Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, art school in the United States
Haystack Mountain School of Crafts is an art school on the coast of Maine at Deer Isle, with wooden and glass buildings set among trees and overlooking the water. The thirty-four structures were designed by architect Edward Larrabee Barnes and use simple, functional materials that blend naturally with the surrounding landscape.
The school was founded in 1950 by a group of craft artists, including Francis Merritt, who wanted to create a place for shared work and exchange of ideas. It relocated to Deer Isle in 1961 and later gained recognition for its modernist architecture and design approach, leading to its inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.
The school is named after Haystack Mountain near its original location in Montville, before moving to Deer Isle in 1961. This name choice reflects the school's connection to its founding roots and the craft tradition it represents.
The school offers workshops in various crafts such as blacksmithing, ceramics, textiles, glassmaking, and woodworking that last one to three weeks and welcome all skill levels. Visitors should plan to explore on foot since the buildings are connected by walking paths across the campus, and comfortable shoes are helpful for navigating the landscape.
The school is part of MIT's Fab Lab network, blending traditional craft with modern digital fabrication technology. This makes the location a place where centuries-old handcraft techniques meet contemporary tools and experimental approaches to making.
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