An interview of David Holzapfel conducted 2008 January 26-March 2, by Josephine Shea, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, at Holzapfel's home and studio, Applewoods Studio and Gallery, in Marlboro, Vermont.
Holzapfel speaks of his childhood; attending high school in Rome, Italy; university experiences at Marietta College and Marlboro College; studying Italian poetry; his favorite poets including Libero de Libero and Alfredo Giuliani; time spent traveling in Italy with wife Michelle; the births of their children; going to work for Roy Sheldon at Fabulous Tables; being self-taught in woodworking; starting his own furniture making workshop with Michelle; materials he prefers to work with, including maple, beech, and oak; his hollow furniture forms; travels throughout Europe and in Africa; his experience with craft shows and galleries, including Pritam & Eames and Peter Joseph; and his creative process. Holzapfel recalls Desmond O'Grady, Edmond Brelsford, Peter Joseph, Nathan Ancell, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
David Hozapfel (1950- ) is a self-taught woodworker in Marlboro, Vermont.
General:
Originally recorded on 3 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr., 36 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
An interview of Michelle Holzapfel conducted 2008 January 26-March 1, by Josephine Shea, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, at Holzapfel's home and studio, Applewoods Studio and Gallery, in Marlboro, Vermont.
Holzapfel speaks of her childhood in Rhode Island; her large extended family and their French-Canadian heritage; working with her father in his machine shop; early art education and exposure from elementary school through high school; the influence of high school art teacher Audrey Blake; trips to Rhode Island School of Design Museum and Boston Museum of Fine Arts; attending Marlboro College; meeting her husband, David, at Marlboro; traveling in Italy with friends and David; earning her B.A. from Norwich College; participating in craft shows; having two children in two years; teaching experiences at Worcester Center for Crafts and Wood Turning Center; the difference in relationships with galleries and museums; the woodturning field; and the struggles and success of women artists; and plans for the future. Holzapfel recalls Gilbert Taylor, Barry Friedman, Glenn Adamson, Nathan Ancell, Peter Joseph, Kenneth Trapp, Chris Tyler, Albert LeCoff, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Michelle Hozapfel (1951- ) is a self-taught woodworker in Marlboro, Vermont.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hr., 10 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America Search this
Names:
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America Search this
Extent:
64 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
2001 September 19-October 8
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Jere Osgood conducted 2001 September 19 and Oct. 8, by Donna Gold, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, at Osgood's home, in Wilton, N.H.
Osgood describes his early childhood years in Staten Island, N.Y.; the influence of his architect grandfather and handyman father; his early interest in architecture; visiting museums with his mother and aunt; Vermont vacations; high school; and reading "Popular Science," "Popular Mechanics," and "Wildlife Magazine." He describes his architecture studies at the University of Illinois and the subsequent use of parabolic and catenary curves when making bowls; attending the School for American Craftsmen in the 1960s when it was "thriving"; selling bookends at America House; exhibiting in "Young Americans" (Museum of Contemporary Crafts, 1962); teaching at Boston University; studying bookbinding and weaving in a folk art school in Denmark in 1960; the distinction between "furniture makers" and "furniture designers" in Denmark; working in his father's basement workshop; setting-up a workshop in Connecticut; the appeal of root forms; developing lamination techniques; making curved forms; and experimenting with various woods. Teaching at the Philadelphia College of Art, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), and Boston University are discussed in detail, as are his typical workday, his design process and means of evaluating form, the growing craft industry, and sculptural furniture. Osgood recalls his teacher Tage Frid.
He also discusses his works of art including Elliptical Shell Desks, a walnut Semainaire, Writing Desk (1986), Angels in the Snow (1986), and Cylinder Front Desk (1989). He comments on selling his work at Pritam & Eames (East Hampton, N.Y.); the influence of Wharton Esherick on his career in the late 1950s; commissions; furniture making at RIT and the North Bennett School in Boston; his experiences teaching at Penland, Haystack, Arrowmont, and Peters Valley Craft Center; his involvement with organizations such as the New Hampshire Furniture Masters' Association, American Craft Council, and The Furniture Society; the importance of good photography; the economics of the craft business; and his appreciation of pure form.
Biographical / Historical:
Jere Osgood (1936- ) is a woodworker from Wilton, N.H. Donna Gold (1953- ) is an art writer from Stockton Springs, Maine.
General:
Originally recorded on 7 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 12 digital wav files. Duration is 5 hrs., 46 min.
Related Materials:
Oral history: Renimiscenses of Jere Osgood; Columbia University. Oral History Research Office, Box 20, Room 801 Butler Library, New York, NY 10027.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
An interview of David and Michelle Holzapfel conducted 2008 January 6-March 2, by Josephine Shea, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, at the Holzapfels' home and studio, Applewoods Studio and Gallery, in Marlboro, Vermont.
The Holzapfels speak of their studio spaces and how they live and work together; the difficulty of marketing yourself as an artist; their involvement in artistic communities such as Wood Turning Center and Canadian Craft Council; traveling to Croatia to participate as guest artists in an exhibition curated by the United States Information Services; the financial difficulties of being artists; the impact technology has made on their work; the importance of apprenticeships; and their view of time spent with James Prestini. The Holzapfels also recall Michael Hosaluk, Mark Sfirri, Craig Nutt, Peter Galbraith, Denis Fitzgerald, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
David Holzapfel (1950- ) and Michelle Holzapfel (1951- ) are self-taught woodworkers who own and operate Applewoods Studio and Gallery in Marlboro, Vermont.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 1 hr., 39 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
Wood Turning Center (Philadelphia, Pa.) Search this
Type:
Interviews
Sound recordings
Place:
Croatia -- description and travel
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with David and Michelle Holzapfel, 2008 January 6 and March 2. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Michelle Holzapfel, 2008 January 26 and March 1. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Jere Osgood, 2001 September 19-October 8. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
