International artists showcased in Maine

“New Work by Faculty,” an exhibition of fine furniture, turned objects, carving and fine art, opened for the summer on June 9 and will run through Sept. 14 at the Messler Gallery in the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Rockport, Maine.

From a representational “Frog Bowl” by British carver Chris Pye, to a marquetry self-portrait by Massachusetts furniture maker Silas Kopf, the show presents a multitude of aesthetic voices, most of them speaking the language of wood, according to the gallery.

“Every piece of furniture or work of art is a prescription for the life to be lived around it, which makes this show a recipe for enchantment,” center director Peter Korn said in a statement. “We are fortunate that every one of our instructors is an exceptional designer or artist with a compelling creative vision.”

International exhibitors include Peter Fleming and Reed Hansuld of Toronto; David Haig of Nelson, New Zealand; Stephen Kennard of Canning, Nova Scotia; Aled Lewis of Machynlleth, Wales, and Pye of Hereford, England.

U.S. exhibitors include Nick Cook of Marietta, Ga.; Harvey Fein of New York, N.Y.; Garrett Hack of Thetford Center, Vt.; Beth Ireland of Roslindale, Mass.; Pete Schlebecker of Kensington, Md.; Doug Stowe of Eureka Springs, Ariz., and Keith Tompkins of Tivoli, N.Y.

Participants from Maine include Aaron Fedarko, Mark Juliana and Libby Schrum of Camden; Linden Frederick of Belfast; Stephen Gleasner of Appleton; Jim Macdonald of Burnham; Mason McBrien of Union; Mac Ray of Damariscotta; Brian Reid of Rockland; Tim Rousseau of Appleton, and Jacques Vesery and John Whalley of Damariscotta.

The Center for Furniture Craftsmanship is a non-profit, year-round school that offers courses in furniture making and related arts such as carving and woodturning.

Pairing art with furniture

Members of the New Hampshire Furniture Masters Association and New Hampshire Art Association teamed up for the “Chisel & Canvas” exhibition May 2-16 at the Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery in Portsmouth, N.H.

Participating furniture association members included Gary Armstrong, Jon Brooks, John Cameron, Jeffrey Cooper, David Leach, Richard Oedel, Jeff Roberts, Brian Sargent, Thomas Walsh and emerging artist Brad Wolcott.

Both groups will also exhibit later this year at the new Furniture Masters’ Gallery in Concord, N.H.

“The Furniture Masters welcome the opportunity to exhibit alongside our fellow artists from around the state,” New Hampshire Furniture Masters Association chairman Brian Sargent said in a statement. “We’re especially excited because visitors to the exhibition can not only see, but also buy our works, many of which are on exhibit for the first time this year.”

The New Hampshire Furniture Masters Association was founded in 1995 as a means of continuing the state’s legacy of fine furniture making. It has a membership of nearly two dozen craftsmen from New Hampshire as well as Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont. The New Hampshire Art Association is a non-profit professional art association founded in 1940 and it has more than 400 members.

Contacts

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

New Hampshire Furniture Masters Association, P.O. Box 5733, Manchester, NH 03108. Tel: 603-898-0242. www.furnituremasters.org

This article originally appeared in the August 2012 issue.