The 22nd Academy Art Museum Craft Show, Celebrating the Makers, will be held October 11 through 13, 2019, at the Academy Art Museum and the Waterfowl Building in Easton, MD.
The indoor, juried craft show features 70 artists from across the United States whose work encompasses all craft media: basketry, ceramics, glass, fiber, jewelry, metal, mixed media, sculpture, and wood. This year, four emerging artists will be showcased at the Craft Show, including Ashley Chiang, paper; Andrew Sartorius, ceramics; Catherine Satterlee, ceramics; and Matt Gorin, wood.
Craig Fuller, Craft Show Chairman, comments, “We are proud to present emerging artists to the community during the Craft Show, and we find ways to help make their participation easier. As a Museum with a very strong education program, part of our responsibility with the Craft Show is to help educate people about craft.”
Matt Gorin, age 31 of Trappe, has been working with wood for 4 ½ years. He got interested in wood while being stationed in the Coast Guard. He met people who were in a gun flint-lock club who built rifles using hand tools. After getting out of the Coast Guard he decided to make woodworking a hobby and made his own goosecall. While at Salisbury University getting a physical therapy degree, he took a sculpting class where he made a bronze sculpture. This enhanced his knowledge of welding – another interest he has developed.
He recalls, “I have excessive curiosity and am always trying something new to challenge me.”
Gorin creates pens, goosecalls, bracelets and earrings, bowls, and wall pieces. He currently is working with “live-edge” burl caps to create some of his most unique work. He fills the edges of this ornate wood with acrylic in order to showcase the dots and swirls of the wood better. He states, “I try not to manipulate the woods too much, letting the natural wood show and speak for itself.”
“I am stretching myself by trying things I have never done before,” he adds.
Gorin uses exotic woods from outside the U.S. to make his pieces unique. Australian red mallee and Indonesian amboyna burl are among his favorites. Because the wood is expensive, he saves all of the scraps to be used in smaller projects like his jewelry. He comments, “The exotic woods are really pretty. I enjoy talking with the people where the wood comes from to see how different cultures see the wood. We may see these woods as exotic and beautiful, but in some of the countries, they are seen as scrap wood.”
He adds, “I get to travel the world through the wood.”
Gorin, who is a popular local bartender, doesn’t want to make woodworking his full-time profession as he likes picking and choosing the projects he makes. This is his second year in the Academy Craft Show. This year, he will introduce wall pieces to the show and a coffee table.
Alison Cooley, Craft Show Operations Director, adds, “The emerging artists give people a better understanding of the path into the world of art and craft. There is no better way than to learn through examples, and our emerging artists provide exceptional examples of what is possible with focus and hard work.”
All proceeds from the Craft Show go to the Academy Art Museum to support the many community-based programs for all ages.The Craft Show hours will be held three days, Friday and Saturday, October 11 and 12, 2019, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, October 13, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be a Preview Event on Thursday, October 10 beginning at 5:30 p.m.Craft Show admission is $10 for Museum members and $12 for non-members. Sunday will be Family Day with free admission for all attendees. A number of makers will be participating in forums/panels during the Craft Show. Tickets are available online. For more information about this event, visit academycraftshow.com or call 410-822-2787.
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