Guest Speakers – 2011

Allan Breed spent his early teens buying old furniture at flea markets and auctions and by 19 was employed by The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston in the restoration lab where he was able to examine some of the finest American pieces. After graduating from college with a degree in History he began restoring furniture for collectors and museums. In 1977 he built his first set of Chippendale chairs and has been reproducing American furniture using traditional tools and techniques ever since.

Allan consults with collectors and dealers on the authenticity of early furniture and regularly lectures on furniture connoisseurship at museums and at the education departments of Christie’s and Sotheby’s in New York.

Guarino will be exhibiting in Art Connections 7 at George Segal Gallery and Architectural Digest Home Show in Manhattan in 2011. He is a Signature Artist for the Noyes Museum of Art located in New Jersey.

He has developed a curvilinear style that marries his love of the material and craftsmanship, His work is often referred to as functional sculpture.

“For me, each new design is a small adventure, exploring my imagination and the potential of the material. Like the craftsmen of the past, I prefer to perform my work using fine hand tools instead of relying on machine that may technically speed completion, but can create a distance between the me and the material.”

Glen G. Guarino, a long time teacher, holds a BA Degree in Industrial Education and Technology and a Masters of Studio Arts. Guarino is currently an Adjunct Professor at William Paterson University Fine Arts Department.

Stack Lamination:
When one adds the technique of stack lamination into the quiver, the road to finding form broadens.

A demonstration and discussion complete with models will be a part of Glen’s presentation.

In this discussion/demonstration, Glen will go through the process of how he works to create a stack lamination as applied to his work.

The Design Process:
With the current interest in “design” being so prevalent, we thought a demonstration and discussion of how one artist approaches the “Design Process” would be a wonderful way to present creativity.

Again, the presentation will consist of a Demo and discussion of the Design process. Glen’s work will be present and part of the discussion.

Passionate about woodworking, Phil entered the furniture making program at North Bennett School in Boston in 1972, subsequently becoming an instructor at the school and eventually rising to department head. In 1986 Phil left North Bennett to devote his energies to the full-time operation of his furniture making business. The business is still in operation today, serving primarily as an educational tool for his recently founded furniture-making school, the Furniture Institute of Massachusetts. Phil was the 2005 recipient of the Cartouche Award bestowed by the Society of American Period Furniture Makers to Master Craftsman that have illustrated the highest standard of education, resource, and applied venue for historical appreciation.

Steve Brown is a 1990 graduate of the Cabinet and Furniture-Making program at the venerable Boston school. He spent nine years as head of the department and is starting his 12th year as an instructor. You will find Steve’s articles posted in Fine Woodworking Magazine and most recently he was an adviser and guest on the new PBS woodworking show Rough Cut—Woodworking with Tommy Mac during its first season.