1. George Katsutoshi Nakashima was an American woodworker, architect, and furniture maker who was one of the leading innovators of 20th century furniture design and a father of the American craft movement.
14 Facts About George Nakashima
1. 2.
George Nakashima spent a year in France working odd jobs to fund an artist's lifestyle.
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George Nakashima then went on to North Africa and eventually to Japan.
4.
George Nakashima spent three weeks in NID's wood workshop, designing chairs, benches, tables, ottomans, lounges, daybeds, shelves and mirror frames.
5.
In 1937, Raymond's company was commissioned to build a dormitory at an ashram in Puducherry, India for which George Nakashima was the primary construction consultant.
6.
In 1940, George Nakashima returned to America and began to make furniture and teach woodworking in Seattle.
7.
George Nakashima was interned during the Second World War, like others of Japanese ancestry, being sent to Camp Minidoka in Hunt, Idaho, in March 1942.
8.
Under his tutelage, George Nakashima learned to master traditional Japanese hand tools and joinery techniques.
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George Nakashima designed furniture lines for Knoll, including the Straight Back Chair, and Widdicomb-Mueller as he continued his private commissions.
10.
George Nakashima cited diverse inspirations for his work including the Japanese tea ceremony, American Shaker furniture, and the Zen Buddhist ideals of beauty.
11.
One of George Nakashima's workshops, located in Takamatsu City, Japan, currently houses a museum and gallery of his works.
12.
In 1984, George Nakashima had the opportunity to purchase the largest and finest walnut log he had ever seen and sought to use the immense planks to their fullest potential.
13.
George Nakashima dreamed then that if Altars for Peace were made for each continent of the world, as centers for meditation, prayer, and activities for peace, the world would be a better place.
14.
Today the George Nakashima business makes standard wooden furniture and continues to create more peace altars, soon to complete George Nakashima's legacy.