Website Overhaul

Summer studio Goddess Quan Yin

Summertime in the the studio  -  I am weaving the last two panels for “Well Used, Well Loved.” When these 40″ by 72″ panels are woven I will embroider on the surface using Shifu thread as well as embroidery floss. Balanced with this indoor studio time, I am spinning more paper and drawing while sailing or traveling. I continue to post on Instagram (sdhaskell) and my Facebook page (Sarah D. Haskell).

Weaving yardage for WUWL embroidery

Last Spring I stepped away from teaching to focus entirely on my studio work and community art projects. This shift in focus has offered me the opportunity to compete several new pieces and to bring some closure to “Well Used, Well Loved.“  I continue to guide a few Mandala Community Waving project for local venues. No surprise to my art colleagues — my website is the last frontier to get any attention and an update.

Portsmouth Pride Mandala

This blog posting is just to say — hang on — it’s coming. Please watch for an updated gallery with many new images. Plus a redesigned website to reflect my redirected attention.

Between Us

To create art with others – in community – requires interaction with others. It is in this space that the real community ART is made.

Martel School Lewiston ME

Hands create together

This spring I am continuing my transition from teaching in schools to focusing on my own art.  Soon I will remove the artist in residence/teaching portion of my website. I will not be closing that door entirely as  I will entertain special requests for the Mandala Community Weaving as well as other intergenerational projects.In this new chapter of my creative life - I will put a greater weight on developing my own art work.  It is here in my studio that I dig deep into my personal narrative. I have the good fortune this month of being in a show at the George Marshall Gallery in York, ME.

Detail: “One of Many”

This month I worked with The Cotting School in Lexington to create a beautiful and expressive Community Mandala. In addition I traveled up to Lewsiton ME to work with 3rd and 4th grades at Martel School to create a joyful Mandala. My website gallery is long over due for some new art – so stay tuned – it is coming!

Cotting School Mandala

Unfolding lives, color effects

color effects our well being

Jacob Hiatt Community Mandala

Last week I was artist in residence at Jacob Hiatt Magnet School in Worcester, MA. I worked with 150 1st and 3rd graders to create a Community Mandala Weaving. This school community is rich with diversity and enthusiasm from principal Datta all the way down to the pre-K students, including all the staff and faculty. We worked hard for three days to create this magnificent, radiant Mandala which will adorn their school walls for generations to enjoy.While I was at Jacob Hiatt School I was snowed in for one day – and enjoyed the time to catch up on other on-going projects – including Well Used, Well Loved This community art project has brought forth a deep engagement among many of the 43 participants. We have a (closed) Face Book group where we can safely share photos and words in response to my prompts and questions.We also have a blog that is where I anonymously share stories and photo. Some of the questions I have asked are ~What/who in your life do you perceive as old? What/who do you perceive as beautiful? Do you see any connection between feeling attractive and feeling loved? The answers have been wide ranging – some surprises too!

creative response to Well Used Well Loved prompt #1

“I found prompt #3 a challenge.”

Prompt #3 was -What connections do you see between being attractive/beautiful and being loved?If I feel beautiful/attractive/appealing to others – will this mean I will be loved? Here’s a quote from one of the project participants “I encourage everyone to ask young children and the men in your lives what their response was to writing prompt #3. My family’s responses were drastically different compared to my response. Tonight i realized that the passing of time, our society, and our own inner demons create our insecurities related to female beauty.” 

Mandala means circle

Mandala means circle

Mandala means circle in Sanskrit. A Mandala design always has a center – a core, just like us. A Mandala is always a symmetrical design that radiates out from this center or core….just like our personality radiates out from us. And the weaving on a Mandala is a spiral – one that keeps growing from this central core. And just like that spiral of weft that grows from the original start – the Mandala Community Weaving has continued to grow and grow.The Mandala Community Weaving is a project that I designed about 20 years ago – and it has grown and grown and grown…just like the spiral weaving. This spring the project has experienced two milestones.

Rock Creek Forest Mandala

First – with the help of parents,staff and students at Rock Creek Forest Elementary School (Chevy Chase MD) we created the largest Mandala yet – over 650 clothes pin people. It is so full of people – the weaving is a small inner circle. There is such power in this image – the strength of numbers, of community, of wholeness and diversity. Thanks RCF for making this Mandala with me!!The second milestone – the Mandala Community Weaving has gone abroad! With the help of Kathy Kaknes, a volunteer who traveled to Haiti this month, the project was presented to the Be Like Brit Orphanage in Grand Goave, Haiti. With over 60 children living, growing and learning in this community, along side many dedicated adults ~ their Mandala has a very special glow to it.

Haiti – Mandala Community Weaving

Making clothespin people helps us feel better.

The completed Mandala

Weaving with friends

Art makes us smile!

Be Like Brit Mission statement.

Haiti colors!

Mandalas in Maryland

El Salvador pride

Community hands

Placing out the people

I am recently back from a week long residency in Chevy Chase MD at Rock Creek Forest Elementary. With a student body of nearly 600 plus staff and teachers, we created a large all school Mandala Community Weaving that will be stunning when fully assembled. The parent volunteers and organizers were amazing – and even with the large workshop sessions we cruised through the week with ease. At the end of the week, I left the final gluing assembly of the Mandala in the capable hands of the two parent organizers – thanks Tricia and Erica! I can’t wait to see it all together!!  

Warmer days, bluer skies

Snow piled up above the windows!

In my last post, I spoke of the blizzard…and in case you haven’t heard, we just exited the snowiest February on record here in York. For about three weeks the snow just piling up and piling up. We’ve had the roof shoveled and the drive way piles are over ten feet tall now! Today is bright ans sunny, so there is the sweet sound of melting, gutters running with water and even a few birds singing a happy tune.  All of this snow time gave me the opportunity to be grounded in the studio – no complaints from this happy weaver! I am one of the few people who loves winter weather – I love to x-ski and I love how snow storms create a giant pause in my busy life.I have added a new piece to the gallery from my “Unhinged” series – check it out!

Woven Mandala

The winter residency at Lewiston Middle School is completed. I am quite pleased with the drawn and woven mandalas that these students created in the after school program.

Personal drawn mandala

My own work is progressing – a new piece in the “Unhinged” series almost ready to be off loom for the embroidery. And speaking of embroidery, I have completed Letter U in my project “Now: Letters by Hand”.I will be traveling for 3 weeks leaving March 12…heading to a warm island in the Caribbean, Bequia. I’ll have email – so feel free to keep in touch – I love hearing from you!

Letter U – “Letters by Hand”

Rhythm and blues, new work in progress.

Fresh start

Studio post blizzard

We survived the “epic” blizzard of January 2015 – 24″of snow. Not all that bad – there have been worse storms – and the power never even blinked! The best thing about this storm was that I was hunkered down in the stdio – with heat and power – and I was able to get four new blog posts on my Macomber Looms and Me blog. These new posts include many photos of installing new parts to old looms as well as a few maintenance tricks. Check them out!So now that these posts are off my “to-do” list I can concentrate on weaving! I have completed the third in my series “Unhinged” and I’m off the photographers tomorrow to get it shot. Here’s a preview – but the professional will do a much better job!

Inlay at work.

Unhinged #2 – detail

This month I am artist in residence at a Middle School in Lewiston ME. I’m working in an after-school program through LA ARTS. Working in collaboration with the math teacher, we are doing drawn and then woven Mandalas.

Drawing Mandalas

One Opening

Thank You Letters installed at Old York Visitors Center

Saturday evening “Unraveled” opened. This is an amazing show of creative and innovative works by 18 New England artists. The show at the Remick Gallery in the Museums of Old York runs for 3 months – so you hardly have an excuse to miss it, unless you live on the West coast!

“Unhinged #1″ on view in UNRAVELED exhibition.

 With the arrival of fall and new exhibits, I am also starting back to work with schools. This past week I was down in CT for  an Arts for Learning Showcase in Meriden CT. Here is a fabulous photo that captures the energy of the day – beauty joy and community!

Mandala hands connecting to create community

May days

Detail of Clothes pin people

Wonderful volunteers who assembled and glued together the Mandala Community Weaving for AW Cox School

Here are some  photos from the AW Cox Elementary School in Guilford, CT. We worked for two days with over 300 students to weave and make the clothes pin people. A few weeks later volunteers assembled the project. The completed Mandala will be installed in June.

This is how the Mandala got delivered to the school!

Lewiston Maine

I had the good fortune to work with a very small group of students at the Longley School in Lewiston, Maine this month. Rather than making a Community Mandala, each student made their own Mandala. In the center of their individual Mandala they put a clothes pin person to represent themselves. Then they created other clothes pin people to represent their “support system” – people that help them, love them, feed them, teach them, care for them. This was a very special project with a very special group of students.

Students are creating a Mandala to represent their support system.

Mandalas can illustrate a circle of love and support with us at the center.

Individual Mandalas show our favorite colors, and our favorite people.

Each Mandala has me in the center surrounded by the people who support me.

Our special class of individual mandalas!

Waterbury CT ~ Rotella Magnet School

3rd, 4th and 5th grade collaborative weaving, Rotella Magnet School, Waterbury CT

5th grade weaving, Rotlella Magnet School, Waterbury CT

3rd grade weaving, Rotlella Magnet School, Waterbury CT

4th grade map of Connecticut, Rotella magnet School Waterbury CT

Lower grade Mandala

A rainbow of hands on the Mandala Community Weaving

This spring I had the pleasure of returning to be artist in residence at Rotella Magnet School. I worked here about 12 years ago and the beautiful pieces we created hang in the main office of the school. Now 12 years later, I have been invited back to do an even bigger project!Over 300 students in the 3rd, 4th and 5th grades worked on a triptych. The theme was “Journey”. The 3rd graders tapestry was a journey in and around Waterbury, CT. 4th graders illustrated a journey through Connecticut. And the 5th graders explored a more personal journey of the past/present/future of their lives.The lower grades (Pre-K, K, 1 and 2) worked on a Mandala Community Weaving. There were over 300 students who contributed to this joyful collaborative piece. 

Summer 2013 Gallery

This summer I decided that my front woods was a perfect place to hang a show. So I started making “post cards” of gratitude using fabric and plastic marine flags. Each flag has a fabric collage on one side a message on the other. They still look lovely hanging in the woods for all the world to see as they drive by my roadside gallery.

Along side my own projects, I have taught several workshops and done a few residencies since spring. here’s a gallery of images, from Mandalas to Paper Prayer Flags.

Phew! Summer!

People of Harvard MA

Wow!! What a busy and amazing spring and winter!I taught from Maine to New Jersey, small groups of two or three and large gatherings of over 1500.I guided weaving experiences for people of all ages facing grief, brain injury, aging, loss of mobility, racial discrimination and traumatic loss.We celebrated community, diversity, local history, our own inner beauty and the wisdom of  the heart. We talked about hopes, dreams, fears and worries. We made prayer flags, mandalas, small collage weavings and large tapestries.Here is a gallery of images that celebrate this work in community and love. Look for more news and photos now that I have time!

Boston Pubic Library April 2013

Weaving collage for elders. May 2013

Weaving collage by elder in CT May 2013

Weaving collage by elder in CT May 2013

Boston Public Library April 2013

Boston Public Library April 2013

“Good Grief” Community Mandala Morristown, NJ May 2013

Detail Milton Elementary School tapestry

Milton NH Elementary School Tapestry

Boston Public Library April 2013

Words of wisdom from Lewiston ME 1st grader

“Good Grief” Morristown, NJ Community Mandala May 2013

Diversity in Maine!

Lewiston, Maine First Grade Mandala

Silence

It is snowing again here in York Maine. I love the muffled quiet that surrounds me when snow falls. Deep, delicious silence.

Three Mandala Community Weavings from Harvard MA March 2013

Tomorrow I am off for a week of silence,  a Women’s Mediation Retreat.   It feels perfect to be heading off for this retreat. I’ve just completed a particularity busy month of residencies and ready to dip into this pool of reflection.These three Mandalas are from my 10 day residency at Hildreth Elementary School in Harvard, MA. These Mandala Community Weavings were woven by 2nd, 3rd and 4th graders, and will be decorated with about 100 clothes pin people each as well as ribbons with inspirational messages. Look for photos of the completed Mandalas at the end of March.I will be back March 15th. Thanks to each of you for your support of my work and your faith in my vision.Namaste, Sarah

Inspirational words from a 3rd grader.

The Mandala Community Weaving ~ now a PDF of instructions!

The Mandala Community Weaving

I am happy to announce that The Mandala Community Weaving project is now available as a PDF set of directions for $50. You will be able to follow these step by step directions to guide your own Mandala Community Weaving Project. Learn more about this community building peace project by following the link to the Mandala Community Weaving pages.If you wish to purchase these directions for $50, visit my blog and look for the “Buy Now” button for the Mandala Community Weaving.

Balancing on the Solstice

Here we are….on the official commencement of summer and the beginning of our days decreasing in sunlight (sorry to ruin your day!) This is the Solstice balance, balancing the light and the dark, the positive and the negative, the hot and the cold, plus for us on coastal Maine, the tourists and the townies!

CT workshop for families

For me it is the end of my school residencies and teaching. And today, it being almost 93 here in York, I went for my first swim!

Jim Wilson shows off his vintage reed making equipment.

Yesterday Ben and I went down to Central Falls, RI to visit The Gowdey Reed Co. I have started a blog about Jim’s family business as I am gearing up sales for them. Please check out this new blog, Gowdey Reeds, Heddles and Handweaving, where I explain how this company has been making reeds for 4 generations. The basic process has changed little, and each hand loom or industrial reed is made to order for the customer.Tomorrow I head back up to Haystack MT School of Crafts. I was up there last month, cleaning and repairing all the looms in the Textile Studio. Friday and Saturday, I will return to complete the job with a van load of parts from Macomber Looms. I think we picked the perfect week to be up there, as the temperatures here are going to be unseasonably warm.

My Woven Voices thesis with it's clamshell box

And here is a BIG TAH- DAH…drum roll……. I received my Masters of Art and Healing from Wisdom University this month. I am so proud of my thesis which is a series of hand-bound books that document and illustrate this four year global peace project.

Happy and proud boy with his self portrait for the Mandala

Thanks for checking out my website. I always love hearing from each one of you.Happy Summer!!~~ Sarah

More Mandalas

The Bancroft School Mandala

After school volunteers help to assemble the Mandala

This week I was artist in residence at the Bancroft School in Worcester, MA. I worked with Lower and Upper School students to create a stunning Community Mandala. There was time with each group to have a conversation about the history and cultural connections with Mandalas. During one of these discussion, one student asked me how many Mandalas I had made. I could not answer, but it is in the hundreds.Recently I have been thinking about making my own Mandalas. After the one that I made for the Izzy’s installation, I have been so inspired by the practice of making these mesmerizing symmetrical pieces. Each time I work with students and talk about how the Buddhist Monks make sand Mandalas over and  over again as a spiritual practice, I think about what I might learn from this practice.Today it is snowing, and most likely tomorrow we will be snowed in. It just might be the perfect day to start my own Mandala practice.

Detail of the Bancroft School Mandala

Bursting, reaching, green

Yup. It is clearly Spring here in Maine. Actually late Spring.  But what the heck…it has been raining for about 12 straight days. And we finally have sun. So everything is bursting, growing, exploding and green.  Just want to share a few images from a residency that I did last month down in Connecticut.

Great Oaks School

This Mandala Community Weaving is the largest one that I have done to date. It has 500 clothes pin people on it, and is about 4 feet across. I am not sure how much it weights, but it is heavy! It has a special cross structure in the back to support the weight of the clothes pins. Isn’t it amazing?

Great Oaks Mandala detail