Famous Boston Crafts School to Show Exceptional Alumni Work.
Week-long exhibition beginning May 16 demonstrates that traditional craftsmanship is alive and well.


/Employment - Careers News Articles/ - BOSTON, MA, April 19, 2008 - As a respite from the predictable sameness of today's mass-produced world, a local school is determined to show that the skilled hands of trained artisans can turn out objects of extraordinary beauty.

"Made By Hand: An Exhibition of Exceptional Work from the North Bennet Street School" will highlight over 50 examples of hand-made work by the school's alumni - from elegant furniture and musical instruments to exquisite jewelry and ornate hand-bound books. The show is open to the public Friday, May 16 through Thursday May 22 (closed Sunday), 1pm to 4pm at the Massachusetts Historical Society, 1154 Boylston Street in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood. Admission is free.

Prior to show's opening, a gala fundraising reception to preview the work and meet the artisans will be held on Thursday, May 15 from 6pm to 8pm. Admission to the cocktails and hors d'oeuvres reception is $150 per person, with all proceeds going to benefit the school's operating fund. Last year's preview event raised $92,000.

Typical of the handcrafted pieces on display will be a Newport Kneehole Bureau (pictured) made by furniture maker Peter Michelinie of Andover, MA. Painstakingly reproduced from a late-1700s federal-style bureau, Michelinie employed most of the tools and methods colonial furniture maker John Townsend of Newport, RI used to create the original. The new bureau features hand-cut dovetails (148 in all), hand-mortised locks and hand-carved shells adorning the top drawer. Michelinie estimates it took him over 450 work hours to make the piece.

Joining Michelinie's bureau in the exhibition will be over a dozen other handmade furniture pieces, handcrafted bracelets, earrings, necklaces and pendants, several handmade violins, intricate hand bound books and a restored piano.

One of the country's oldest schools for artisans, North Bennet Street School has been teaching fine craftsmanship, creative problem solving, and expert trade skills since 1885. The nonprofit school is known internationally for excellence in teaching, and for its role in promoting the preservation of traditional craftsmanship.

The school provides full-time and part-time programs in violin making, bookbinding, cabinet and furniture making, carpentry, locksmithing, jewelry making and piano technology.

QUICK FACTS:
Who: North Bennet Street School
What: Made by Hand: An Exhibition of Exceptional Alumni Work
Where: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1154 Boylston Street, Boston MA
When: Friday, May 16 through Thursday, May 22, 1-4pm. Closed Sunday.
Cost: Free
Handicap Access: Yes
Reservations: Not required.
Parking: Limited street parking (metered).
Nearest T stops: Hynes Convention Center (Green line)
More Info: www.nbss.org and/or 617-227-0155.

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