A Deer Isle arts colony has received the largest gift in its history, $4 million to establish an endowment that will be used to preserve its campus overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

Haystack Mountain School of Crafts said in a news release that the gift from the Windgate Foundation is the single largest in the school’s history.

The money will be permanently restricted, generating annual operating support for the ongoing preservation of the campus, which received a 25-year award from the American Institute of Architects in 1994 for its architectural design and cultural significance.

Designed by Edward Larrabee Barnes, the campus consists of a series of modest structures on a granite ledge overlooking the ocean. Structures are connected by a series of walkways to encourage community. And the campus, which opened in 1961, has become known as “an architectural masterpiece and an icon of American modernism,” the school said in a news release.

Founded in 1950 as an arts research and studio program, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts offers one- and two-week studio workshops, as well as a residency program, exhibitions, tours, auctions, lectures and other workshops.

Send questions/comments to the editors.

« Previous

Next »

filed under: