A Message From The Board Chair
2020 has become a year of reflection for the Furniture Masters. In January, we were so thrilled to announce our exciting plans for 2020 in celebration of our 25th year. Then March arrived and all plans came to an abrupt halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our Prison Outreach Programs in New Hampshire and Maine have been placed on hold until our instructors are allowed back in to teach. Conversations with New England College’s Institute of Art and Design (formerly NH Institute of Art) regarding our Student Mentorship program have also been postponed for the time being.  

Instead, we have spent much of this time focusing our efforts to provide our supporters and viewers with more virtual experiences as well as developing strategies to expand our audience. Our current exhibit “Summer Selection” in the Furniture Masters Gallery in Concord can be seen on Instagram, thanks to a short video produced by Tim Coleman. And for the first time, our upcoming exhibit “Alone Together” that opens in October will be able to be viewed through a virtual tour. 

We are exploring ways to expand our Prison Outreach Programs with a combination of on-line and in person instruction. And we are currently in the process of expanding our YouTube channel “NH Furniture Masters” with more instructional videos from our Masters.  

In the meantime, we want you to know how much we appreciate your friendship and support of the Furniture Masters and our programs. Thank you for being a part of our Furniture Masters community!

Best,
Mary McLaughlin, Board Chair
A Note From the Events Committee
Like many people this year, we have struggled to find ways to share both our love of the craft of Fine Furniture Making with our audience, and to find meaning and connections in this moment. We are currently busy planning an event for October of this year that will address and explore both of those issues. We will present new work, made during the pandemic, and for the first time we will host a variety of digital programming that will allow us to reach a wide audience safely and effectively. We are all really excited about this exhibition, so stay tuned for more details to come in the next few weeks.

Creative Solutions to the Coronavirus: Our Masters Respond
This summer, some of our Furniture Masters answered a Q&A to address how they are using creativity and craftsmanship to overcome this global crisis that we are all facing. Through videos and verbal explanation, our Masters portrayed what they have been up to.
Tim Coleman: "I’ve been cleaning up the workshop lately and getting rid of things that don’t have much meaning or purpose... I’ve unearthed a lot of old drawings from the past 35 years of pieces that were never made, or versions of actual pieces that were not developed. I’m seeing new potential in some of these ideas. Perhaps for some of them, their time has come. For me creativity is healthy from being jostled by a disruption in routine. It provides an important change of perspective."

Owain Harris: "I don’t think that [the pandemic] has changed my creativity necessarily, but it has definitely changed my attitudes and priorities surrounding my work. Pre-pandemic, I was heavily focused on keeping projects rolling through the shop and so I was not always making work that I connected with as a result. I think that the past few months have reminded me that it’s okay to slow down and take a breath every now and then."



Owain was recently featured in NH Home Magazine discussing his journey to becoming a furniture maker, his inspirations and techniques. Read more here.
Jeffrey Cooper: In regards to creativity, "I’ve been working on a straight sculptural piece. It’s inspired by Picasso, The Three Graces which I saw at the Picasso Museum in Malaga, Spain last September. I’d like to do more work that is sculptural, not furniture. Question is, does it sell, or rather, will it sell while I’m still alive or only after I’m dead and famous."




More of our Masters Respond...

  • Here is a video from Garrett Hack about a new piece he is working on. This is a commissioned desk from father to son. Watch video...

  • David Lamb talks about his latest work. A lovely drop leaf table in Birdseye Maple. Watch video...
David Lamb Unveils Currier Commission
& Also Wins Craftsman Veneertech Challenge
"The New Hampshire Secretary," a three-year commission David Lamb was working on for the Currier Museum of Art was unveiled via Zoom earlier this summer. David and Andrew Spahr, Currier Curator, discussed this stunning work touching upon Lamb’s inspiration, design, and making process.

To watch the Zoom video, click here.

David was also recognized in the Craftsman Veneertech Challenge. “Four Seasons of Acadia” won first prize in the furniture category, featuring not only impeccable veneer work but also intricate carving. You can read more here and watch a video announcing the winners here.