The Box itself was created in about two weeks time in the Wood Studio by Brad Willis, a Studio Coordinator at Haystack since 2014. The Box was made from resawn pine using the table saw bandsaw jointer and planer. The veneers were glued together diagonally and laminated on a substrate using the vacuum bag. The tray and dividers inside were made using the same materials.

Brad shared, “The prompt for the design was to reference the architecture of the School. I didn't want to make it too literal, so I mimicked the campus buildings’ diagonal sheathing using pine wood, and constructed it with mitered corners and minimal fixtures. I fit the dividers in the body of the Box without any fasteners or glue. Each piece has its own space for now, but if the objects change or the idea changes, so can the space.”

How fitting that the Box evokes the ethos of our studio spaces.

What’s special about Haystack, beyond its accolades and artists and architecture, is the experience of the place. Haystack is designed to be a place that belongs to the people who are there in the time that they’re there. There is no permanent faculty, no institutional style or fixed pedagogy. Instructors and participants who have visited more than once come to realize that Haystack is almost magically reinvented for each two-week session. The philosophy of the place exists in the collaboration and exchange between its participants. Whether it’s a familiar return or a new encounter, our hope is that Haystack In A Box evokes this Haystack experience.

Executive Director Perry Price will travel with and present "Haystack In A Box" at various events around the country in 2026 as part of the signature programs celebrating the anniversary. We are especially grateful to all who generously loaned or donated items for this initiative:

• Leslie English: Loan of weaving sample of jute and heavy cotton roving by Alice English, 1955

• Annie Meyer: Loan of 3 Knotguys (wood), 2021

• Steve Norton: Donation of Bell Tower recording and audio files, 2025

• Joyce Scott: Donation of 3 Peyote stitch samples, 1976

• Claire Sanford: Donation of two J. Fred Woell metal spoons, 1988

• Doug Wilson: Donation of Iron Letter Opener, 2025

• Toshiko Takaezu: Ceramic bowl, courtesy of Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, circa 1980s

As Haystack turns 75, we are recognizing milestones and celebrating our traditions, but we are also fostering new growth and navigating new times. To veiw a video about the project with Perry Price, visit

To learn how to support Haystack’s ongoing mission to connect people through craft and for more information about the design and background of "Haystack In A Box," visit  https://shorturl.at/Ookc1 

For more information about Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, located at  89 Haystack School Drive, Deer Isle, Maine, visit https://www.haystack-mtn.org/