California gallery features Bennett’s work

A broad scope of work by Oakland, Calif., artist and studio furniture maker Garry Knox Bennett is on display through Nov. 13 in the Main Gallery and Atrium Gallery at The Richmond Art Center in Richmond, Calif. Tables, sideboards, table lamps, accent lamps, and chairs are accompanied by a representation of clocks, twirlings, select Electro prints and paintings.

The exhibition summarizes Bennett's extensive career, which began in the early 1960s and offers a provocative view into this Alameda-born creative force showing his innovation with material, technical skill, unconventional style and artistic verve. Select new works are also on view, including paintings that have rarely been exhibited. Various ensemble installations showcase a variety of Bennett's works together as they relate to each other, as if placed within a home.

Bennett, born in 1934, is an internationally known prolific furniture maker, woodworker, metalworker and artist known for his inventive and unconventional uses of materials and designs. His long-established workshop and studio is in Oakland.

"Garry Knox Bennett: Vertical at 75" is the first of several exhibitions by the curatorial staff at the Richmond Art Center celebrating its 75th anniversary of providing a rich selection of exhibitions and programs for the Bay Area. The exhibition was curated by Nancy M. Servis, executive director of the Richmond Art Center.

Texas makers

The 11th annual Texas Furniture Makers Show runs through Dec. 4 at Kerr Arts and Cultural Center's gallery in the renovated "old post office" in Kerrville, Texas. This juried exhibition is a statewide competition featuring handcrafted pieces by the best custom furniture makers in Texas. The purpose of the show is to improve the quality and recognition of Texas furniture making and introduce the furniture makers to potential customers who will buy their creations.

On display will be myriad tables, chairs, benches, cabinets and more, many crafted in multiple, complementing woods and then accessorized with other materials, reflecting styles as diverse as Shaker, 19th century German, modern cedar log and Federal.

N.H. visits Maine

Through Nov. 24, members of the New Hampshire Furniture Masters Association will display a selection of recent works in the exhibition "Furniture Masters of New Hampshire" at the Messler Gallery of the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Rockport, Maine. The exhibition is a joint project of the New Hampshire Furniture Masters Association and the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, two institutions dedicated to advancing the craft of furniture making at the highest level. The Messler Gallery is free and open to the public.

The featured works underscore the breadth of stylistic interests among the Furniture Masters, ranging from interpretations of Early American, Shaker and Neo-Classical periods to original contemporary designs. Participating furniture makers include Aurelio Bolognesi, John Cameron, Jeffery Cooper, Garrett Hack, Howard Hatch, David Lamb, David S. Leach, Wayne Marcoux, Tom McLaughlin, Terry Moore, Sam Norris, Richard Oedel, Brian Reid, Jeff Roberts, Brian Sargent, William Thomas and A. Thomas Walsh.

The Center for Furniture Craftsmanship is a nationally recognized woodworking school and the Messler Gallery originates five exhibitions per year that draw roughly 3,500 visitors. It is the only venue in New England dedicated to exhibiting fine woodworking year-round.

Elsewhere

Libby Schrum of Maine was selected as the 2010 John D. Mineck Fellowship recipient, which is funded by the John D. Mineck Foundation and administered by the Society of Arts and Crafts in Boston. Schrum's proposal detailed her plans to use the $25,000 prize to deepen her education by attending a career-relevant intensive workshop at Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina, purchase additional shop equipment, exhibit her work at a craft show and develop her marketing materials.

Contacts

Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, 25 Mill St., Rockport, ME 04856. Tel: 207-594-5611. www.woodschool.org

Kerr Arts and Cultural Center, 228 Earl Garrett St., Kerrville, TX 78028. Tel: 830-895-2911. www.kacckerrville.com

Richmond Art Center, 2540 Barrett Ave., Richmond, CA 94804. Tel: 510-620-6772. www.therac.org

Society of Arts and Crafts, 175 Newbury St., No. 1, Boston, MA 02116-2896. Tel: 617-266-1810. www.societyofcrafts.org

This article originally appeared in the November 2010 issue.