Our Story
The Farmstead Artists are a select group of community, non-represented artists who display and sell original artwork at the Farmstead Barn — a beautifully weathered structure on Route 1 in East Sullivan, Maine that dates back to 1803.
In the winter of 2022, Bonnie approached barn owners Judy Ashby and Ray Weintraub to ask if Hugo, Mavis Davis, and some other local artists might use the barn for summer art shows. They graciously agreed. The first year was successful beyond our hopes — so many people came to the shows and shared their childhood memories of the barn from when Ginia Davis Wexler offered summer programs, and many guests purchased art.
Since then, we've grown into a collective of 15 member artists. Each summer we host four show weekends — Friday through Sunday — featuring watercolors, oils, acrylics, collages, and drawings in ink and colored pencil, plus prints and cards. In 2025, we sold 196 pieces of original art across 12 show days.
"The second year was a continuation of community goodwill, good memories, good art, and sales. And thus it all began."
The Barn
The Farmstead Barn has a long history in the Town of Sullivan. Built in 1803 as a milk farm on the shore, the structure was moved in the late 1800s to the other side of what is now Route 1. In the 1940s and 50s, it operated as a Tea House offering simple food and fortune telling.
For forty years, from approximately 1972 to 2012, the barn housed summer theater and children's arts programming organized and run by Ginia Davis Wexler — an internationally renowned operatic performer and activist in the New York performance scene. From 2012 the barn fell silent.
In 2018, Judy Ashby and Ray Weintraub purchased the property with the hope of reopening the Farmstead Barn as an event center. We continue to be extremely grateful for their generosity and friendship.