Artisan Market & Community Picnic
2026 Artisan Market & Picnic
Saturday, August 22, 2026, 10 am to 4 pm
The Wilson Museum in Castine is excited for our third Artisan Market on August 22, 2026. We will be welcoming artisans who work with a variety of traditional materials and techniques to create original, one-of-a-kind pieces that connect past and present in creative, beautiful ways.
The Wilson Museum has celebrated the creativity and skills of traditional craftspeople and artisans through our collections, exhibits, and programs for more than a century. From the fine craftsmanship reflected in the construction of the Perkins House, to the beautiful textile work of Castine’s spinners and weavers over many generations; from the work of our visiting blacksmiths to African metalsmithing traditions that go back thousands of years; from the beauty of Indigenous pottery from across the Americas to the traditional technologies used by today’s Blue Hill Peninsula potters.
With the Wilson Museum’s Artisan Market, we are excited to promote and support today’s fine artisans and craftspeople on and around the Blue Hill Peninsula and beyond, inspired by our history and our mission. Bringing together a commitment to fostering community and nurturing curiosity, this event will offer learning opportunities that build on our long-standing Hands-On History Days while growing the local economy by supporting artisans, offering local access to these creative makers, and bringing visitors to Castine and the wider Blue Hill Peninsula.
The Artisan Market joins our annual Community Picnic, featuring local food trucks along with the always-popular fresh baked bread from our outdoor bake oven. Bring a picnic blanket or your favorite camp chair and enjoy our beautiful view of Castine Harbor and Penobscot Bay while supporting our local artisans!
The 2026 Artisan Market & Picnic is made possible in part through the support of:
Lead Sponsor:
Supporting Sponsor:
Meet our 2026 Artisans
Anita Kolish, Zodi Brooms
In October of 2019, Anita Kolish went to a workshop at Haystack School of Arts and Crafts on Deer Isle, Maine, where she learned the art of traditional broom making from the master broom-maker himself, Brian Newton, of Broomcorn Johnnies. She makes long brooms, whisk brooms, and an assortment of small brooms and cake testers in her Zodi Brooms workshop in Blue Hill. Anita collects the cherry, ash, birch, beech, oak and maple for her broomsticks in the woods around her home, curing them by the wood stove. The broomstick becomes a broom once it is ready and ends up as a painted broom or natural broom based on the broom maker’s decision.
Brian Frus, Glass Artist
Professor Brian Frus is an artist/educator who has specialized with glass for nearly 30 years. His award-winning work has been in museums and exhibited internationally. His blown glass artwork includes a mix of functional and sculptural pieces inspired by nature. Each hand-crafted glasswork plays with light, color, and transparency. Brian retired from 14 years in academia to become a full-time artist, now based in beautiful Maine. He is an advocate for building, innovating, and integrating arts into communities everywhere. Currently, Frus creates new artwork and teaches glass arts at both Waterfall Arts and Mainely Gallery & Studio in Belfast.
Carol Frechette, Hat Maker and Leather Artisy
Carol Frechette is hat maker, designer, and leather artisan. She designs and craft every piece by hand in her studio in Montville, Maine. Her work is rooted in the belief that function can be beautiful. She has been designing and making hats for over 30 years, developing her own approach that blends time-honored techniques with naturally inspired methods. She uses sustainable fabrics and existing materials to intentionally create handcrafted accessories.
Diana Garfield Tesson, Basket and Mats
Diane Garfield Tesson crafts baskets and mats using recycled lobster rope, creating beautiful and functional pieces that reflect the importance of Maine lobster fishing while keeping old rope out of landfills.
Ellen Foster Sedgwick, Ellen Sedgwick Pottery
Ellen Sedgwick is fascinated by the elements of wood and fire and intrigued with the surfaces that are created. All of her pots are thrown on a treadle wheel and are made with high fire stoneware or porcelain clay. They are woodfired for several days in the woodfire kiln she built on her property in Surry, marked by the flame and ash. Ellen came to Maine from the Chicago area in 1997 to attend college. She has studied and fired with some of the most renowned American woodfire potters, including Jody Johnstone, Randy Johnston, Jack Troy, and Kevin Crowe. Ellen lives in Surry, Maine with her husband and 3 young children.
Grom Collection, Handmade Soaps
The Grom Collection was born from something much deeper than just making soap. It was inspired by family, legacy, and the desire to carry something meaningful forward. Named after Ricky’s nickname, given to him by his mom, it is a small but meaningful way to keep her presence woven into everything they do. Every bar they create carries that inspiration forward. It is not just about soap. It is about continuing a story, preserving a craft, and sharing something that started at home—shaped by years of hands-on experience for you to enjoy.
Karen Lyons, Fiber Artist
When Karen Lyons was 4, her mother caught her playing with her knitting, so decided to teach her to knit. (Karen doesn’t remember being scolded or punished, so she must not have done any significant damage . . .). And she’s never stopped knitting. She has tackled a wide variety of projects: Aran sweaters, hats, mittens, scarves, afghans, shawls, stuffed animals, and more. Many friends’ babies have come home from the hospital in a sweater set she knitted. Most recently, she has traveled to Shetland several times to learn more about Fair Isle knitting, which has become a passion, which is shown in her offerings here.
Peggy O’Neil-Murphy, Fiber Artist
Peggy O’Neil-Murphy has been hand weaving since 2012 and loves to incorporate the colors of the Maine Coast in her creations. Her weavings have been sold for charity events for the Castine Historical Society, the Wilson Museum and the Mary Cushman Society. Peggy’s pieces include table runners, hand towels, placemats, scarves and shawls. She calls Castine home, having moved here with her husband Walt in 2018 following their retirement.
Robyn Lorio, Robyn Rae Leather
Robyn Rae Leather offers a variety of hand-crafted leather goods including tote bags, purses, wallets and more. Each piece is designed with a simple, elegant style and is made for function and durability. Inspired to work with leather after taking a shoemaking class in Chicago, Robyn has been honing her craft since 2018. All products are cut and stitched by hand, without the use of machines, in Blue Hill, Maine.
Lansing Wagner, Ceramics
I made pots for ~ 30 years at the Harvard Ceramics Studio. Usually 6 hours a week in their amazing facility. I have done some scientific illustration and enjoy designing pots with creatures on them. Big bowls are my favorite, they are useful and provide a large canvas to draw on. I've retired and am continuing work in my home studio in East Blue Hill.
Sylvia Wight, Quilter and Fabric Artisan
Sylvia Wight creates quilts, bags, aprons, and other wonderful household items from her home in Bucksport, often using prints that reflect aspects of Maine life.
