Tools of the Trade: Master, Journeyman, Apprentice, and Guild
Summer 2014 quarter
"The life so short, the craft so long to learn."
The rise of the great medieval artisan craft guilds of Europe and Japan began a transformation not only of the ways in which things were made and of the ways in which craftsmen were trained to make them, but of the fundamental relationship between capital and labor. This course will investigate the world of the guilds and of the men, methods, tools, and materials they employed. We will focus on the history of two guilds in particular, The Worshipful Company of Dublin Cabinetmakers and Joiners (of which the instructor's grandfather was a member) and The Kyoto Guild of Master Builders (of which the instructor is a member) and their effect on the cultures they inhabited. During the program students will experience learning in much the same way as an 18th century apprentice might have, engaging both the work of the mind and of the hand as they make and learn to use a classic English bowsaw and a traditional handplane called a "coffin smoother."
Fields of Study
Preparatory for studies or careers in
Location and Schedule
Offered during: Evening
Advertised schedule: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5:30-9:30 pm