Art of Ellsworth Returns Oct. 1-4, 2026 as a Maine Craft Weekend Featured City
Ninth annual celebration highlights public sculpture, hands-on making and downtown’s creative community
Art of Ellsworth: Maine Craft Weekend returns Oct. 1-4, 2026 with exhibitions, hands-on workshops, demonstrations and community events for people of all ages. Now in its ninth year, the celebration invites residents and visitors to explore the creativity that shapes downtown Ellsworth and Downeast Maine.
Coordinated by Heart of Ellsworth, the weekend is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, Maine Office of Tourism and Witham Family Hotels. Ellsworth returns as a featured city in the statewide Maine Craft Weekend tour, with seven featured events alongside activities hosted by local artists, businesses and community organizations.
Recent progress on the Union River Sculpture Trail puts stone and sculpture at the heart of this year’s celebration. A ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, on the Ellsworth Public Library lawn will celebrate Celeste Roberge’s “Chaise Gabion,” the first sculpture purchased for the developing trail. Continuing that focus, “Process to Public Sculpture: The Creative Path & Future of the Union River Sculpture Trail” opens to the public Thursday evening in the gallery at 16 State. Presented in partnership with Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium, Frenchman Bay Conservancy and Heart of Ellsworth, the exhibition explores the creative process through artists’ models, sketches and tools while building upon the vision for the trail’s future. On Saturday, visitors can connect with symposium sculptors at the trailhead from 1 to 4 p.m., stopping by the hands-on stone tent to chat about their work, explore stone and try a few techniques.
At the Makerspace at 16 State, visitors are invited to spend the weekend discovering downtown’s newest creative hub. Open Doors at 16 State, a free, all-ages event Thursday, Oct. 1, from 5 to 8 p.m., invites the public to meet studio artists, watch demonstrations, experiment with different materials and learn about upcoming creative programming. Opportunities to get involved continue Saturday with a workshop to create downtown’s holiday light spheres and Sunday with a relaxed drop-in clay session to make autumn ornaments. Whether stopping in for the first time or returning to try something new, visitors can get acquainted with the space and find their own way to participate.
Spanning traditions and different forms of creative expression, the weekend also features the fan-favorite Blown Glass Pumpkin Patch and glass blowing demonstrations at Atlantic Art Glass on Saturday and Sunday. Events at Ellsworth Public Library, Fogtown Brewing Co. and other locations throughout the community round out four days of opportunities to connect creatively.
“Art of Ellsworth brings people, places and ideas together to celebrate the creative spirit of our region,” said Chesnee Barney, assistant director of Heart of Ellsworth. “Our work is connecting those individual efforts into a shared experience that encourages people to explore downtown, step into somewhere new and discover the creativity all around them.”
Visitors can build a day or an entire weekend around the events, with time to explore downtown along the way. For the complete schedule, event locations and individual registration requirements, visit heartofellsworth.org/artofellsworth
Questions? Reach out to Chesnee Barney, Assistant Director, Heart of Ellsworth chesnee@heartofellsworth.org
