On Thursday, November 19, we held a conversation with a custom furniture maker, a curator, and a tastemaker, threading the story between chair restoration, Fuller Craft Museum's exhibition From Where I Sit, and material culture. In the process, we explored craftsmanship, ingenuity, and the expressive potential of the humble seat. Watch a video of the full conversation here.
Finishing the requirements for graduation at NBSS takes hard work, commitment, and dedication at the best of times. The students in our 2020 graduating class completed their intensive programs during an extremely tumultuous year, staying the course through a building closure, remote learning, and extended in-person instruction. Simply stated, we couldn't be more proud of all that these 94 graduates accomplished. On October 29th and 30th, we celebrated our newest alumni over the course of six physically-distanced ceremonies at Old North Church.
Alex Krutsky CF '81, a Cabinet & Furniture Making graduate from 1981 and long-time Instructor, passed away in early October. Alex was a valued member of the NBSS and wider community as a teacher, furniture maker, mentor, colleague, shop mate, and friend. His impact as a mentor cannot be measured, and he will be dearly missed by those of us who were fortunate enough to know him.
Steve Brown CF '90, a trustee and longtime member at the historic First Congregational Church of Essex and an instructor in our Cabinet & Furniture Making program, donated his time and woodworking experience to help restore the Church's steeple—so that they could also get their historic Paul Revere bell ringing again. Steve's role was to build the 10-piece timber-frame cradle that holds the bell inside the steeple's belfry. He had never done timber framing before, but he realized it was a lot like furniture making, albeit on a much larger scale.
For our students, part of the North Bennet Street School experience includes getting to know more about our historical North End. We strongly encourage you to explore the neighborhood! To get you started, members of the NBSS community have provided some recommendations to consider here.
