Stuart Kestenbaum
2008 Craft Educator Award
Stuart Kestenbaum is the director of the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, ME. In addition, he is poet, who has published three collections of his poems. Stuart Kestenbaum’s latest book of poems, Prayers & Run-on Sentences, was published by Deerbrook Editions (Cumberland, ME) in June 2007.
Kestenbaum wrote the following comments on receiving the news of his award.
“It is a great honor to receive the Distinguished Educator Award. I …want to say that in my time as director of Haystack it has been inspiring for me to watch how makers work with materials, and how this is a relationship—a conversation between the two. This conversation joins us to our planet and to the generations of ingenious makers who went before us.
What we try to do at Haystack is to make it possible for people to work without distraction, to learn from their teachers and peers, and to ask questions of themselves and the materials. We don’t predict what will happen; questions can lead to more questions and different answers, and the discoveries that will take place can be surprising and remarkable.”
The Haystack Mountain School of Crafts offers intensive studio-based workshops in a variety of craft media including clay, glass, metals, paper, blacksmithing, weaving, woodworking and more. Programs range from short workshops to two-week sessions and anyone may participate, from beginners to advanced professionals.
The unique experience to be found at Haystack is owed to the combination of internationally-renowned instructors, intensive and focused studio time, the exploration of other art forms including music, poetry and dance, a diverse student body, and an award-winning campus. Over the past 50 years, the school has created international workshops and conferences, innovative sessions for high school students and local residents, a visiting artist’s program, scholarship opportunities, and more. Haystack continues to evolve with the interests and ideas of those who visit here.