HIRAM – Tear Cap Workshops is hosting an Open House on Saturday, October 1 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free or by donation. The day will include artisan demonstrations, a small craft fair, live music by Happy Wanderers and delicious food. The event is part of Maine Craft Weekend, an annual statewide tour of Maine craft studios and events.
Some of the artisans and organizations that will be attending the Tear Cap Open House include: Ryan Adams of Bell Hill Forge; Ida Atkinson, weaver; Alex Edney, Edney guitars; Karl Gifford, Sebago Stonework; Sally Williams of the Hiram Historical Society; Eve Abreu, Studio Ravenwood; Francis Small Heritage Trust; Brian Grady, Sawyer, Bull Ring Farm, Corn Harvest Demonstration and many more!
Many thanks to all event sponsors: Hancock Lumber, Presenting Sponsor, with additional support from DieselWorks, LLC; Minuteman Press, Norway Savings Bank and Repose Fire Logs.
Tear Cap Workshops is a non-profit community organization located in Hiram on the site of a former pine sawmill. Eleven existing buildings are slowly being transformed into artisan workshops and educational workspaces for a variety of crafts. The mission of the organization is to unleash creativity through hands-on learning: our goal is to use what we have in abundance, using a former industrial site and using our native Maine wood, stone and talent. .
Over the past year, everyone at Tear Cap has worked hard. A new craft space is taking shape from what was once the building that collected and bagged pine shavings. (Now it’s affectionately known as “The Baggins Building.”) When completed, it will be the new violin workshop of our resident luthier, Alexander Edney.
Tear Cap Workshops also continues a series of hands-on workshops with excellent teachers. During the past season of sold out workshops, Ken Wise taught a spoon carving workshop with all attendees taking home a beautiful and unique wooden spoon, Ida Atkinson taught a group how to make a beautiful 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 gave a fascinating seminar on Maine barns, and Henry Banks and Eve Abreu led an excellent carpentry class making pine benches with hand tools.
Coming soon, Tear Cap is offering more hands-on courses this fall in stone wall building, bookbinding, spoon carving and basket weaving. More information and limited registration is available at tearcapworkshops.org. We hope to see you all at the Tear Cap Workshops Open House on Saturday October 1st!
