Wendell Castle

Wendell Castle
Castle circa 1984
Born(1932-11-06)November 6, 1932
Emporia, Kansas
DiedJanuary 20, 2018(2018-01-20) (aged 85)
Scottsville, New York[1]
NationalityAmerican
Known forAmerican craft, Art furniture
SpouseNancy Jurs[2]
Academic background
Alma materUniversity of Kansas
Academic work
InstitutionsRochester Institute of Technology, The College at Brockport, State University of New York, Wendell Castle School
Websitewww.wendellcastle.com
External videos
video icon GlassLab in Paris: Wendell Castle, Corning Museum of Glass

Wendell Castle (November 6, 1932 – January 20, 2018) was an American sculptor and furniture maker and an important figure in late 20th century American craft.[3] He has been referred to as the "father of the art furniture movement"[4] and included in the "Big 4" of modern woodworking with Wharton Esherick, George Nakashima, and Sam Maloof.[5]

Castle introduced a woodworking technique called stack lamination to the creation of furniture. Originally used for making duck decoys, this technique allowed "infinite flexibility"[1] and unprecedented control over shape and form.[5][6] In addition to working in wood, he used plastics and metals.[5]

During his life, Castle received many of awards including a 1994 'Visionaries of the American Craft Movement' award sponsored by the American Craft Museum, a 1997 Gold Medal from the American Craft Council, and a 2001 Award of Distinction from The Furniture Society.

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Haugen was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Westenfield, Megan (2012). Roycraft: Western New York Craft and its Inclusion in Contemporary Crafts Curriculum. ISBN 9781105741395. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  3. ^ Roberts, Sam (2018-01-26). "Wendell Castle, 85, Dies; Blurred the Line Between Furniture and Art". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
  4. ^ Kiley, Rich (January 21, 2018). "Wendell Castle, renowned 'father of the art furniture movement,' dies at 85". www.rit.edu.
  5. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Rozzo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Wendell Castle and the "Quiet Revolution" 13 January – 26 February 2020 64 White Street". R & Company. 6 January 2020. Retrieved 10 October 2021.