Join us for a gallery talk with the 2025 Winter Residency Fellow Henry Merker. The residency is designed for artists in Greater Philadelphia who work in the medium of wood and is a collaboration between the Museum for Art in Wood and NextFab. An exhibition of the work created over the two-month-long program will be presented at NextFab.
ABOUT HENRY MERKER
Henry Merker (b. 1996) designs experimental home goods in wood using CNC machining and traditional woodworking processes. In his studio practice, Henry playfully leverages these tools in the pursuit of rare shapes – forms that question conventionality and reveal the beauty of wood through its versatility.
In his upcoming residency, Henry will investigate cork – a sustainably harvested wood product – through this lens. By leveraging the material’s unique affinity for both carving and reconstitution, he aims to create a zero-waste collection of design objects.
ABOUT NEXTFAB
NextFab is a network of membership-based makerspaces that provide access to tools, technology, education, events, and services for makers and creatives. They offer a variety of education and startup programs, as well as professional design, production, and placemaking services for whatever your fabrication needs.
ABOUT THE MUSEUM FOR ART IN WOOD
The Museum for Art in Wood is a museum of contemporary art, craft, and design in the material of wood. The Museum presents the work of emerging and established artists from the United States and abroad and offers thought-provoking exhibitions, a permanent collection of over 1,300 objects and works of art, publications and documentation, events and workshops, and a library with over 26,000 artist files, books, and documents that span the history of craft. The Museum also brings artists and researchers from around the world to Philadelphia every year to attend its unique Windgate Artist Residency Program.
If you have questions, please contact Katie Sorenson, Director of Outreach and Communications at [email protected].