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Don Williams is a distinguished conservator, marquetry artist, and educator with decades of experience in preserving and restoring cultural artifacts. Renowned for his meticulous craftsmanship and innovative techniques, Don has worked on some of the most significant objects in public and private collections across the United States. His expertise spans woodworking, historical finishes, and furniture conservation, making him a trusted authority in his field. He worked as a Senior Furniture Conservator at the Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute. Beyond his professional achievements, Don is an avid scholar and author, sharing his knowledge through books, lectures, workshops and articles for Popular Woodworking Magazine. His passion for craftsmanship and preservation continues to inspire artisans and enthusiasts alike.
Friday night, Don will be sharing thoughts on Collections Decision-Making a way of evaluating the deterioration of an object and how to respond to it. It will make you re-examine how you look at a project.

Don will be covering two topics. In the morning he will demonstrate some of the parquetry techniques and projects of his own as well as additional techniques he started discussing Friday evening. In the afternoon, he will hold a restoration/conservation “clinic” discussing techniques and principals he follows. Participants will be able to bring in projects you are looking for advice related to refurbishing/finishing. If you have a project needing restoration now is your chance to get advice from an expert.

This is a half day interactive workshop to introduce the art of chair caning.

TBD

Trip Schedule:
10am – 12pm Darwin Martin House – (Frank Lloyd Wright Design)
12:30pm – 2:00pm Lunch Buffet at the Garret Club

now design and build fine furniture on commission and speculation in my one-person shop in East Gloucester, Massachusetts. I am a member of the New Hampshire Furniture Masters, and was formerly part of Fort Point Cabinetmakers in Boston; in May 2011, I was awarded an Artist Fellowship in Crafts by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. I was invited to exhibit in the Smithsonian Craft Show in 2013, 2015, and 2016, and to participate in Four Centuries of Massachusetts Furniture, a group of events and exhibits organized by several partnering institutions. My furniture has been shown at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, NH; the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, MA; The Society of Arts and Crafts in Boston, MA; The Gallery at Somes Sound in Somesville, ME; the Messler Gallery in Rockport, ME; the Sharon Arts Center in Peterborough, NH; the Lamont Gallery in Exeter, NH; Pritam and Eames in East Hampton, NY; the Highlight Gallery in Mendocino, CA; the MacKeen Gallery in Boston, MA; and other galleries on the East Coast. It has been featured in the books With Wakened Hands and In the Modern Style, as well as Fine Woodworking, Home Furniture, Woodwork, and American Woodworker magazines. I currently teach at The Furniture Institute of Massachusetts, and have taught at Worcester Center for Crafts and the Boston Center for Adult Education in the past.

Cabinets, dressers, tables and desks are just a few of John Cameron‘s talents. He will demonstrate how some tables are so strong they don‘t need glue such as the Ming Table he built.

TBD - but probably continuing discussion and work on repair projects

TBD

Canceled

Describe the speaker here ABOUT OUR NATIONAL MEETINGS: Part of the value of being a member of RWS is the opportunity to hear and see nationally known speakers. These individuals are from all over the country and have done presentations and/or have blogs, YouTube videos, etc. Meetings are usually held once a month between September and May. The presentation is held on Friday evening at St. John Fisher University Basil Hall. From 7-8 we gather, socialize and share projects. From 8-9 our speaker presents. Members and non-members can attend the Friday event which includes networking, displays of members’ works, silent auction items which are typically tools or accessories that members are looking to sell (often for VERY reasonable prices), access to our books and DVD library (members only), a raffle, a brief business meeting followed by the speaker presentation. Finally, the national speaker usually has a table for displaying their work and/or books. National speakers typically facilitate a workshop the next day which requires registration.