This semester, UW–Madison students are taking the rare opportunity to explore the work of Wharton Esherick, the pioneering wood craftsman and artist often called the father of the studio furniture movement.
The Chazen Museum of Art is one of only three museums in the country hosting The Crafted World of Wharton Esherick exhibition, giving a broader audience the opportunity to see pieces that have never left Esherick’s home and studio (now the Wharton Esherick Museum in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania). His work, known for its graceful, organic curves, captivates casual visitors and seasoned observers alike.
“It’s a dream!” said Katie Hudnall, head of UW–Madison’s woodworking and furniture program.
Hudnall works with a mix of art majors and non-majors, many of whom are new to woodworking. “I can’t wait for them to see the show,” she said.
“Woodworking allows you to create in so many different ways,” she explained. “It also gives my students a sense of agency, especially those who might not feel like they have any. Creating special objects just for your home, like Esherick did, is a real kind of magic.”
Hudnall plans to bring both of her classes to see the exhibit, where they’ll analyze Esherick’s woodworking and how it influenced his sculptures, woodblock prints, and furniture. Each student will choose a piece to critique, taking time to engage with it in depth.
“Having a chance to go back and get beyond first impressions is huge. Students will be able to sit with and draw some of these pieces, to go back and notice different details multiple times,” she said. With the Chazen just next door to the wood lab, she’ll encourage students to stop by often. “These objects will only live on as memories, but those memories will be so much more defined when you can visit them every day at lunch.”
Hudnall and her students will also showcase a hand-carving demonstration at the exhibition’s celebration on March 19, using woods, tools, and techniques Esherick himself worked with.
For master of fine arts candidate Sam Northcut, Esherick’s reliance on hand tools is especially inspiring as he wraps up his studies at UW–Madison. Having studied Esherick during his undergraduate work in furniture design, Northcut is excited for the chance to dive deeper into the artist’s life and methods.
“In my education, I’ve always had access to a shop, so now it feels like perfect timing to be learning more about Esherick,” they said. “A big part of his practice was about becoming self-sufficient and figuring things out on his own. I want to get back to wood as a material, not just as a medium to express an idea, and really work more directly with my hands and hand tools.”
For the exhibition, Northcut collaborated with Hudnall and fellow students to create carved wood samples that visitors can touch. The samples, made from walnut, pine, cherry, and other woods Esherick used, offer a tactile connection to his work.
“I didn’t start with a final vision in mind,” Northcut said. “I was trying to let each individual block of wood inform the shapes and carvings.” That approach mirrors Esherick’s own philosophy. “When he worked with a chunk of wood or a log, he let the grain influence the curves and forms. His music stands, for example, are so elegant and almost animal-like, they look like they could just start crawling.”
UW–Madison scholars aren’t the only ones taking a close look at the Esherick exhibition. Local woodcrafters are leading special maker-to-maker tours during the exhibition’s run. Barret Elward of Bodgery will lead a tour on April 19 (register here) and Steven Ricks of The Joinery leads the May 17 tour (register here).