“______” in a day
On January 28, 2022, students from all four of our craft disciplines worked to create something extra special in just one day and you can take some of these creations home in our first ever sealed bid auction (ends April 4, 4:00 P.M. EST).
BROOMCRAFT
Reserve $500
Our broom students created a collection of items that can be used to decorate any table. These items are offered for bidding consideration as a complete set which includes:
- DECORATIVE CENTERPIECE ~14” x 9” John (Class of ‘23) made a sculptural centerpiece for the Table in A Day project using a technique he developed during his time in Broomcraft. Dyed broomcorn is bound in twine and attached to a turned walnut vessel.
- SMALL BASKET AND LID ~7” x 3” Visiting Staff Apprentice Paskalini Savopoulos-Wilkins is an experienced broom and basket maker. Along with Brianna (Class of ‘22) they created a basket and lid out of broomcorn and waxed linen. Broomcorn tassels emerge playfully from this basket, constructed using a coiling technique that Brianna implemented in the flat lid.
- BROOMCORN TABLE ~17” x 12” x 6” Our Head of Apprenticeships Hunter Elliott couldn’t pass up the opportunity to interpret the “Table in a Day” challenge literally using the materials and techniques of the broomshop. Our broomcorn table was made using black and natural broomcorn, waxed linen, and recycled linen rope, utilizing broom stitching, lashing, and broom making techniques, and inspired by the design of Woodcraft’s table.
WEAVING
Reserve $500
Like our Broomcraft students, our Weaving students created a collection of items that can be used to decorate any table. Also like Broomcraft, these items are offered for bidding consideration as a complete set which includes:
- QUILTED PLACEMATS (4) ~12” x 18” and TABLE RUNNER (1) ~8” x 7’ 100% cotton. Head of Weaving Erin Miller works to bring both natural dye work and quilting into the program and this project provided the perfect opportunity for students to link those two processes. Students used fabric naturally dyed with indigo, madder, and logwood, and leveraged an “improvisational quilting” method. The curves of the runner are a direct result of this approach.
- NATURALLY DYED NAPKINS (4) ~18” x 18” Dyed first with Osage heartwood and then overdyed in a resist pattern with black walnut husks to add visual texture. These include broomcorn napkin rings, as pictured.
- BROOMCORN NAPKIN RINGS (4) Broomcraft student Dawn (Class of ’23) contributes napkin rings made by braiding bundles of broomcorn left to dry in a spiral, allowing for a tight, durable, and elegant form. These light, braided spirals add a gentle contrast to the Weaving department’s naturally dyed woven napkins.
WOODCRAFT
Reserve $2,500
Woodcraft presents a walnut kitchen table for your bidding consideration.
- WALNUT TABLE 59”L x 36”W x 30”H As the newest member on staff at Student Craft, Head of Woodcraft Rob Spiece thought the “Table in a Day” concept was a great ice breaker that would introduce him to the students and put us in a design headspace that could carry over into our studio work. The result is a modern style, with joinery rooted in tradition. Created from beautiful air-dried walnut, this table showcases the species’ beautiful depth of color. The design features an angular, open leg, joined with a bridle joint at the floor and pinned with walnut dowels. Lap joints join the upper rails, and each end of the tabletop is treated with a gentle curve.
CERAMICS
Item Not For Sale
Our Ceramics students embraced the “Table in a Day” challenge and set about to create a functional table using the skills and materials of the studio. Due to some structural concerns this amazing piece is not available for auction consideration.
- CERAMIC TABLE 19” x 18” x 36”H (including pitcher) This piece expands ceramics’ role within Student Craft while blurring the lines between functional craft and sculpture and contemplates reclamation by the elements with moss, fungus, and various mycopean growths on its surface. Two of the legs sink into the dirt, evidence of the table’s belonging in the garden among nature’s fecund gifts. The vase on the tabletop is a meditative tool, similar to a Zen Garden. The table represents a serene place in nature where the mind and body can go to be at rest and at ease.
Scenes From That Day
The inspiration for this undertaking came to Rob from the Penland School of Craft where a “Table in a day” challenge began in the woodshop during winter residencies in 2015. Since then, Penland has made this an annual event and the challenge has spread to other schools and shops across the country.
The results of Berea’s contribution to this wonderful project can be seen below along with some photos of scenes from that day. It is important to note that everything wasn’t 100% complete at the end of the day on the 28th , but as intended by the folks at Penland all the design work and most of the making was complete at the end of that exhilarating and exhausting January day. Final oiling and lacquering of the wooden table, binding of placemats, final tweaks to the broom contributions, and firing of the ceramics piece carried over but we think you will agree that the results have been worth the extra days.
