Visiting Artists: Sarah Haskell, Weaver

Weaver Sarah Haskell, from York, ME has extensive experience in arts in health care and is one of 75 artists who completed the Hospital Artist in Resident Training in New York . She is a faculty member of the Heartwood College of Art, Kennebunkport , ME and teaches weaving as a language that can be used to express feelings, thoughts and stories.

Every Wednesday Sarah arrived with bags of colorful felt strips to use in weaving 36 inch Mandalas with our clients in the Brain Injury Center, the School, and the Children's Specialty Hospital. Clients gathered around the Mandala, choosing the colorful felt strips, and using the traditional over and under weaving pattern passing the felt strips to each person around the table, week after week until the entire circle was filled. Therapists saw the opportunity in this project to address specific client goals. In working with the felt strips, clients practiced crossing the midline, passing from one hand to the other, working in a group, taking turns, choosing colors, and listening and contributing to the group and the project. This enjoyable art-making event provided these therapeutic opportunities as well as the pleasure of getting to know Sarah as they saw her again each week and watched the project grow to completion.

One client brought her own weaving project out of her room in the Brain Injury Center to show Sarah. Teachers in the school were quick to adapt Sarah's weaving projects for their classrooms, making the most of the presence of this master artist. This artwork included making small clothespin dolls representing all the people who worked on the Mandalas and adding ribbons with everyone's names on them as a signature for the work.