WATCH ONE. DO ONE. TEACH ONE. Exit Gallery - Montana State University - October 2018
At the age of twelve, my father, a house builder and cabinet maker, put me to work for the first of what would become every summer over the next thirteen years. Those years, spent under my father’s guidance, surrounded by the spaces and furniture that we crafted together, shaped me and my worldview in unmistakable ways. In the years since, many mentors have left their marks with me, influencing the ways I think and create. This show is an archive of deep connections spanning distance and time, a reflection of myself, and the network of passionate artisans I have lived with, eaten with, and learned from.
Each object becomes a point of entry into the path I took learning traditional craft techniques. This show offers passage into a handmade life filled with objects of use, function, and beauty. From delicately carved wooden spoons and Norwegian inspired ale bowls, to forged spoons, and Windsor stools, the objects curated here hold stories. Tales of their making, folklore, or the bonds of mentorship and friendship created alongside the objects give them presence and power. I share these moments with their makers. In the same way one listens for the ocean in the belly of a seashell, I believe each maker’s story resides in these objects.
“The Lyf so short, the craft so long to Lerne,” - Geoffrey Chaucer
