The Bay School Community Arts Center has welcomed a new artist to its staff. Annie Harpe took over the position of Gallery and Outreach Coordinator on Sept. 1, replacing Saraya Cheney, who is now employed by the Gloucester Montessori School.

Harpe is a self-taught fiber artist, specializing in felting, weaving, and knitting, and is known for her richly colored and textured shawls and funky knitted hats. She has a background in gallery management in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and teaching English, writing, movement, and yoga to diverse groups, including Mathews High School students and adults in substance abuse recovery programs. 

Among her duties at the Bay School, Harpe will be managing both the Art Speaks Gallery and the Bay School’s Community Outreach Programs. She will teach several of those programs herself, integrating heritage crafts, literary arts and wellness into the long-standing visual arts programming. Two public programs she will begin teaching this week include...