Originally published in Compass, July 10, 2014

Haystack’s second of three summer exhibitions, Combat Paper, a veteran-run arts organization based in New Jersey, will lead workshops in writing and visual arts for invited veterans at Haystack’s Center for Community Programs, July 14-18. The two-day exhibition, which follows the workshops, will feature some of the work made during those workshop sessions. The programs are supported by a grant from the Broad Reach Foundation of the Maine Community Foundation. The work will be available to view at Haystack’s Center for Community Programs from July 19-20, The Center, located at 22 Church Street in Deer Isle village (across from Bar Harbor Bank), will be open Wednesday, and Friday-Sunday from 1-5 p.m. for the duration of the show.

Evening Programs
All programs begin at 7:30 p.m.

On Monday, July 14, ceramic artist Chris Staley and fiber/mixed media artist Ann Wessmann will present their work. Staley is a Distinguished Professor of Art at Penn State University.

On Tuesday, July 15, glass artist Kari Håkonsen and metalsmith Nancy Megan Corwin will share their work. Håkonsen received a degree in Glass from the Glass School in Orrefors, Sweden, and The Surrey Institute of Art and Design, UK. She is based in Norway, operating her own glassblowing studio since 1998. Corwin is an internationally known jeweler/metalsmith, teacher, writer, and curator in the field of art metals. She received an MFA in Metals from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is the author of the instructional and gallery book Chasing and Repoussé: Methods Ancient and Modern.

On Wednesday, July 16, printmaker Dwight Pogue and woodworker Sylvie Rosenthal will present their work. Pogue teaches printmaking at Smith College, Northampton, Mass. Rosenthal is a woodworker and sculptor.

On Friday, July 18, Combat Paper will give a presentation about their organization, which is a group of veterans that lead other veterans in art-making workshops—using their uniforms to make paper, and then using the paper to make art (and also write) about their combat experiences. It was started by Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, but has grown to include Vietnam and Korean veterans as well. The organization is based out of studios throughout the country and has traveled to Canada, England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Kosovo, providing workshops, exhibitions, performances, and artists’ talks.

On Monday, July 21, the third session technical assistants—artists who aid the instructors in leading classes—will present their work. These assistants are accomplished crafts people working in a wide range of media. On Tuesday, July 22, Haystack staff will present their work. An end-of-session studio walk-through and auction will take place on Thursday, July 24, with studios open at 7:30 p.m. for self-guided tours, followed by an end-of-session auction—preview begins at 8 p.m. and auction begins at 8:15 p.m.