Maine Crafts Association

08/20/2026

Attention Maine studio artists! The Maine Gallery + Studio Guide has an incredible advertising offer for you - save 50% off their standard rates for next year's annual guide for a limited time only (offer ends September 8th). Click this link to learn more: https://online.fliphtml5.com/jdufw/Untitled-2/ =1

08/08/2026

MCA has partnered with the League of NH Craftsmen for three years now to offer the Craft Apprentice Program in Maine and New Hampshire. Here are a few mentorship pairs from CAP past and present, taking part in the 93rd Annual Craftsmen’s Fair in Sunapee!

08/05/2026

Thank you Maine Home + Design for sponsoring STITCH 2026!

08/04/2026

Is there a craft medium you'd like to learn more about, or new skills you'd like to acquire? Tell us in the comments! We're partnering with Scarborough Public Library to offer the Library Artist Series through June 2027. Come teach and learn with us!

https://mainecrafts.org/call-for-applications-library-artist-series/

Thank you to the Maine Arts Commission for supporting this project through the Creative Communities grant. 🙏

Thanks to the Maine Arts Commission, we have a TON of art programming coming up. The Scarborough Public Library is pleased to be partnering with the Maine Crafts Association to present an artist series as part of the Maine Arts Commission Creative Communities Program. More information can be found here: https://www.scarboroughlibrary.org/artist_series

If you have a type of art you'd like to learn about, please leave a note in the comments!

If you are an artist who would like to be involved, please apply using the above link!

07/28/2026

Get on the map! 🗺️ Join the tour for Maine Craft Weekend.

Each year, thousands of craft lovers and enthusiasts spend the weekend exploring Maine’s creative communities, visiting studios, discovering artists, and shopping handmade. If you’re an artist, gallery, shop, organization, or community, this is your opportunity to put your work in front of an engaged audience that’s actively planning where to go.

✨ Open your studio. Host a demonstration. Plan a special event. Join hundreds of participants across the state and become part of a weekend that celebrates craftsmanship, community and creativity.

Current Maine Crafts Association and Maine Made members receive a FREE event listing when they register by August 1.

Meet the Makers!

Tour the barn studio of ceramicist Lindsey McFarland Howarth. Learn her glazing techniques and try your hand at the mini pottery wheel.

Join H é l è n e F a r r a r at her encaustics studio in Rockland. Helene will demonstrate the process and is releasing new work just for this weekend.

Visit Camden for the Harbor Arts Fair to find the two-day fair with 60+ artist vendors and live music on the grounds of the Camden Public Library.

Link in bio to register and learn more about the events.

07/22/2026

Our final Craft Apprentice Program studio visit brought us to Kennebunkport village to chat with apprentice Chrystina Gastelum and the beautiful working studio & retail store of mentor Albert Nhan. Albert owns Wooven , an apparel company with products designed and sewn by him using fair trade handwoven fabrics, alongside handcrafted items that support the work of traditional craft artisans in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. You can visit Wooven in both Kennebunkport and Biddeford downtown locations.

We loved seeing Chrystina’s progress so far - she has already designed & sewn multiple pieces of apparel (including a wedding-guest dress and shirt for her husband!), with no plans of stopping in sight. The pair have a wonderful and dynamic relationship where they are both constantly learning from each other.

📸 portrait by Barbara Girard

Apprenticeship Summary:
This apparel-focused apprenticeship will advance apprentice Chrystina Gastelum’s skills in flat pattern drafting, garment construction, and fashion production under the guidance of mentor Albert Nhan. Her goals include mastering measurement-taking and shirt pattern drafting with advanced manipulation techniques, refining sewing precision through improved construction methods, tool use, and material sourcing, and developing a functional marketing and sales channel for her work. Through 100 hours of one-on-one training in the mentor’s studio, Chrystina will build both technical expertise and a sustainable, professionally presented apparel practice.

🗓️ Save the date for the Maine capstone exhibition, opening Friday, October 2nd (5-7pm) at Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts, and on view until October 27th, and the New Hampshire exhibition opening reception Thursday, November 5th (5-6:30pm) at the League of NH Exhibition Gallery in Concord, on view until December 4th.

Many thanks to program partners Maine Arts Commission Maine Arts Commission and the League of NH Craftsmen , funding from Maxwell Hanrahan Foundation and individual donors (thank you!), media sponsors Maine Home+Design , exhibition sponsors Kennebec Savings Bank and Cornerstones hayrunner and Woodhull

07/22/2026

Call for Artists: Congress street vending opportunity!

Creative Portland invites local artists to set up pop-ups or artist vendor tables (bring your own table & stool) during the next Third Wednesday program in the heart of the Arts District near CVS and MECA (500 block of Congress Street) on Wed August 19 between 4-7pm. No permits required.

Joining in the excitement will be local musicians, face painters, block partners, food trucks and more. The goal of the program is to activate the streets through the arts.

Please reply to: [email protected] with an indication of your interest and availability and a sample photo of your work or an instagram handle.

07/16/2026

Call for Applications!

The Maine Crafts Association is partnering with the Scarborough Public Library to build a roster of teaching artists for the new Library Artist Series, a year-long program of workshops, demonstrations, artist talks, community projects, and hands-on creative experiences.

We're seeking engaging programs for all ages that can be presented in a library setting. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis for programs taking place between July 2026 and June 2027. Artist stipends are available for time and materials.

Learn more and apply: https://mainecrafts.org/call-for-applications-library-artist-series/

This program is funded in part by a grant from the Maine Arts Commission, an independent state agency supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.

07/16/2026

Yesterday MCA & Maine Arts Commission staff had an inspiring studio visit with 2026 Craft Apprentice Program pair Travis Clough (mentor) and Hale Linnet (apprentice) at their multi-disciplinary studio above SPACE in the arts district of downtown Portland. Travis Clough

We enjoyed learning about their ongoing sewing & quilting projects with the local Preble Street Teen Center, as well as their involvement and support in the trans community using the comfort of handmade quilts. Hale has already completed two lap quilts, and been involved in multiple exhibitions since beginning their apprenticeship this spring, with even more ambitious projects coming down the pipeline!

Apprenticeship Summary:
This textile-based apprenticeship with mentor Travis Clough will help Hale Linnet grow both their quilting practice and their connection to the local fiber arts community. Hale will refine technical skills and explore sculptural and painted elements while preparing a show with local quilters. The apprenticeship will also foster collaboration through participation in quilting circles and projects like Transmissions, including creating a quilt to be auctioned in support of the trans community. This experience emphasizes both creative development and community engagement in fiber arts.

🗓️ Save the date for the Maine capstone exhibition, opening Friday, October 2nd (5-7pm) at Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts, and on view until October 27th, and the New Hampshire exhibition opening reception Thursday, November 5th (5-6:30pm) at the League of NH Exhibition Gallery in Concord, on view until December 4th.

07/13/2026

Join the Tour! Registration is open for Maine Craft Weekend.

Returning October 3 - 4, 2026, the weekend is a statewide celebration of craft, community, and creativity. Featuring a self-guided open studio tour with hundreds of participants opening their doors to the public, offering a behind-the-scenes look into their studios and creative processes.

Host an open studio, demonstrations, exhibitions, workshops, pop-ups, makers markets, artist talk, or another craft-centered event.

This year also marks the launch of the new MaineCraftWeekend.org, featuring an improved mobile experience and interactive map, making it easier than ever for visitors to discover events and plan their routes across the state.

Current Maine Crafts Association and Maine Made members receive a FREE event listing when they register by August 1.

Explore the new website, register your event, and start planning your Maine Craft Weekend today.