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Where is it?
Jerome,
I saw one of his exhibits at the NCMOH about a year ago, but it wasn't nearly as big as this one sounds. I'm going to try and get down there today to check it out. I'm not sure if I follow you on the parts that you worked on being too detail oriented. :dontknow: Maybe I will once I see it? Either way, I'm sure it is a great exhibit. :thumbs_up:thumbs_up
I saw one of his exhibits at the NCMOH about a year ago, but it wasn't nearly as big as this one sounds. I'm going to try and get down there today to check it out. I'm not sure if I follow you on the parts that you worked on being too detail oriented. :dontknow: Maybe I will once I see it? Either way, I'm sure it is a great exhibit. :thumbs_up:thumbs_up
Re: Thomas Day Exhibit (longish)
Oops, perhaps I should be more specific.
Thomas Day was Free Black cabinet maker here in Caswell Co. working between 1823- 1861. During that time he maintained the largest cabinet shop in the state. He made a lot of high end furniture and house interiors for many of the rich and prosperous folks in the state, such as governor Reid.
In a time when the furniture industry was dominated by either standardized or cheaper furniture shipped from furniture factories in the North Day created a market based on his signature style. His work is noted for his usage of negative space, unique usages of common patterns and also his own designs. His interiors are known for his mantles, stair brackets, and his ability to tie the entire design of the mill work and interior of a house together as a whole. He really knew how his patrons thought about interacting with society and created interiors that reflected that.
We have always known that there have always been Black furniture makers and other black crafts people enslaved and free from the early history of our country. However their work is not very well document, for a variety of reasons. We are lucky in this case however, in that we have a great amount of documentation on Day and his family. A lot of this is the result of the decedents of his patron preserving and holding onto his furniture. As it now stands Thomas Day is the most research black craftsman from the antebellum time period. I suspect that he might be one of the best researched black craftsman prior to 1900. I can't prove that one though.
It is really cool to look at how gray his world was. You can't just put him in a box He was Black, but free. He was Black, but owned slaves. He owned slaves, but there is proof (more than is displayed in the exhibit) that he was an abolitionist. He was rather structured, reserved, intentional, and cautious in his life and demeanor. Yet he made things so wacko they look like they were made in the drug induced world of the 1960's. He was working in the rural back woods, but he was making high end high designed work in a furniture factory setting. (he had a steam engine by 1850-3)
Anyway the History museum in Raleigh has the largest collection of his work in the country. They opened up a 6K sq ft exhibit of his work Last Saturday. I believe that it has around 70 pieces of his work in the exhibit. There is a recreation of an early 1800's workshop and a 1850's parlor. They have also included various other decorative arts items. There are some cool quilts and a french figurine/clock set on display.
I was a consultant on some aspects of the exhibit. My first consulting experience. I learned that means that I was the hired suggestor. I worked with the designer on the shop (cool 20' x 24' timber frame), and I worked with the designer on some aspects of his furniture , life, and woodworking experience. Also got the experience of being on the advisory board. The politics was a bit intense. Don't know if I will do this again.
After all that I have a hard time not nit picking the living day lights out of it or not knowing what we missed. So I was wondering what other woodworkers honestly thought of it.
There is a cool great wheel lathe in the work shop. I helped on it. The treadle band saw I didn't help on. Everything in the exhibit except the parlor mill work and building the timber frame structure was done in house, in 13 weeks. The museum has an amazing design/construction team.
Jerome
Oops, perhaps I should be more specific.
Thomas Day was Free Black cabinet maker here in Caswell Co. working between 1823- 1861. During that time he maintained the largest cabinet shop in the state. He made a lot of high end furniture and house interiors for many of the rich and prosperous folks in the state, such as governor Reid.
In a time when the furniture industry was dominated by either standardized or cheaper furniture shipped from furniture factories in the North Day created a market based on his signature style. His work is noted for his usage of negative space, unique usages of common patterns and also his own designs. His interiors are known for his mantles, stair brackets, and his ability to tie the entire design of the mill work and interior of a house together as a whole. He really knew how his patrons thought about interacting with society and created interiors that reflected that.
We have always known that there have always been Black furniture makers and other black crafts people enslaved and free from the early history of our country. However their work is not very well document, for a variety of reasons. We are lucky in this case however, in that we have a great amount of documentation on Day and his family. A lot of this is the result of the decedents of his patron preserving and holding onto his furniture. As it now stands Thomas Day is the most research black craftsman from the antebellum time period. I suspect that he might be one of the best researched black craftsman prior to 1900. I can't prove that one though.
It is really cool to look at how gray his world was. You can't just put him in a box He was Black, but free. He was Black, but owned slaves. He owned slaves, but there is proof (more than is displayed in the exhibit) that he was an abolitionist. He was rather structured, reserved, intentional, and cautious in his life and demeanor. Yet he made things so wacko they look like they were made in the drug induced world of the 1960's. He was working in the rural back woods, but he was making high end high designed work in a furniture factory setting. (he had a steam engine by 1850-3)
Anyway the History museum in Raleigh has the largest collection of his work in the country. They opened up a 6K sq ft exhibit of his work Last Saturday. I believe that it has around 70 pieces of his work in the exhibit. There is a recreation of an early 1800's workshop and a 1850's parlor. They have also included various other decorative arts items. There are some cool quilts and a french figurine/clock set on display.
I was a consultant on some aspects of the exhibit. My first consulting experience. I learned that means that I was the hired suggestor. I worked with the designer on the shop (cool 20' x 24' timber frame), and I worked with the designer on some aspects of his furniture , life, and woodworking experience. Also got the experience of being on the advisory board. The politics was a bit intense. Don't know if I will do this again.
After all that I have a hard time not nit picking the living day lights out of it or not knowing what we missed. So I was wondering what other woodworkers honestly thought of it.
There is a cool great wheel lathe in the work shop. I helped on it. The treadle band saw I didn't help on. Everything in the exhibit except the parlor mill work and building the timber frame structure was done in house, in 13 weeks. The museum has an amazing design/construction team.
Jerome
I will try to take some time to go to Raleigh and see the exhibit.
Thanks so much for the info Jerome. I'm definitely going to check out this exhibit very soon. :thumbs_up:thumbs_up
Sounds like a great idea to me too. Especially the food part:wsmile:
You can also check out some images of the furniture in the exhibit in the companion book that has been published. It should be carried at most of the local book stores. I think the title is Thomas Day Behind the Veneer. Do a quick goggle search or amazon search.
Jerome
You can also check out some images of the furniture in the exhibit in the companion book that has been published. It should be carried at most of the local book stores. I think the title is Thomas Day Behind the Veneer. Do a quick goggle search or amazon search.
Jerome
After learning of this exhibit last week I had to make plans for a visit. I talked the family into going to the museum today after some good food at The Pit. Let me tell you folks that this is a first class experience! I thoroughly enjoyed the Thomas Day Exhibit. The furniture is amazing (which I expected), but the information about both his life and work was equally as impressive. I especially appreciated his focus on character. It is definitely something the members of this site will appreciate. And do not try to walk out with the pile of lumber that is stickered and stacked as part of one of the displays. :no:
Just getting around to reading today's Charlotte Observer and there's an article on the exhibit there.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/05/30/1462479/days-woodwork-endures-as-artistry.html
Usually free for a day or two without subscription.
Sounds like a nice exhibit. :icon_thum
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/05/30/1462479/days-woodwork-endures-as-artistry.html
Usually free for a day or two without subscription.
Sounds like a nice exhibit. :icon_thum
Sounds like an "Event" in the making, w/ Jerome as the tour guide. :wsmile: I know I would definitely love to see it, but even better w/ a bunch of fellow woodworkers. And a lunch-bunch is always good. :gar-Bi Since I'm new here I'm not sure how events get arranged. Froglips, is this up your ally?
Bill
Bill, from what I understand, anybody can plan a lunch bunch like this. So any one of us who are interested can do this. Since only a handful of us have expressed interest so far, lets throw a few dates out there and see which one will accommodate most of us. Obviously, the one person that absolutely needs to be able to make it is Jerome. :gar-La;
For me personally, every Saturday in June looks fine except for June 26'th. I have a wedding to go to that weekend and from what I understand, Jerome is giving a tour in Winston Salem to the Hillsborough Orange Woodworkers on that day.
Also, the RTP lunch bunch is this coming Friday. I'm not sure if we should plan something else the following day or not. :dontknow:
Being fairly new to the area, I'm open for some ideas on where to eat before the tour as well. I'm guessing it should be somewhere at least remotely in the area of the museum (or a short drive from it).
Any ideas?
Jerome: We're kinda putting the cart in front of the horse here, so let me ask: are you willing to lead a group tour of the exhibit? If so, looks like a number of us would like to see it. From the quote above, you can see that July 24 looks like a possible date. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm open that day.
Would two hours be enough time to see the exhibit and do it justice? If not, how long would you suggest we allot?
How many others are interested in seeing the exhibit. If it looks like we have at least a small group, I'll work on scheduling an "event".
Bill Clemmons
Have to applologize for beeing so quiet. I have been out of town for the last couple of days. I am not sure that I can commit to July 24. I will be in the MESDA Summer Institue. They tend to try to keep their participants super busy. Don't know what they will have us doing.
THe only times that I hahve open are June 19the,. 20th, and the weekend of July 3rd. Yep 2 hours should be enough to see the collection.
Having lots of fun here in Berea. Making planes with Larry Williams and Don .
Jerome
THe only times that I hahve open are June 19the,. 20th, and the weekend of July 3rd. Yep 2 hours should be enough to see the collection.
Having lots of fun here in Berea. Making planes with Larry Williams and Don .
Jerome
I'm going to try and go see this. I didn't know it was there. I read Jerome's article I believe in Popular woodworking and found it interesting and engaging. To me, interesting and engaging most of the time means that I finish the entire article and not skip through it, and Jerome's passed muster for me.
It does seem odd that he owned slaves...... Almost a contradiction in and of itself.
It does seem odd that he owned slaves...... Almost a contradiction in and of itself.
hi guys i am very very new to this forum and have read a lot of your post and i have to tell you this thomas day exhibit is something that i well have to do and would like to join this group when you make the trip to it i live in shallotte which is 180 miles from raliegh but i would have to do this i have always been tuned on by beautiful woodworking please keep me informed as to what the group is doing thanks
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