OUT Maine and Haystack: A Partnership Forged in Creativity and Collaboration

In 2019, OUT Maine and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts partnered for the first time to create a safe, affirming arts-focused weekend retreat for dozens of queer youth across Maine.

The weekend was such a resounding success that the partnership continued, leading to two more retreats in 2022 and 2024, respectively, and plans for another in 2026.

The ongoing partnership between these two staple Maine nonprofits underscores the importance of organizational collaboration. Together, OUT Maine and Haystack have forged a pathway for LGBTQIA young people to find community, learn from elders, and express their voices through materials-based crafts. It’s a coordinated program that’s greater than the sum of its parts.

Two Leading Maine Nonprofits

As Executive Director Sue Campbell puts it, “OUT Maine’s mission is about building welcoming and affirming communities for Maine’s LGBT youth, especially in rural areas of the state.”

Through workshops, conferences, training, support groups, and more, the organization works creatively to ensure queer-identified youth know that they matter. “Our young people should be able to go anywhere they want and not have to hide who they are,” says Campbell. “We’re building a hub-and-spoke model to develop relationships with other organizations so that we can expand programming further.”

Just six years ago, that commitment to collaboration led them to join forces with Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, a nonprofit that “thinks about its mission as connecting people through craft,” says Perry Price, Executive Director.

Located in Deer Isle on a campus designed by famous architect Edward Larrabee Barnes, Haystack offers open studios, workshops, arts residencies, and community programs — which all center materials-based craft arts. The organization established their Fab Lab for digital fabrication technologies in 2011, an opportunity made possible by a collaboration with MIT’s Center for Bits and Atoms.

A Weekend Retreat for Burgeoning Craftspeople

OUT Maine and Haystack combined their areas of expertise to open up time and space for LGBTQIA youth to explore themselves creatively. “Haystack is a really special place,” says Campbell. “Our youth got to be in a space with other queer folks and see queer adults who are so successful in life.”

Indeed, the Haystack team modeled the weekend retreat after their existing student-focused programs, recruiting LGBTQIA practicing artists to teach skills in:

• Blacksmithing

• Ceramics

• Fiber arts

• Computer-aided fabrication

• Graphics (including bookbinding, zine making, printing, and painting)

• Woodworking

• Jewelry crafts

“This is a way for young people to think about what they do, what they value, and what they’re proud of without it falling into the adjudicated experiences many of them have in their lives,” says Perry. “There are no winners or losers here.”

Empowering the Next Generation of Artists

With queer role models guiding them through artistic processes, the youth were able to translate the freedom to create art into the freedom to be themselves.

Campbell notes that queer youth are often drawn to the arts and to this program because of this very reason. “The program gives them a gift that they may not otherwise be able to access,” she says. “It can be life-changing for them.”

Perry agrees: “We want them to figure out that their voice is valuable. The arts unlock that for many people. It gives them confidence to find their own voice.”

For Perry and Campbell, art is the vehicle for accessing the self, and the students use their craft skills to explore and express their identities. “If they learned something about themselves, problem solved using their art, or challenged themselves, we think of that as a very successful program,” Perry says.

“Every event I go to makes me feel so welcome and comfortable being myself. I've also learned a lot and I've become more confident.” — Youth Participant

Building Community

Something magical happens when young people feel safe enough to connect with both themselves and their peers. That’s magnified for queer youth and those from other marginalized populations who might not have access to these safe spaces. And the OUT Maine and Haystack program nurtures this kind of community-building.

“In a really wonderful way, the program allows the students to connect with one another as human beings, rather than just as a category,” says Perry. The students and teachers have meals together, share stories, and form bonds that often last beyond the retreat.

“I'm really grateful that I have a space to be supported, validated, appreciated and listened to by other members of my community.” — Youth Participant

Promoting Intergenerational Learning

The benefits of the program are felt by the youth and the adults alike. The students get to see and learn from older adults, while the older adults get to share their experiences with the next generation. The safe and supportive environment, Perry says, means everyone involved can be vulnerable and learn together.

During each retreat, the working artists present their work and talk about their lives, sparking dialogue and connection among all involved. “They really step out as adult role models for the young people,” Campbell says. And because of the enriching role these artists play, they nearly always ask to come back for more workshops and retreats.

The Power of Partnership

The students who participated in the weekend retreat saw opportunities to learn about new artforms and make friends. It was the backend organizational partnership — and the way these two organizations fostered that partnership — that made it all possible.

What makes a good partnership?

According to Perry, it’s all about building mutual trust and thinking of the partnership as a way of growing. “Part of being a good partner is being willing to learn,” says Perry. “The OUT Maine team has taught us so many things about how to work with young people. It’s changed some of the policies and procedures we have here at Haystack.”

Campbell notes that leaning into each organization’s strengths and acknowledging limitations allow the two nonprofits to fill in each other’s gaps. “We always ask, ‘What can I take off your plate so you can do the work you do best?”

The respect and growth mindset Campbell and Perry share carries over into the participating youth and the working artists alike. The resounding takeaway from the adults who contribute to the retreat: “If only I had this program when I was young.”