Haystack to host public programs series

Programming is part of school’s 75th anniversary celebrations

Haystack staff lead visitors on a campus tour, photo by Dan Rajter, 2024. Image courtesy of Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. 

May 1, 2026

By Staff

DEER ISLE—Haystack Mountain School of Crafts invites visitors to it’s Deer Isle campus for the a public programs series beginning on June 3, a press release said. 

Coinciding with each of our summer sessions, Haystack faculty, visiting artists, studio assistant fellows, and Fab Lab Residents will “share their inspirations, ideas, and work” during these public presentations, the release said. These presentations take place in Haystack’s Gateway Auditorium and are free and open to the public. 

“As Haystack recognizes the anniversary of that first summer of sessions in 1951, we are excited to share the ideas and voices that have made the School such an important site for craft education, innovation, and community - voices that both celebrate our past and inspire our future,” Perry Price, Haystack’s executive director, in the release. 

Part of a year of special programming “celebrating 75 years since Haystack’s founding,” the Distinguished Speaker Series willhighlight leading voices from the School’s faculty, alumni, and craft community, the release said. Syd Carpenter, Rosanne Somerson, and Stuart Kestenbaum will each be welcomed back back to the campus to provide “participants with an opportunity to connect with luminaries in the field.”

Public campus tours are held June–August every Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. For the months of July and August, a second tour will take place on Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m. Suggested tour admission is $5 per adult and pre-registration is required, the release said. 

The public is also invited to join Haystack students and faculty at the end of each workshop session for a self-guided walk-through of the Haystack’s studios and campus, the release said. During that time, studios will be open with faculty and participant work on display. Walk-throughs generally occur on the last Thursday of each session from 3:30-5:00 p.m.. 

A silent auction will be held during the walk-through, and a live auction will begin at 5:00 p.m., the release said. Auction proceeds benefit Haystack’s Fellowship programs and studio improvements. 

In August, Haystack will host a free open house featuring “artist-led activities,” in various studio spaces, the release said. The studios and campus will open to the public from 1:00-5:00 p.m. with “artists from the wider community on hand offering demonstrations, answering questions, and leading opportunities for visitors of all ages.” 

To learn more, or to sign up for a campus tour, visit haystack-mtn.org/visit.

The Rising Tide welcomes artistic endeavors from our community, and showcases them here in our “Create” section. If you have something you’d like to submit—a poem, a picture of a painting, a photograph, a music recording—send it to info@risingtide.media. We’d love to publish it and give you an audience for your creativity.