The Passing of a Maker
Master craftsman, designer of exquisite furniture, teacher extraordinaire and our friend Berthold Schwaiger died unexpectedly this week. Berthold was the powerhouse behind the Chicago Bauhaus Studios, which trained woodworkers of all backgrounds in Chicago. FunQuilts did some events with Berthold and our quilts never looked as beautiful as they did on his beds, which were often made from native woods and other natural materials. One memorable bed was made of osage orange tree wood and had a headboard woven from corn husks. I wish I had a picture of it to share with you.
Berthold’s death got me thinking about the legacy of the maker. Whether you are a hobby crafter who dabbles in numerous media or a full-fledged master craftsman like Berthold, the things you make are an expression of who you are. When we returned from China after adopting our daughter Berthold brought over a beautiful, dovetailed box as a gift for our new baby. The box refueled my interested in learning woodworking but as a new mom I knew it would have to wait. Last summer we commissioned Berthold to make a kitchen table for us. Who knew when he delivered it a month ago or so it would be the last time we’d see him?
As great as he was a craftsman, Berthold was also a wonderful teacher. Part of his legacy is also the huge number of people of people whom he inspired either to think about furniture in a new way or to become woodworkers themselves. As all you crafters out there wonder whether or not those handmade gifts you are rushing to complete will be appreciated by their recipients know that what matters more is that they are wonderful expressions of who you are and that you might inspire someone else to be creative just by making something yourself. Long live the makers.
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December 16th, 2006 at 1:54 am
So sorry for this loss (…and your loss…). Thanks for sharing your thoughts and his beautiful work.
December 16th, 2006 at 4:47 am
What an absolutely wonderful, inspiring, thought-provoking post. Thank you, Weeks. Long live the makers indeed.
December 16th, 2006 at 8:33 pm
ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS STUFF. I would feel proud to own something with such great aesthetic interest and craftsmanship.
December 17th, 2006 at 3:04 am
Oh, this is such sad news. I live very close the Bauhaus Studio and took four of Berthold’s classes. I’m looking at his telephone stand right now. It’s always been a special piece to me, but now it has even more meaning.
No one is answering at the Bauhaus and I can’t find any informaiton on his passing. If there are any arrangements being made in the states, can you please let me know?
December 17th, 2006 at 3:48 am
Pam and other fans of Berthold’s,
There is a memorial service for him Sunday from 5-8 pm. I will email directly anyone the phone number of his apprentices who are coordinating it. For other Chicagoans, I have spoken to the Chicago Tribune and they have told me that they plan to write a tribute to him. Berthold had no family in this country and all of his arrangements are being made by his loyal apprentices. If you speak to them please thank them for all they are doing for him. I will be sending a packet of articles that appear about him in the press to his daughter Tanya in Germany. If you care to send a note to me about you thoughts on Berthold (see funquilts.com for the address) I’d be happy to include it in the package. Thanks.
December 18th, 2006 at 9:12 am
Berthold was a wonderful teacher. I will never forget some of the humorous wisdom he passed on during his class.
Doug
December 19th, 2006 at 11:37 pm
The four pieces of furniture in your photographs were designed by Berthold Schwaiger and constructed by his apprentices. With the exception of the chair, these pieces were all truly “one-of-a-kind” and were built specifically for exhibition at the 2002 Chicago Design Show at Merchandise Mart where the theme of the Bauhaus exhibit was “The Artisan’s Home.” We had roughly 1000 sq.ft. of exhibition space with the majority devoted to the unified “home” theme where pieces were designed, built, and exhibited to simulate spaces for the living room, dining room, kitchen and bedroom. The remainder of the exhibit space was a co-op featuring the work of former students, many now maintaining businesses and shops of their own.
The Schwaiger Chair in your photograph is one of a handful of signature pieces that became his most-requested commissions. Originally built in cherry, it’s also been constructed in walnut and osage orange, and there’s at least one prototype in the shop made from a combination of woods. The chair incorporates several of Berthold’s favorite design and construction techniques. The rails that support the seat were attached to the front legs with a sliding dovetail. The seat was glued-up as one longer piece of material, then cut into four pie-shaped pieces, and set in place so that the wood grain from each of the four pieces flowed continuously around the seat. The seat was set into the rails so that the horizontal rails and the sliding dovetail joinery connecting the rails to the legs would be revealed.
The construction of the backrest was the most challenging. Again, a single large piece of material was used so that the grain would flow continuously from one arm, around the backrest to the other arm. The material was cut at the appropriate angles to form the general shape of the back and arms then rejoined using visible splines. A grinding wheel called a “Lancelot” was used to hog-off much of the material, but the final shape can only be achieved in the time-honored hand-tool tradition of rasping, filing, and sanding.
There are no nails, screws or other metal fasteners required to hold this together. It was designed and engineered so that pieces would lock together mechanically and be held in place with glue. To be truly appreciated, you had to sit in it. It was extraordinarily comfortable. It was functional art.
A table with similar design elements and construction techniques was also available as a complement to the chairs.
The bed you referred to was actually constructed of catalpa and white oak and I did find a photograph on-line embedded in a flyer promoting the 2002 Chicago Design Show exhibition. You’ll find it here: http://www.lf.org/bhai2000/bsad3f.pdf
The small details, careful selection and layout of materials, unique joinery and often labor-intensive construction, truly distinguished his designs.
Berthold was fond of saying, “The furniture should last as long as it takes the tree to grow.” It should come as no surprise that his last exhibition this past summer at the Alden Dow Home and Studio in Midland, Michigan included the phrase “Lasting Values…” as a reflection of that philosophy. Equally as noteworthy, as coordinator of the Saturday Shop Time program, I’ve seen scores of students come through the shop that will get a lifetime of enjoyment and satisfaction from the vocation/avocation of furniture-making as a result of his instruction.
January 9th, 2007 at 5:51 am
I just found out today that Berthold has passed on. I truly regret not having taken more of his classes while he was still around to learn from. Even though the classes are fundamentally sound with or without him, half the fun came from joking with him and enjoying his unique nature.