through speculative design and hands-on prototyping. Drawing from her expertise in art, engineering, and science fiction, she will lead informal pop-up workshops that explore the intersection of digital fabrication, traditional media, and critical technology ethics. As part of these, participants will create both physical and digital artifacts, experimenting with projects like merging unexpected textile patterns or building robotic creatures that question the boundaries between human and non-human art. This collaborative experience will inspire attendees to think critically and creatively about how technology shapes our world and how we can influence it for a more positive, equitable future.

Sophia Brueckner (she/her) is an artist/engineer and Associate Professor at the University of Michigan.

Session 2Molly FlaniganNovember 21, 2024Fab Lab Resident, Sophia Brueckner

Prototyping Climate Action

Prototyping Climate Action

Throughout this residency, Beth Ferguson will continue research and share relevant projects including biomaterial fabrication, solar charging stations for future mobility, 3D-printed shoes with fish leather, and 3D-printed clay filtration systems with aquatic plants. She expects to invite session participants to learn how Makerspaces can be hubs for climate action and sustainable material experimentation. Through this information, it is her intention that participants will gain valuable insights and practical tips to prototype climate adaptation tools and strategies using sustainable materials and digital fabrication with circularity in mind.

Beth Ferguson (she/her) is a designer whose practice blends solar design, digital fabrication, and public engagement, focusing on climate action for a warming planet.

Session 2Molly FlaniganNovember 21, 2024Fab Lab Resident, Beth Ferguson

Making Maruko Tools Glassblowing Jacks

Making Maruko Tools Glassblowing Jacks

This workshop will be focused on making jacks—one of the most essential tools in glassblowing. Primarily focusing on the manufacturing process of the jack blades, the workshop will walk through step-by-step on how Maruko Tools jacks are made with demonstrations followed by lots of hands-on practice. Techniques such as forging, low gas brass welding, bending, and more will be covered. The handles of the jacks will be provided, and participants will weld on the blades they create and learn to adjust the springs of the handles. Three years of blacksmith experience required; workshop not intended for beginners. Previous experience in forging and gas welding is required; both glassblowers and those who have never been involved with glassare welcome.

Shin Nagai (he/him) is a blacksmith specializing in making glassblowing tools, working solo at the base of Mt. Fuji in Japan, and is the Founder and sole artisan of Maruko Tools.

Session 3Molly FlaniganNovember 21, 2024Blacksmithing, Shin Nagai

Teachers' Teachers

Teachers' Teachers

In this workshop, participants are expected to be teaching artists and will be invited to exchange and generate new approaches to ceramic education that underscore the metaphoric and conceptual potential of clay. Studio time will include making work, inventing exercises, critiquing existing structures, plotting new courses, and becoming students of our own curriculum. We will experiment with the productive potential of entwining making and teaching. Participants should be teaching artists (at any level, for a minimum of one year) who are invested in non-traditional approaches to ceramics.

Nicole Seisler (she/her) is a maker/teacher/curator who creates dialogue and perspectives around ceramics that exist in the same conditions as the material: malleable, shifting, adaptable, and enduring; existing within, between, and beyond conventional definitions.

Session 3Molly FlaniganNovember 21, 2024Ceramics, Nicole Seisler

Weaving Beyond the Binary

Weaving Beyond the Binary

This workshop will engage methodologies for open-ended improvisational weaving. Fostering a cooperative understanding that our tools and materials have agency, improvisational loom-thinking opens pathways of possibility that respond to the tectonic grid of the loom. Participants will be encouraged to follow their curiosities and ask questions that lead to unexpected places. Possibilities for this open inquiry may include yarn dye processes, warp painting, multi-cloth, drafting, and tapestry, among others. Rather than presenting a singular way of working, participants will develop intimacy with the loom, and in so doing, find their own means of weaving beyond the binary. Some floor loom weaving experience is recommended. All levels welcome.

Transdisciplinary weaver John Paul Morabito (they/them) is an artist and educator who engages the expanded field of tapestry as a medium to embody an ecstatic queer visuality.

Session 3Molly FlaniganNovember 21, 2024Fiber, John Paul Morabito

Breaking Down the Blank Page: Pop Art + Creative Systems

Breaking Down the Blank Page: Pop Art + Creative Systems

In this workshop, we will explore a variety of tools, surfaces, and mediums, each with its own set of baked in creative constraints. By using (and combining) analog and digital tools, participants will develop a practice in scaling and stretching and iterating on their ideas. All levels welcome.

Dr. Curtis Bullock (he/him) is always searching for joy and spontaneity within systems and constraints. Painting and printing on functional objects is a central focus of his work as he aims to bring people into more personal, longer lasting relationships with the things they consume.

2025, Session 3Molly FlaniganNovember 21, 2024Graphics, Dr. Curtis Bullock

Set in Stone

Set in Stone

Intaglio carving is the process of cutting into the surface of a stone to create an image. This ancient art is a testament to craft and requires a steady hand and a keen eye. In this workshop, participants will hone their skills as they explore the basics of intaglio carving. Starting with glass cabochons, participants will experiment with simple mark-making as they learn to create their own images. The workshop will conclude with setting techniques to turn your gemstone into jewelry. Previous metalsmithing experience required. Workshop includes considerable precision work expected, and participants should be comfortable sawing, soldering, and using a flex shaft.

Erica Bello (she/they) explores traditional metalsmithing techniques alongside modern jewelry design. The result is in her own immediately recognizable work that falls somewhere between classic and contemporary.

Session 3Molly FlaniganNovember 21, 2024Metals, Erica Bello

Wood Fiction / Nonfiction: Sculpting Narrative

Wood Fiction / Nonfiction: Sculpting Narrative

In this workshop, students will learn techniques for sculpting with wood and how to talk about their work poetically and effectively. Through experiential exercises, students will learn how to imbue narratives into their work while expanding their spoken and visual vocabulary. This hands-on workshop will introduce students to sculpting techniques using hand tools, power tools, and woodworking machinery. The class is designed to help students get rid of any fear or tension in the woodshop, and develop a safe expressive relationship to woodworking.

Raul De Lara (he/him) is a sculptor based in New York City. His work explores the emotive and storytelling qualities of materials.

Session 3Molly FlaniganNovember 21, 2024Wood, Raul De Lara

Learning from LAND: Art, Ecology + Environmental Activism

Learning from LAND: Art, Ecology + Environmental Activism

Throughout this residency, Jen de los Reyes will focus on LAND, a project merging history and environmental conservation. She will engage with session participants, discussing the intersection of art, ecology, and contemporary education while creating an outline for a newly developed course that addresses environmental activism’s role in art education, urging participants to rethink their practices.

Jen de los Reyes (she/her) is an artist, educator, and community arts organizer.

Session 3Molly FlaniganNovember 21, 2024Visiting Artist, Jen de los Reyes

Crafting Intelligence

Crafting Intelligence

Every day we are increasingly surrounded by algorithms, chatbots, and language models that alienate us from the art, craft, and materiality of intelligence. But does digital intelligence have to be behind screens, trapped inside tiny chips, or tucked in faraway data centers? Throughout this residency, Orkan Telhan and Dietmar Offenhuber will work on reservoir computing and autographic systems, exploring unconventional methods of computing to create physical systems that grow, live, learn, and think with us. They will share their work with the session community and invite individuals to explore algorithms with plants and microorganisms, build mycelium computers, and bring analog, digital, and biological ideas together to explore a new craft of intelligence.

Orkan Telhan (he/him) investigates art and craft of unconventional intelligence, including critical issues in cultural, environmental, and social responsibility.

Dietmar Offenhuber (he/him) is an Information Designer and researcher interested in Material Information.

Session 3Molly FlaniganNovember 21, 2024Fab Lab Resident, Orkan Telhan + Dietmar Offenhuber

S3 Fab Lab Resident 2

Halvah jelly-o halvah muffin chocolate bar powder. Toffee donut sweet roll brownie wafer jelly beans. Gingerbread danish ice cream jujubes pastry. Chocolate candy soufflé gummies sweet roll. Chocolate bear claw jelly-o candy canes apple pie sesame snaps. Oat cake marzipan sweet roll cake danish cheesecake marshmallow. Marzipan lollipop toffee marshmallow brownie bear claw. Cotton candy croissant jelly-o fruitcake cotton candy jelly tart. Macaroon cotton candy wafer jelly beans powder soufflé. Topping toffee toffee brownie donut brownie lollipop.

Molly FlaniganNovember 21, 2024

Theme + Variations on Surface Design

Theme + Variations on Surface Design

This workshop focuses on creative surface design techniques using various objects as drawing tools: cookie cutters, typing press, carving tools, flexible rulers, and other items to decorate the clay surface. By combining various shapes, colors, and textures, we aim to express a personal meaning or story. We will use different kinds of clay and examine the contrast and variations of mood and effect. Each participant will create a cup or small item of their choice (wheel-thrown or hand-built) which will be used to explore these techniques. All levels welcome.

Masa Sasaki (he/him) is an innovative, colorful, surface design ceramic artist.

Session 4Molly FlaniganNovember 21, 2024Ceramics, Masa Sasaki

Sampling: Experimentation through Material Play

Sampling: Experimentation through Material Play

Sampling: Experimentation through Material Play
This workshop will engage sample-making as a practice of playful experimentation and critical inquiry. Starting with hand weaving techniques on portable tapestry looms and moving to floor looms to explore more complex patterning, participants will create collections of swatches that explore the possibilities within a single loom set-up or material question. Sampling will be supported by guiding prompts, written reflection, and documentation. Participants will be invited to learn from each other through skill sharing and group discussions. All levels welcome.

Etta Sandry (she/her, they/them) is an artist, educator, and facilitator situated in the expanded material practices field between craft, contemporary art, and creative research.

Session 4Molly FlaniganNovember 21, 2024Fiber, Etta Sandry

Immersion into Glass

Immersion into Glass

Through careful observation, respect, and consideration, we will move beyond simply manipulating glass into an exploration of its conceptual value. Various collaborative and experimental demonstrations will delve into how glass relates to optics, sound, and site-specific location to broaden the participant’s understanding of the material’s possibilities. Encouraging investigations into the innate properties of glass will help expand our thinking of its potential. We will explore the environment of Haystack and discern how an artist utilizes creativity to reveal their interpretation of this world. A minimum of one year of glassblowing experience is required.

Bohyun Yoon (he/him) is an artist and educator who explores the conceptual properties of glass. His work exists at the intersection of craft, music, performance, video, and experimental participatory theatre.

Session 4Molly FlaniganNovember 21, 2024Glass, Bohyun Yoon

Demystifying the Pop-up Book

Demystifying the Pop-up Book

Pop-up book structures can create captivating art for all ages—from greeting cards to room-sized interactive kinetic sculptures. In this workshop, participants will learn the basic elements of pop-up paper engineering and how to combine them to create more complex mechanisms, including platforms, rotating disks, and pull-tabs. Most of all, participants will learn how to effectively incorporate their own art into their structures to create unique pop-up books, cards, and works of art. All levels welcome.

Colette Fu (she/her) is a pop-up book artist who creates sculptural, photo-based pop-up books illuminating cultures and depicting myths and legends.

Session 4Molly FlaniganNovember 21, 2024Graphics, Colette Fu

Multiples for Installation, Jewelry + Objects

Multiples for Installation, Jewelry + Objects

This workshop will explore both hand and digital techniques to produce molds and dies, allowing for the reproduction of sheet metal components using the hydraulic press. Basics of hand and digital fabrication will be presented between the Metals Studio and the Haystack Fab Lab. Haystack has a limited number of computers, but it is recommended that participants bring a laptop with Adobe Illustrator. Participants will leave with a combination of dies, experiments, prototypes, small projects, and big ideas. All levels welcome.

Lauren Kalman (she/her) is a visual artist, craft artist, and educator.

Session 4Molly FlaniganNovember 21, 2024Metals, Lauren Kalman

Call + Response

Call + Response

The objects and spaces we navigate are filled with latent potential for redefinition. Starting our session with succinct and satisfying technical explorations and ending with a long form project, we will explore object making steeped in humor, absurdity, and the capacity for transformation. Architecture, the environment, and found materials will be prompts for inventive, improvisational building strategies that speak to specificity of place, partnerships, and people. Using traditional wood milling and furniture making processes as a guide, participants will define the technical parameters of their work based on site and material choices with the goal of finding strategies where a personal and proliferating source of conceptual and technical fodder abound. All levels welcome.

Session 4Molly FlaniganNovember 21, 2024Wood, Ellie Richards

Mapping Tatreez: Understanding the Making Practices of Palestinian Headdresses through Symbolism, Design, + Adornment

Mapping Tatreez: Understanding the Making Practices of Palestinian Headdresses through Symbolism, Design, + Adornment

Throughout this residency, using a selection of five traditional Palestinian headdresses in the Tatreez Institute Collection from Yaffa, Jerusalem, Gaza, Al Khalil, and Bir Saba from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Wafa Ghnaim will create a digital map of the Palestinian embroidery (tatreez) designs and other material aspects that instruct future reconstruction and builds social, economic, and political historical contexts. This material analysis will be a culmination of work that began in 2023 during her fellowship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Wafa Ghnaim (she/her) is a Palestinian dress historian, researcher, writer, archivist, curator, educator, and embroideress.

Session 4Molly FlaniganNovember 21, 2024Visiting Artist, Wafa Ghnaim