Featuring pieces by 22 artists from 6 countries, a new exhibit of outstanding work in marquetry wowed an opening reception crowd at the Messler Gallery of the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Rockport, Maine.
“Free Verse,” an international survey of contemporary marquetry, is on display at the Messler Gallery through April 2. The public was invited to the opening reception on January 31, and to a gallery talk the next afternoon, where the exhibitors discussed their work.

 

James Macdonald of Burnham, Maine, curated the exhibition of 21 pieces by 22 wood artists from six countries, including a beautiful electric guitar that Macdonald crafted himself. Other pieces included tables, cabinets, boxes, and wall hangings. Macdonald describes marquetry as the “art of assembling wood and veneers into decorative patterns or images, and the variety and remarkable craftsmanship on display ranges from stunning cabinets with intricate inlays to luminous wall hangings and pop-art inspired objets d’art.”

 

“What compels us to concern ourselves with thin fragile slices of wood?” said Macdonald. “Sawing, cutting, carefully coaxing our chosen material into the voice of our artistic vision, we participate in this craft called marquetry. “Free Verse” will be a showing of the work of contemporary marquetry artists – some new, some who have made a career of the artful assemblage of veneers.” 

 

Macdonald said his focus in selecting the exhibitors was to find those looking beyond tradition and using this craft as a means of personal creative expression. “Be free to push your boundaries,” he encouraged, “show us where you are or where you are heading. Help this be an exhibition not of rules, but of possibilities!”

 

International exhibitors include Ryan Andrusky (Alberta, Canada), Susan Bart (Bilbao, Spain), Adrian Ferrazzutti (Ontario, Canada), Isaac Sintim (Accra, Ghana), Anne Lecorguillé (Plévenon-Cap Fréhel, France), and Toby Winteringham (Norfolk, England). 

 

Exhibitors from across the U.S. include Shannon Bowser (Brooklyn, New York), Paula Garbarino (Somerville, Massachusetts), collaborators Cindy Goldman and Spider Johnson (Austin, Texas), Scott Grove (Canandaigua, New York), Sasha Kopf (Hadley, Massachusetts), Silas Kopf (Northampton, Massachusetts), Patrice Lejeune (Los Angeles, California), James Macdonald (Burnham, Maine), David J. Marks (Santa Rosa, California), Jack Mauch (Spruce Pine, North Carolina), Brian Reid (Rockland, Maine), Paul Schürch (Laupahoehoe, Hawaii), William Tunberg (Venice, California), Chelsea Van Voorhis (New Orleans, Louisiana), and the late Greg Zall (1957-2023).

 

The Center for Furniture Craftsmanship was founded by Peter Korn, in 1993, to meet the educational needs of contemporary woodworkers. It began as a summer workshop program in a barn behind his house and moved to its present location in 1996. The Center became a non-profit organization in 1999, and Korn served as Executive Director until his retirement in 2021. In 2024, the school had 396 course enrollments from 43 states and 8 foreign countries. Participants include both amateur and professional woodworkers. For more information, visit woodschool.org.