Sarah Turner is the new president of the North Bennet Street School in Boston, following the retirement of Miguel Gómez-Ibáñez on Dec. 1.
Turner brings more than 20 years of experience in contemporary craft and design as an educational leader, instructor and artist at several institutions including Cranbrook Academy of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Oregon College of Art and Craft, and the State University of New York at New Paltz.
“My heart lies in leadership work; helping studio-craft institutions draw together the contributions of all members to make something unique, useful, and forward-looking,” Turner said in a statement. “The strong sense of this, past and present, at North Bennet Street School drew me to the position. I am excited to get started on bringing about new connections and ideas.”
Turner said she will spearhead expansion of the school’s public programs and community partnerships within the craft-education world, while continuing the school’s 137-year legacy of training students for careers in traditional trades and fine crafts.
North Bennet offers nine full-time programs in Bookbinding, Carpentry, Cabinet & Furniture Making, Jewelry Making & Repair, Locksmithing & Security Technology, Piano Technology, Preservation Carpentry, and Violin Making & Repair.
Gómez-Ibáñez, a graduate of North Bennet, was president for 12 years and led the renovation of the school’s 64,000-sq.-ft. facility.
“The new building is our most visible accomplishment, but our commitment to preserving the traditional hand skills of cabinet and furniture making remains. Looking forward, I think we will be able to build on our professional training programs and use this new facility to reach an even wider audience, including amateur woodworkers as well as middle school and high school students. Online courses are another avenue that we will explore in the coming year,” Gómez-Ibáñez said in an interview with Woodshop News.
Contact: North Bennet Street School, 150 North St., Boston, MA 02109. Tel: 617-227-0155. www.nbss.edu.
This article originally appeared in the January 2019 issue.
