Friday Favorites 9/30/2011

Paula M. Bodah, Senior Editor
The New Hampshire Furniture Masters Association and the Canterbury Shaker Village make a perfect match for an exhibit called A Tradition of Craftsmanship. The exhibit, in the village’s newly restored Carriage House, juxtaposes traditional Shaker furniture with pieces by eight NHFMA members. Furniture master Brian Reid, one of the exhibit’s organizers, says, “The Shakers have had an indisputable impact on furniture design since their arrival in the U.S. in the late 1700s.†The venue is an appropriate one for displaying the work of modern furniture makers whose aesthetic, Reid says, is often informed by Shaker design. Reid’s “Flower Power†blanket chest, shown here, is crafted of cherry and maple woods as well as various veneers. You have until November 13 to see this and other beautiful, functional works of art.

Photo by Jim Dugan

Kyle Hoepner, Editor-in-Chief
There’s a new design gallery on the scene, specializing in furniture and objects that seem to explore the fuzzy borderland between unique or limited-edition fine art and small-run production pieces. At our 5 Under 40 event two weeks ago I was introduced to Eric Portnoy, who with partners Nick Siemaska and Brent Refsland has opened a space in Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood called Room 68. Eric was itching to tell me that they’re carrying work by one of our 5 Under 40 winners, Debra Folz (see “Strung†shelves below), but there’s lots of other interesting stuff to be explored as well. Right now I’d suggest calling ahead (617-942-7425) before you drop by: the gallery is still in its “soft opening†stage, and regular hours of operation won’t be posted until their grand opening weekend on October 15–16. Here’s a link to the Room 68 Facebook page (which seems to have more content than their Web site, at least for the moment). And the Room 68 Web site itself.

A view of the space at 68 South Street in Jamaica Plain. Photos courtesy of Room 68

Lobster Trap Table by Pelrine+Durrell (click to see more work)

“Strung†shelves and “The Whole Story†photo album by Debra Folz (click to see more work)

A wooden bench by Jacob Kulin (click to see more work)

It may be worth a trip to Room 68 for the ceiling alone.