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Phil F. Brown

Phil Brown in his shop taken by Betty Scarpino during the Windgate ITE Fellows 2016 DC trip.

The Phil F. Brown Fund
Phil Brown 1937 – 2018

Phil Brown (1937–2018) was a self-taught artist and craftsman, as well as an advocate and community builder for the field of art in wood. Renowned for his fine bowl forms turned from wood sourced from felled or cut trees in the DC area, Phil started woodworking at an early age, but arrived at wood turning as an adult, when he bought his first lathe and began teaching himself from a book. A bowl from tulip poplar was included in the seminal juried exhibition Turned Object Show (1981), which was shown at venues across the United States. Phil’s works are now held by museums and important private collections across the US. He was a great friend to the Museum for Art in Wood, serving on its Board of Trustees and participating in some of the organization’s earliest exhibitions and symposia.

The Phil F. Brown Fund was established to support the Museum for Art in Wood’s Windgate ITE Residency Fellows. It underwrites the fellows’ exploration of private collections, museums, and art destinations during their time on the residency and facilitates their opportunities to meet prominent collectors and influential artists. Phil played a leading role in the coordination and management of this unique and important aspect of the residency and was committed to ensuring its continuation.

Phil and his wife Barbara Wolanin were very pleased to have been able to set up this fund before his passing. He is greatly missed.

To read Phil Brown’s obituary, click HERE.
To view Phil’s work in the Museum’s Collection, click HERE.
To give online, click HERE.

Note regarding donations by check: Checks must be made payable to “Museum for Art in Wood” with “Phil Brown Fund” indicated in the memo. Please send checks to: Museum for Art in Wood, 141 North 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106.