Messler Gallery
Center for Furniture Craftsmanship
Maine, USA
September 2025
The mission of the Messler Gallery is to advance design and craftsmanship in wood as a vibrant medium of expression. As an educational forum, the gallery enables students and the public to view work by faculty and other accomplished woodworkers firsthand; it hosts public lectures by instructors and visiting artists; and it offers exhibition experience to students and Studio Fellows.
Invited to partake in 'Everyday Heirlooms: Exquisitely Designed Wooden Objects of Use'
Gallery Director Victoria Allport
Curated by Heide Martin of Heide Martin Design Studio and Anne Quigley, the Editor-in-Chief of Remodelista.com
Submitting 'Mystery Box' Irish Oak, finished in black Matt lacquer with hand hewn walnut knobs.
Curators’ Statement
A great aunt’s wooden spoon. A mother’s mixing bowl. Thinking about the objects we treasure most, we are struck by their simplicity: They are practical rather than precious, humble yet made to endure. The objects in this exhibit are thoughtfully designed and crafted versions of familiar forms, but they’re not intended to be kept on display: Each is made to be handled, used, and incorporated into day-to-day life. An antidote to today’s culture of cheap materials and disposable goods, each object is imbued with spirit and story and only grows more meaningful as it is used, proving that a well-made object can transform a quotidian routine into an intentional moment. From coffee scoops and combs to coat racks and blanket chests, these pieces take cues from the past and are made to become the keepsakes of future generations.
In this international survey of the everyday heirloom, Shaker classics and mid-century icons sit alongside well-loved vernacular pieces and collectable items from today’s design vanguard.
Executive Director Matt Hoggle observes, “Heide and Annie have curated an exhibition of remarkable scope, assembling works from ten countries around the world to showcase the countless ways this seemingly humble material can be transformed into objects that are both deeply expressive and beautifully functional.”
Companies, designers, and makers represented in “Everyday Heirlooms” include Aino & Alvar Aalto by Design Within Reach (Finland), Stephen Burks for Berea College (Kentucky, USA), Frank E. Cummings III (California, USA), Charles & Ray Eames by Design Within Reach (California, USA), Wharton Esherick (Philadelphia, USA), Tage Frid (Danish-born, Rhode Island, USA), Aspen Golann (New Hampshire, USA), HOKUTO59 (Japan), Hans-Agne Jakobsson by Yamagiwa (Sweden), Joop Duyn & Sons (Ireland), Nickey Kehoe (Kentucky, USA), Kaare Klint by Carl Hansen & Søn (Denmark), lorenz+kaz by Colé Italia (Germany), Adam Markowitz Design (Australia), Nomon (Spain), Brian Persico (New York, USA), Jens Quistgaard (Denmark), Man Ray by Design Within Reach (Pennsylvania, USA), Michael Robbins (New York, USA), Osamu Sassa (Maine, USA), Natalie Shook (New York, USA), Takahashi McGil (England), Charles Thompson (Massachusetts, USA), and We Do Wood (Denmark).