Visit Maine | By Hand, with Heart

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Anyone who has stood on a cliff along Maine’s rocky coast or hiked into its deep, wild woods has experienced the unique natural beauty of this place. That scenic richness has long had a powerful hold on the imaginations of artists and artisans, too—but it’s not the only thing that inspires them. “There’s a quality of life in Maine which is singular and unique,” the acclaimed painter Jamie Wyeth once said. “It‘s absolutely a world unto itself.” For the following artisans, and the countless other Maine makers that they represent, it’s also a never-ending source of creativity and connection.

Gabriel Frey

For Gabriel Frey, making art is really an opportunity to build conversation. “It’s through these objects that you share with others all the knowledge that’s been passed down to you,” says the 13th-generation Passamaquoddy black ash basketmaker. Frey’s work and practice embody this concept: To make his finely crafted pack baskets, he uses the same ax his grandfather did and harvests wood from some of the same lands his ancestors utilized. “Using these materials and expressing their human importance is how we care for the environment,” says Frey, a 2025 Maine Crafts Association Artist Award recipient. “Because when you’re in the land, you’re relating with it continuously, and you’re understanding its changes so that future generations can continue with the traditions we’ve carried forward.” gabrielfrey.com

Ebenezer Akakpo

Ebenezer Akakpo’s jewelry—wide cuffs, slender bangles, dangling earrings—is adorned with tiny characters called adinkra, strong graphic symbols that appear in handcrafts and artwork throughout his native Ghana. They represent some of the most powerful ideas in any language: hope, unity, bravery, and friendship. These traditional Ghanaian designs also dance across his stainless-steel goblets and tumblers, felted trivets, and coasters. And, after nearly three decades in Maine, Akakpo, who works out of a studio in Westbrook and operates a retail shop in downtown Portland, has even begun to play with symbols familiar to all Mainers: lobsters, moose, lighthouses, and chickadees. akakpo.com

Katrina Kelley

When seamstress Katrina Kelley was choosing a logo for her business, Amphitrite Studio, the winning design was clear: a needle and thread running through the state of Maine, with a heart over her home in Newcastle. “This place has formed who I am as a maker,” says Kelley. “It’s hard-working and salt-of-the-earth, but also community-based … warm, loving, and respectful.” No surprise then, that in addition to the luxurious kitchen and bath linens she sells to an eager, largely online audience, Kelley’s work has reflected her deep local ties—from creating sauna hats for a Nordic spa in Newcastle to making custom-designed chef aprons for the crew at Camden’s Buttermilk Kitchen. amphitritestudio.com

Michael Fleming

While many driftwood artists concentrate on smaller pieces—mirrors and such—Michael Fleming works on a grand scale, crafting high-end furniture with an artistry that has gained him an enthusiastic following. Several years ago he installed a huge bald eagle on the exterior of L.L. Bean’s flagship store in Freeport, Maine, and his glass-topped tables are coveted from Portland to Paris to Saudi Arabia. “Not everyone has the kind of access to the outdoors that I do, and so I want my pieces to bring a little of that world to them,” he says. “I want it to be soothing and relaxing, but I also want them to realize the importance of nature and to tread lightly so we can make sure our world stays beautiful.” designsadrift.com

Ayumi Horie

Raised in Lewiston-Auburn, potter Ayumi Horie spent time out West and in New York state before settling back in Maine. “I’m a product of this place, and it continues to feel right,” says Horie, who works out of a private Portland studio, mixing Japanese and American folk traditions in ceramics that feel whimsical, emotional, and most of all intimate. “When you hold a handle [of a handcrafted cup], you’re hugging somebody, you’re holding hands with somebody,” she told PBS’s Craft in America. And just as Horie’s art reflects a desire to deepen the connection between people, so do her community projects, including fundraising for disaster relief and helping launch the Craft Archive Fellowship, which supports research on Black, Indigenous, queer, and other underrepresented craft histories in the U.S. ayumihorie.com

Erica Moody

A professional metalworker for more than 30 years, Erica Moody has spent the past decade on the Midcoast, drawn by its “human-scale” character. “There’s nature, ocean, a lot of space, but it’s a smaller social ecosystem—you get to know your neighbors, you see where your food comes from,” says Moody, who specializes in elegant hand-forged and -fabricated servingware and architectural fittings. She also loves being in a community of small businesses like hers, where people put family and well-being above chasing profits, and where local creatives inspire each other endlessly. That’s part of why Moody now opens her home to fellow artists and innovators for her Maine Creative Residency program, saying, “I’ve seen how beautiful it is to have creative environments like this.” ericamoody.com

A Maine-Made Sampler

MAINE CRAFT WEEKEND: Annual statewide tour of open studios and events offering behind-the-scenes access to artisans, Oct. 3–4, 2026; interactive map and directory at mainecraftweekend.org

CENTER FOR MAINE CRAFT: A 2,500-square-foot treasure trove of works by Maine Crafts Association members that also serves as the visitor welcome center of Central Maine. West Gardiner; shopmainecraft.com

THE GOOD SUPPLY: Art, gifts, and home goods by 100-plus makers (90 percent from Maine), set in an 1850s post-and-beam barn. Pemaquid; thegoodsupply.com

MARKINGS GALLERY: Cooperative gallery connecting visitors directly with artists, as it represents more than 50 Maine creatives across a broad range of contemporary media. Bath; markingsgallery.com

Learn more at VisitMaine.com.

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