The 2024 Summer Art Classes and Workshops
Searsport Shores Ocean Campground and Art Space is partnering with Fiber College and the Makers Guild of Maine, 501c3 to bring you art and music events all summer long.
Most of the programs are free or low cost drop-in classes for campers and day visitors. Labor Day Weekend Open Studios will be everyone's opportunity to enjoy open studio and mentored workshops...bring your own craft project or choose from an all inclusive kit. Craft market on Saturday evening.
Anyone with the necessary attention span is welcome to join in the activities. Wheel chair accessibility is a given.
June 13-16, 2024 Knitting Classes
A fantastic knitting retreat created by the Knitwit Yarn Shop featuring classes by outstanding knitting teachers: @bristolivy, @casapinka, and @aliciaplummer
This is a Knitwit retreat with loving endorsement from all of us at Searsport Shores! All non-camping inquiries should be directed here.
June 23-June 29, 2024 Paddle Carving, Kayak Building Demonstration & Natural Dyes
Jim & Jude Hsiang, Master Gardeners, Artists and totally wonderful people
June is such a colorful month, let Jude help you capture the sunshine on fabric and in yarn. While Jude's foraging in the garden, Jim will be setting up shop in the woodworking area and showing us how to make a traditional Greenland style, single person kayak with a canvas skin sewn over a handmade wooden frame and if there's time he'll be handcarving paddles in the woodshop.
June 30-July 5, 2024 Felt Patches
Resa Randolph, Stitcher, painter, musician
Using the simplest of tools & supplies -needles, thread and felt, make patches with Resa to personalize your backpack, refresh your denim jacket or offer as a gift to someone you love. This art form is accessible to all ages and ability levels. You will bring home a self-made souvenir of your vacation and skills to apply to all sorts of mending projects.
Resa is a gifted fiber artist, musician and friend...you'll count yourself lucky to spend time with her and join in the infectious laughter that will surround you.
July 7-12, 2024 Seeing and Sewing Like an Artist
Susan Bleignier, Textile Artist & Color Enthusiast
Finding ways to make art from repurposed materials is how I spend my time both in and out of my art classroom. I use nature as inspiration for my stitched fabric art and my sketchbook pages.
July 14-19, 2024
Dan Dolce, Acrylic Painter
Have fun with exaggerating nature and everyday subjects in acrylic paint. Learn how to create a composition and paint in the style of some famous painters. The post-impressionist artists did just this and you can too, as you learn a little about their painting styles. Join the ranks of Cezanne and Van Gogh as you use the natural landscape of Searsport Shores to create your own masterpiece; turning nature into cylinders, spheres and cones. Practice seeing like an artist while playing with shape, color and texture. Go with your flow and experience the magic of painting.
July 21-27, 2024 Armenian Cooking in the Garden
Barbara Ghazarian
Food writer, Barbara Ghazarian, is passionate about sharing her Armenian ancestry with others. Her first award-winning cookbook, Simply Armenian, is in its 3rd printing. Join Barbara in the Kitchen each day to learn delicious and healthy meals you can cook from the produce you find in your garden and the farm stands that line the roads of Maine. Barbara's fabulous finale will be helping at the Armenian Picnic here at the campground on July 28th.
July 28-August 3, 2024 Paper Collage Art Classes
Paula Cochran
August 4-10, 2024 Cooking and Floating 😆
Chris Toy
Maker of food and art, Chris is a private chef, cooking instructor, and author of 6 popular Asian fusion cookbooks. He also enjoys creating original mobiles and stabiles using upcycled materials such as driftwood, shells, feathers, bicycle parts, and other materials.
August 11-17, 2024 Basket Making Art Classes
Sue Muldoon: Weaving For Everybody!
Sue is a basketweaver, seatweaver, instructor and author. She enjoys teaching weaving to students of all ages and skills. Learn how to weave some fun projects! We'll do rock-wrapping one day. FUN! ...and fishies...and foraged tension trays...woohoo! You can see what Sue does on "J Schwankes Life in Bloom" PBS
August 18-24, 2023 Chain Mail, Macrame, & Nautical Knots
Santa Steve
Santa needs a vacation before the holiday season begins...but he shares his sparkle with us here at the campground. Join Santa to learn nautical knots, macrame survival bracelets and weave a keyring with wire...and if we ask nicely we think that he may even tell a campfire story or two!
August 25-31, 2024 Cook and Stitch with Auntie Em
Emma Morin
Emma's lived a long and full life here in Maine. She is one of the most accomplished stitcher's and quilter's we have the privilege of knowing...and she can bake a whoppie pie like nobody else ANYWHERE...and then there's her strawberry rhubarb pies...swoonworthy! Join Emma for a week in the garden kitchen. Bring your quilting project or start a hand piece under her tutelage...it's a week of treats for your eyes and your tastebuds.
Labor Day Weekend is Maker's Day Weekend Buy a pass and take as many Fiber College Workshops as you want on Saturday and/or Sunday! When we think about these creative adventures, we imagine multi-generational families camping for the long weekend and mothers and children, grandparents and grandchildren, aunts and friends all taking classes. For those who aren't interested in crafting (
, but OK), there's plenty of hiking, biking, sightseeing and hanging at the beach so everyone can have a great weekend.
Workshop Studios will be open from 10:00-4:00, purchase your magic bracelet here.
Dive Deeply into your passion! Fiber College celebrates fiber in all its forms. The fiber arts connect us to the natural world, time-honored skills, the global community, and to each other. Our annual gathering, the week after Labor Day, is an established feature of the Maine arts calendar. We call our workshop series Touchstones because they speak to all that grounds us and give us a vision for the future. Come and share our passion, unlock your creativity and make something extraordinary.
Strung Together Oldtime Music Campout
The OT & Bluegrass Jam weekend begins Friday afternoon with an OT Jam and banjo workshop followed by our world famous Strung Together wood fired pizza bar and concert. The jams will take place in different areas in the park but close enough to give all participants easy access to both jam circles.
This year we are jamming around the grounds under tents, porches, trees and other canopies. Designated spaces will be laid out for each style of music, with unlimited spots to hold you own jam.