HIRAM — Tear Cap Workshops is hosting an open house celebration on Saturday, Oct. 1 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free or by donation. The day will feature artisan demonstrations, a small craft fair, live music by the Happy Wanderers, and delicious food. The event is part of the Maine Craft Weekend, an annual statewide tour of Maine craft studios and events.
Some of the artisans and organizations who will be present at Tear Cap’s Open House include: Ryan Adams of Bell Hill Forge; Ida Atkinson, basketmaker; Alex Edney, Edney Guitars; Karl Gifford, Sebago Stonework; Sally Williams of the Hiram Historical Society; Eve Abreu, Ravenwood Studio; Francis Small Heritage Trust; Brian Grady, sawyer, Bull Ring Farm, corn harvesting demonstration, and many more!
A big thank you goes out to all of event sponsors: Hancock Lumber, lead sponsor, with additional support from DieselWorks, LLC; Minuteman Press, Norway Savings Bank, and Repose Fire Logs.
Tear Cap Workshops is a non-profit, community benefit organization located in Hiram at the site of a former pine sawmill. Eleven existing buildings are slowly being transformed into artisan workshops and educational workspaces for a variety of hands-on crafts. The mission of the organization is to unleash creativity through hands-on learning: our goal is to use what we have in abundance, making use of a former industrial site, and utilizing our native Maine wood, stone, and talent.
Over the last year, everyone at Tear Cap has been working hard. A new artisan space is taking shape out of what used to be the building that collected and bagged pine shavings. (Now, it is affectionately known as “the Baggins Building.”) When it’s complete, it will be the new luthier shop for our resident guitar maker, Alexander Edney.
Tear Cap Workshops is also following up a series of hands-on workshops with excellent teachers. Over the last sold-out workshop season, Ken Wise taught a spoon carving workshop with all participants bringing home a unique and beautiful wooden spoon, Ida Atkinson taught a group how to make a handsome, multi-use round basket, Anna Low of Purplebean Bindery led a fantastic coptic bookbinding workshop, and Mary DeLano taught and inspired a whole group with eco printing. Don Perkins offered a fascinating seminar on Maine barns, and Henry Banks and Eve Abreu led a excellent woodworking class making pine benches with hand tools.
Coming up next, Tear Cap is offering more hands-on classes this fall on stone wall building, bookbinding, spoon carving, and basketmaking. More information and limited registration is available at tearcapworkshops.org. We hope to see you all at Tear Cap Workshops’ Open House on Saturday, Oct. 1!