Quimby: Jodi thomas

I had the honor of being selected as the 2026 Quimby Fellow to spend two consecutive weeks at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, Maine.

I arrived with one simple goal: to make art and do nothing else. I achieved that goal—and left with something much larger: a renewed understanding of the power of art, community, and fellowship.

My workshop with artist Taro Takizawa focused on gradient monotypes and folded paper. Participants came from across the country, including California, Rhode Island, Maryland, Texas, and the other Portland, and with varied levels of experience. There was no sense of hierarchy. We were all there to experiment, ask questions, share ideas, and make alongside one another. The larger Haystack community—studio artists, teaching artists, and workshop participants—created an especially strong sense of shared purpose. Everywhere, there was an ethos of curiosity, generosity, and care.

That sense of community extended well beyond the studios. We shared meals, snacks, music, stories, and long conversations, and often found ourselves gathering simply because we enjoyed being together. I even had the opportunity to play tour guide for a sightseeing adventure, sharing a little of the beauty of the area beyond Haystack. These informal moments of connection became just as meaningful as the time spent in the studio and reminded me that fellowship isn't just about making together—it is also about being together.

In the studio, the making itself was both challenging and freeing. With gradient prints, I learned to respond to color, layering, pressure, and accident rather than trying to control the outcome. Folding the printed paper transformed flat images into dimensional forms and encouraged me to see a finished print as the beginning of another possibility.

During my free time, I immersed myself in finishing an encaustic mixed-media work, capturing photographs, creating several small mixed-media collages, and making what I call “recompositions”—cutting, folding, arranging, and gluing playful new works from my large gestural drawings.

The studio walk-through was another highlight. Sharing my work with the larger Haystack community was exciting and affirming. I sold several works from my table, received a commission, and donated four additional pieces to the silent auction. I have to admit, it gave my artist ego a healthy boost! More importantly, it was wonderful to see people responding to the work and to experience the generosity that flows through the Haystack community.

The fellowship continued to resonate after I returned home. There was an email in my inbox from a local art school inviting me to participate in a week-long program after they had a few openings for local art teachers. I took it as a wonderful reminder that the energy of one creative community can open doors to another.

So, I kept making.

I returned to digital photography, including street photography and explorations of place. I continued experimenting with cyanotypes on paper and linen, using plants and digital images of seaweed, and even tried weaving for the first time. I spent the rest of the summer preparing for my presentation at the fall conference and for this article, while also working on a long-overdue website and on a few special projects that are top secret for now, but as soon as things are solid, you’ll be the first to hear the news!

Looking back, I realize I brought home much more than new techniques or finished artwork. I brought home permission to experiment, renewed energy as an artist and educator, and a deeper appreciation for what happens when people create space for one another.

At Haystack, artmaking, community, and fellowship are inseparable. That spirit continues to influence how I make, teach, and connect with others.

The fellowship ended but the making did not.

Thank you, MAEA. Thank you, Quimby Family. Thank you, family and friends.