A Woodworker's Retreat: George Nakashima's Arts Building and Cloister

Please join us at the Architectural Archives of the University of Pennsylvania on Friday, March 31st from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm for a stimulating colloquium on the recent study of the history, condition and future of George Nakashima's Arts Building and Cloister, funded by the Getty Foundation through their Keeping It Modern initiative. Speakers include Ron Anthony, Cesar Bargues, David Biggs, Michael C. Henry, Nicholas Pevzner, and William Whitaker.  

An exhibition will run parallel to the colloquium, exploring the significance of the Arts Building and Cloister (1963-67), a structure designed by woodworker George Nakashima (1905-90) for his property in New Hope, Pennsylvania. Intended as a place for artistic exchange and dedication, the Arts Building and Cloister is one of over a dozen designs Nakashima built on his property to support his woodworking efforts and to house his family. The building represents a less studied aspect of American modernism employing craft techniques and avant garde structural experimentation with hyperbolic paraboloid roof form. 

Opening event: Thursday, March 30th from 5:30pm-7:30pm. 

Colloquium: Friday, March 31st from 8:30am-12:30pm.

Both the colloquium and the opening are free and open to the public. Seating is limited, early registration is advised.

Penn Praxis
The Architectural Conservation Laboratory
The Architectural Archives of the University of Pennsylvania

For more information, please contact Cesar Bargues at cesarb@design.upenn.edu