January 22 – April 7, 2021
A juried exhibition of work by alumni of the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship opened at the Messler Gallery in Rockport, Maine on Friday, January 22. The show is open to the public through April 7, 2021.
The 22 pieces of original, contemporary woodwork on display were winnowed from 85 submissions. They encompass a surprisingly wide range of categories, from functional furniture to figurative sculpture, and include decorative vessels, suspended lighting, precious boxes, and small brushes. For Messler Gallery Director Victoria Allport, being in the room with “Alumni and Fellows” provides a welcome respite from the isolation of the pandemic. “Each piece speaks with the voice of its maker, sharing their curiosity, ambitions, skills, private obsessions, and public concerns.”
Jurors for the exhibition were Tib Shaw from St. Paul, MN, who is Curator at the American Association of Woodturners, Josh Vogel from Kingston, NY, who is a designer, maker, and founder of Black Creek Mercantile & Trading Co., and Jeremy Zietz from Oakland, CA, who is a principal designer at Steelcase.
The exhibitors in “Alumni and Fellows” are a mixture of professional and avocational woodworkers from across the U.S. who have previously participated in the Center’s courses or its Fellowship program. They include Nick Barboza (Hampden, ME), Greg Bruck (Bedford, OH), Sam Cotton (Hope, ME), Erik Curtis (Philadelphia, PA), Kate Davidson (Milton, MA), Aspen Golann (Bakersville, NC), Duncan Gowdy (Holden, MA), Owain Harris (Center Barnstead, NH), Matthew Hedgepath Smith (Austin, TX), Jamie Herman (Fairport, NY), Anna Hitchcock (Little Compton, NY), Sayer Houseal (Antarctica), R.D. Johnson (Vienna, VA), Alan Kalker (Madison, WI), Kathleen Kilanowski (San Francisco, CA), Sergey Levchin (Brooklyn, NY), Steve Miller (Black Mountain, NC), George Partal (Bangor, ME), John Scanlan (Cleveland, OH), Emma Senft (Madison, WI), Julann Troiano (Chamberlain, ME), and Chelsea Witt (Rockport, ME).
