Aspen Golann
Aspen Golann is an artist and studio furniture maker currently living in Penland, NC where she builds custom furniture and sculptural homegoods. She specializes in 17th & 18th-Century style furniture which she blends with a background in fine art, sculpture and textiles.
Aspen holds a degree from the acclaimed North Bennet Street School in Boston, MA where she studied American Period Furniture. Aspen’s work has been exhibited nationally and is featured in many publications including Fine Woodworking Magazine, American Period Furniture, Lost Art Press Blog, Luxe Magazine, Art New England, and artscope. She teaches at many craft schools around the country including Penland School of Craft, Haystack School of Crafts, Lie Nielsen Tool Works, Florida School of Woodwork, Austin School of Furniture & Design, and A Workshop of Our Own. She has received funding for her work from The Massachusetts Cultural Council, The Society of American Period Furniture Makers, Anderson Ranch Art Center, The Maloof Foundation and was awarded the 2020 John D. Mineck Furniture Fellowship by The Society of Arts & Crafts. She is the former Wood Studio Coordinator at The Penland School of Craft and serves on the board of A Workshop of Our Own and as an ambassador to the board of Fine Woodworking Magazine. To see more of her work visit her website www.aspengolann.com or her instagram at @aspen_golann.
“Trained as a sculptor and 17th-19th century furniture maker, I often ask myself: Can their beauty be disassociated with the racism, classism, and misogyny of the early American period?
“My response is this: Playful and surprising furniture that explores gender and power through subtle alterations to iconic American furniture forms using enameled glass, contemporary marquetry and other classical processes. The result is functional artwork that simultaneously celebrates and critiques the history of craft in America.
“My line of small scale homewares and utensils mix playfulness and tradition, utility and sculpture. Made using traditional ebonizing techniques, hand tools and brush tying, these pieces have the physical integrity of traditional craft with an updated and playful aesthetic.”
Website: aspengolann.com