I had not been to Haystack in over 35 years.  I was there three times as a young emerging artist, twice in ceramic classes and once as a teaching assistant in printmaking.  This place is as beautiful and inspiring as ever.  Even more so than it was for me in my twenties.  To have two peaceful weeks in a studio filled with artists of all ages and backgrounds to pursue some new directions in Japanese woodblock printing with our teacher Takuji Hamanaka made me delirious with the possibilities.  I was in the studio until midnight most nights.  Haystack thoughtfully brings together passionate teachers and a delightful mix of artists/makers/craftspersons/game changers.

The buildings are perfectly designed by Edward Larabee Barnes for working and for resting (mostly working). Haystack is designed to nurture creativity and to encourage questioning and to respect and revere the search for meaning.  I was touched that the campus has been so lovingly rebuilt over and over and it was still there for me when I was ready to go back there this summer.  So much was the same.  The sense of community, the great food, the conversations between the generations, the freezing dips in the ocean, the auction where so much generosity was put forth to raise money for scholarships.  Below are a few views of the thousands of worn shingles that cover the buildings at Haystack.