Educator and Craftsman to Present a Talk on ‘The Wisdom of the Hand’ at King’s Chapel Parish House

Miguel Gomez-Ibanez, former architect, President Emeritus of the North Bennet Street School, and current Senior Warden at King’s Chapel, will share his experiences and thoughts on craftmanship and wisdom as part of the Thursday Night Gatherings series at King’s Chapel Parish House at 64 Beacon St. on Thursday, Jan. 24, at 6 p.m.

Gomez-Ibanez began his career as an architect, but in the mid-1990s, he stumbled upon an exhibition of exquisite North Bennet Street School student craftsmanship in the North End. Soon after, he enrolled in the school’s two-year, full-time furniture-making program and began an illustrious career as a furniture maker, author, and educator. He quickly came to appreciate the relationship between working with one’s hands and intellectual well-being.  The “intelligence of the hand,” he says, is experienced by all of us when we tie our shoes without looking.  There is a simple and clear morality in working with your hands that differs from knowledge work. Mistakes matter.  There is no spreading the blame. Craft work entails personal responsibility.

Gomez-Ibanez led the North Bennet Street School as President from 2006 through 2018. He has designed, made, and exhibited studio furniture at juried exhibitions in Boston, Philadelphia, and Chicago, among other cities.  He has published numerous articles on craftsmanship and education, and he has served as curator and moderator at many galleries and exhibitions, as well as board member on The American Craft Council, The Society of Arts and Crafts, and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts.

The event is free and open to the public. The talk will be followed by Q&A and light refreshments. R.S.V.P. to [email protected]. For more information, call 617-227-2155.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.