A rare opportunity to see St. John master craftsman Avelino Samuel at work complements the exhibition of some 100 of his finely made wood pieces at the V.I. Cultural Heritage Institute Friday through Monday.
In his Coral Bay studio on St. John, Samuel turns out an array of wood-turned works, from simple rolling pins and bowls to curio cabinets and mahogany beds. His work blends the accomplishments of his grandfather, master carpenter Harry Samuel, with fine art sources in a number of Virgin Islands woods, such as seagrape, manjack and hyti hyti.
"Turning in Local Woods: The Art of Shaping Wood to Vessels" will be on exhibit at the Institute, Nos. 5-6 Kongens Gade. Samuel will present wood-turning exhibitions from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday and from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, as part of the Pass It On project, which gives Virgin Islanders the chance to learn directly from local artisans.
Avelino Samuel's exhibition is presented in conjunction with the Department of Planning and Natural Resources and the State Historic Preservation Office, and is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information, call the preservation office at 776-8605 or the institute at 774-9537.
VI Source Archive · 1998–2015