Connecting the Past to the Future
The Thousand Islands Arts Center’s New Building
The Thousand Islands Arts Center ~ Home of the Handweaving Museum, Clayton, is celebrating 60 years since it began as the Thousand Islands Craft School in 1966. This summer, the Arts Center will welcome artists and visitors to its new 13,000-square-foot, ADA-compliant building designed by Taylored Architecture, Clayton, NY.
Executive Director Mia Ramseier states, "Our new building bridges 60 years of creative tradition with the opportunities of tomorrow. It honors our rich past while strengthening our campus, expanding our programs, and deepening our impact across the North Country. This expansion is the foundation for our next era of growth, one where the arts remain a cultural anchor for generations to come."
L: This artist’s rendering shows the main gallery on the street level of TIAC’s new building, with the entrance to the Sonja Wahl Weaving Gallery in the background; R: Pictured is an artist’s rendering of the Sonja Wahl Weaving Gallery.
A new home for art in the Thousand Islands
The Arts Center's new home is a way for the Thousand Islands region to connect year-round with the joy of art. According to Mrs. Ramseier, "We are creating a creative space that will dramatically expand our ability to offer hands-on classes, host more exhibitions, and welcome more neighbors through our doors."
The new downtown campus will feature dedicated galleries, classrooms, and office space; a multipurpose studio; a conference room; an elevator with access to all floors; a permanent exhibit and research space for the center's textile collection, including a library of textile publications; and an outdoor art park.
Community support for the building project
The expansion project received grants from the New York State Council for the Arts and the Northern New York Community Foundation, as well as donations from individuals. The fundraising effort continues, overseen by Campus Expansion Campaign Chair Robin Lucas: "Our Campus Expansion Campaign is backed by a diversified mix of public and private funding and grants. We are now in the most critical phase: raising the final $1 million. Hitting this target will ensure a fully fitted creative hub and allow the organization to move into 2027 debt-free."
Sonja Wahl, curator emerita
Sonja Wahl, curator emerita, is a living bridge between the original craft school and today's Arts Center. Mrs. Wahl arrived in the North Country with a Master of Tailoring and Dress Design from the Handworkers Guild in Saxony. After her marriage to Wilburt Wahl and her move to Clayton, she created quality dresses for a discerning clientele. She was asked to join the craft school’s steering committee in 1973, then the board of directors in 1975. She served as board chair from 1978 to 1987. She became the organization's first curator, serving until 2005. The board of trustees named the Sonja Wahl Collection Room in her honor in 2016.
Today, in her 90s, Mrs. Wahl leads the Wednesday Weavers group, which meets to practice traditional weaving skills.
The permanent weaving gallery in the new building will bear Sonja Wahl's name.
A video interview with Mrs. Wahl, dated July 1, 2017, is available for viewing at ThousandIslandsLife.com.
The Mascott family, legacy giving and long-term impact
In August of 2025, the Arts Center lost one of its longtime advocates, Mary McDonald Mascott. In the early 2000s, Mary Mascott served as an Arts Centre trustee, guiding the organization through numerous projects. She and her husband, Ted, continued to support the organization long after she completed her board tenure.
Early in 2025, the Mascotts purchased the property at 313 James St. and donated it to the Arts Center. The building, which has served as the temporary site of the Finders Keepers resale shop, will eventually be razed to accommodate an outdoor art park.
The couple stated that the campus expansion will establish “a major Arts Center and programs that will benefit the River communities and their residents, as well as the entire North Country. Investing in the arts benefits individuals and has consistently shown to be an economic stimulus for the region and all its residents.”
Mary and Ted Mascott have taken action for decades to ensure that Clayton and the Thousand Islands benefit economically from the community’s varied, robust nonprofits. Mary Mascott's years of contributions to the Arts Center are an enduring bridge between the organization's past and its future.
Public art and Will Salisbury sculptures
A sculptural trio of metal crows created by the late Will Salisbury will act as another connection between the Arts Center's history and its move into the future.
Will Salisbury, who died in 2022, is known for his “Three Crows” metal sculptures in a field in Omar (on the west side of I-81 south). He also created the muskie sculpture at Frink Park and the “Tree of Knowledge” sculpture at Hawn Memorial Library, both in Clayton. His commissioned island works consistently attract attention, especially the golden sun-wielding bear weathervane atop the Comfort Island cottage owned by Stephen Brown and James Hoff.
In 2019, Mr. Brown and Mr. Hoff commissioned Will Salisbury to create three crow sculptures for their home in Cambridge, MD. These crows were fashioned after the original “Three Crows,” but they are smaller and have greater detail. When Mr. Brown and Mr. Hoff sold their Maryland residence, they decided the crows would come to the North Country to become part of the Arts Center’s new campus: “Our thought, in donating them to the museum for the outdoor space, was to allow the greatest number of people to experience Will’s work up close. It’s a tribute to his skill as an artist and our fondness for him.”
Will Salisbury's support for the Arts Center has stretched across the decades, and his works, so visible around the region, will continue to inspire artists in the coming years.
Looking ahead to 2026: Exhibitions, education and community events
In 2025, the Arts Center hosted more than 75 adult and youth classes, seven exhibitions to showcase artists, the first-ever Summer Arts Kickoff community celebration, the Art & Craft & Antique Festival, as well as the fundraising Dine-Around parties and the Ceramics & Cocktails program.
Through summer and after-school programs, 130 children from area schools participated in arts education opportunities.
In 2026, “Weave Across America” will celebrate both the Thousand Islands Arts Center's 60th birthday and the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The event was developed to encourage weavers/fiber artists to consider the symbolism of the American flag in a textile. Contributions from 50 weavers, one from each state, will be selected and assembled into a contemporary coverlet to be displayed at the Arts Center throughout the summer and fall of 2026.
Other events to come:
· “Along the River's Edge,” Wednesday, June 24, through Saturday, July 25; reception, Wednesday, June 24, 5-7 p.m. Deadline for artists to submit pieces is Sunday, May 17.
· Official opening of the new Arts Center, Saturday, June 27, with the “Summer Arts Kick-off.”
· “Reel Art: A Community Catch,” Tuesday, Aug. 4, through Saturday, Sept. 5; reception, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 5-7 p.m. Participants will decorate a blank wooden fish.
· The renamed 1000 Islands Art & Craft Festival, Cerow Recreation Park, Saturday, Aug. 8, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
· “Thrown Together: Creations from Our Pottery Studio,” Thursday, Sept. 10, through Friday, Oct. 23; reception, Thursday, Sept. 10, 5-7 p.m.
· The Arts Center's 2026 summer season will close with the “Summer Arts Send-off,” Saturday, Sept. 12.
· The 31st annual Weaving History Conference, held virtually, runs Monday, Oct. 19, through Wednesday, Oct. 21. Deadline for submissions is Sunday, Aug. 9.
· “Comfort in Color: A Fall Quilt Exhibition,” Thursday, Oct. 29, through Wednesday, Dec. 2; reception, Thursday, Oct. 29, 5-7 p.m.
· The “Elves Fair” holiday art/craft market, Saturday, Dec. 5.
The Thousand Islands Arts Center's board and staff imagine the new campus as a drop-in arts collaboration center, a place where regional artists at all levels and in a variety of disciplines can brainstorm, create and exhibit their works year-round.
Step Up for the Arts
Currently, the Arts Center is promoting its “Step Up for the Arts” fundraiser. Donors can purchase stone pavers with personalized messages; the pavers will be installed as walkways on the campus. Contact Robin Lucas at Campaign@TIArtsCenter.org for information.
For information about the Thousand Islands Arts Center's new building, upcoming classes or 2026 events, call 315-686-4123 or visit https://tiartscenter.org/.
By Erin McCarthy Greene
Erin McCarthy Greene is a documentary and fine art photographer who explores and captures the Thousand Islands of northern New York State and any other place she travels. She is a former English teacher, and in January 2025, she retired from the Thousand Islands Sun newspaper, Alexandria Bay, after more than a decade there as an editor. She is an affiliate photographer with The Tilly Project (https://thetillyproject.org/), which offers end-of-life portrait sessions for family pets, including large animals and exotics. Erin and her husband, Richard, live year-round in Thousand Island Park on Wellesley Island. She can be reached at emccarthygreene@gmail.com. Her work can be viewed at www.erinmccarthygreenephotography.com and on Instagram at @emccarthygreene1.