ROCKPORT — A juried exhibition of work by alumni of the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship opened at the Messler Gallery, in Rockport, on Friday, Jan. 22. The show is open to the public, in person and online, through April 7, 2021. 

The 22 pieces of original, contemporary woodwork on display were winnowed from 85 submissions.

“They encompass a surprisingly wide range of categories, from functional furniture to figurative sculpture, and include decorative vessels, suspended lighting, precious boxes, and small brushes,” said the Gallery, in a news release.

For Messler Gallery Director Victoria Allport, being in the room with “Alumni and Fellows” provides a welcome respite from the isolation of the pandemic.

“Each piece speaks with the voice of its maker, sharing their curiosity, ambitions, skills, private obsessions, and public concerns,” she said.

Jurors for the exhibition were Tib Shaw from St. Paul, Minnesota, who is curator at the American Association of Woodturners; Josh Vogel from Kingston, New York, who is a designer, maker, and founder of Black Creek Mercantile & Trading Co.; and Jeremy Zietz from Oakland, California, who is a principal designer at Steelcase.

The exhibitors in “Alumni and Fellows” are a mixture of professional and avocational woodworkers from across the U.S. who have previously participated in the Center’s courses or its Fellowship program. They include Nick Barboza (Hampden), Greg Bruck (Bedford, Ohio), Sam Cotton (Hope), Erik Curtis (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), Kate Davidson (Milton, Massachusetts), Aspen Golann (Bakersville, North Carolina), Duncan Gowdy (Holden, Massachusetts), Owain Harris (Center Barnstead, New Hampshire), Matthew Hedgepath Smith (Austin, Texas), Jamie Herman (Fairport, New York), Anna Hitchcock (Little Compton, New York), Sayer Houseal (Antarctica), R.D. Johnson (Vienna, Virginia), Alan Kalker (Madison, Wisconsin), Kathleen Kilanowski (San Francisco, California), Sergey Levchin (Brooklyn, New York), Steve Miller (Black Mountain, North Carolina), George Partal (Bangor), John Scanlan (Cleveland, Ohio), Emma Senft (Madison, Wisconsin), Julann Troiano (Chamberlain), and Chelsea Witt (Rockport).

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Messler Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. There is an occupancy limit of four visitors and face masks are required.

The gallery is located on the campus of the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, at the corner of Route 90 and Mill Street in Rockport. The exhibition may also be viewed on the Center’s website, at www.woodschool.org.

The Center for Furniture Craftsmanship is a nonprofit school that offers year-round classes in furniture making and related arts such as carving and woodturning.  For more information, please call 207-594-5611, e-mail victoria@woodschool.org, or visit our website at www.woodschool.org.