EDUCATION
1978 MFA Rhode Island School of Design
1974 BFA Rhode Island School of Design
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2011 Aughinbaugh Gallery, Messiah College, Grantham PA, “A View From Left Field: The Art and Craft of Mark Sfirri,” solo retrospective exhibition
2011 Minneapolis Institute of Art, “Conversations with Wood,” Minneapolis MN
2010 The Renwick Gallery (Smithsonian), “A Revolution in Wood: The Bresler Collection,” Washington DC
2009 James A. Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, PA, “Twenty Years of Collecting”
2008 Museum of Arts and Design, New York, NY, “Permanent Collection”
2007 Arkansas Art Center, Little Rock AR, “Craft in America”
2006 Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton MA, “The Edges of Grace”
2006 Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, Louisville KY “Turning 20-Still Evolving”
2005 CERF, “Human Form”, fundraising event
2004 Ironwood Gallery, Ridgefield CT, “Boys of Summer”
2003 Tercera Gallery, Palo Alto CA, “The Mark & Mikey Show”, 10th Anniversary
2003 Wood Turning Center, Philadelphia PA, “Cabinets of Curiosities”
2002 Musee du Bugey-Valromey, France, “Dream Wood, Wrought Wood”
Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis MN, " Wood Turning in North America Since 1930" also- Renwick Gallery and Yale University Art Gallery
2001 Memorial Art Gallery, ASU, Tempe AZ “Furniture 2001:A Cultural Odyssey”
Mint Museum of Craft + Design, Charlotte NC, "Turning Wood into Art: Mason "
2000 The Arkansas Craft Center, Little Rock AR, “Living With Form, Horn Collection”
1999 Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven CT, "Please Be Seated"
1998 James A. Michener Art Museum, Doylestown PA, "Bucks County Woodworkers"
1997 Berman Museum of Art, Ursinus College, Collegeville PA, "Curator's Focus”
1996 Renwick Gallery, Washington DC, "A Madcap Tea Party", benefit
1995 Los Angeles Craft + Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles CA, “Turned Objects”
1993 Sansar Gallery, Washington DC, "The Mark and Mikey Show”
1993 RI School of Design Museum, Providence RI, "Conservation by Design"
1993 Hagley Museum, Wilmington DE, "Art from the Lathe", WTC event
Port of History Museum, Philadelphia PA, “International Turned Objects Show”
1991 Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia PA, "Philadelphia Woodworkers"
1989 Sansar Gallery, Washington DC, "Solo Exhibit"
1989 Fort Wayne Museum of Art, "Artful Objects: Recent American Craft"
1988 Port of History Museum, Philadelphia PA, "International Turned Objects Show"
1988 American Craft Museum, New York NY, "Bewitched by Craft", benefit
1986 Workbench Gallery, New York NY, "Fresh"
1983 Port of History Museum, Philadelphia PA, "Furniture by Philadelphia Woodworkers"
1977 American Craft Museum, New York NY, "Young Americans"
SELECTED LECTURES AND WORKSHOPS
2011 Renwick Gallery, Washington DC, lecture-Grand Salon, Distinguished Artists Series
2011 “Wharton Esherick and the Birth of the American Modern,” lecture on the Prints of Wharton Esherick for the symposium at UPENN
2011 “Collaboration 2011,” Bowral Australia, only invited artist from North America
2011 Fairhope History Museum and Fairhope Public Library, Fairhope AL, lectures on the life and work of Wharton Esherick
2009 “The Influence of Philadelphia Area Furniture Makers on the Studio Furniture Movement Since 1925”, Philadelphia Invitational Furniture Show, Lecture
2009 American Association of Woodturners conference, Albuquerque NM, demonstrator
2008 “The Work of Wharton Esherick,” Wayne Art Center, Wayne PA, lecture
2008 Aha Hana Lima Workshop sponsored by Hawai’i Craftsmen, Honolulu HI
2008 Master Class and demonstration, Galway Ireland
2008 Furniture Society Conference, Purchase NY, demonstrator
2007 CollaboratioNZ, international collaborative conference, Whangeri NZ, invited
2007 & 04 American Association of Woodturners Conference, Portland OR, demonstrator
2006 Penland School of Arts & Crafts, Penland NC, Workshop “Spoonerisms”
2006 Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond VA, Visiting Artist
2005 Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle ME, Workshop
2003 “Annual Irish Woodturning Conference”, Dublin Ireland, Demonstrator
2002 "Symposium II", Yale University, New Haven CT, panelist
2001-03 “The Furniture Society Annual Conference”, lecturer/demonstrator
2000 & 03 Artistic Woodturning Worldwide 2000", conference, France, demonstrator
1999 "Assoc. of Woodturners of Great Britain Conference", demonstrator
1999 "Please Be Seated", Yale University, New Haven CT, lecturer
1998-99 Puy St. Martin, France, two-week workshop, government sponsored
1998 Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts, Gatlinburg TN, workshop
1998 “Professionalism in Craft,” Philadelphia Furniture Show, lecture
1997 "World Turning Conference", Ursinus College, Collegeville PA, lecturer
1993-96 The American Association of Woodturners annual conferences, demonstrator
1992-2000 "Woodworking and Design", Saskatoon Saskatchewan, demonstrator
1993 Renwick Gallery (Smithsonian Institution), Washington DC, lecturer,
1990 "Yuma Art Symposium", Yuma AZ, demonstrator
1989 Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle ME, workshop
1988 Brookfield Craft Center, Brookfield CT, workshop
1978 Penland School of Crafts, Penland NC, workshop
Lectured and demonstrated woodturning and woodworking design and techniques throughout the US, Canada, France, Ireland, England, New Zealand, and Australia
AWARDS AND GRANTS
2011 Visiting Artist, Indiana University of PA, Collectors of Wood Art (CWA) grant
2010 Distinguished Educator Award, Renwick Alliance (Renwick Gallery-Smithsonian)
2008 & 03 Visiting Artist Grant, Collectors of Wood Art, Rhode Island School of Design
2007 Gold Curators Award, “Craftforms 2007,” Wayne Art Center, Wayne PA
2006 Curators Award, “Craftforms 2006”, Wayne Art Center, Wayne PA
1998 & 93 NICHE Award Finalist
1997 Bucks County Community College- Cultural Incentive Grant
1987 Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Fellowship- Crafts
1987 Bucks County Community College- Professional Achievement Award- Faculty
OTHER
2012 Juror, Fairhope Art Festival, Fairhope Alabama
2011 Juror, Philadelphia Craft Show, Philadelphia PA
2010 Guest Curator for exhibit “Wharton Esherick and the Birth of the American Modern” at the University of Pennsylvania
2008 Curator “Across the Grain” exhibition, Wayne Art Center, Wayne PA
2006-10 Founding member of the Professional Outreach Program (POP) of the American Association of Woodturners (AAW)
2003 Furniture Society Annual Conference, Philadelphia PA, co-chair programming committee
2001 “Canes and Walking Sticks,” Wharton Esherick Museum, Paoli PA, juror
1999-2012 Co-founder and Co-organizer of the Echo Lake Collaborative Conferences held annually at Bucks County Community College (14th year)
1999 Juror, “Woodturning,” Abington Arts Center, Abington PA
1993 Juror, Creative Crafts Council Biennial Exhibition, Washington DC
Has been researching the life and work of Wharton Esherick since 2006. Authored or coauthored
six articles about Wharton Esherick for The Journal of Modern Craft, and Woodwork.
COLLECTIONS
The Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, DC
The Museum of Arts & Design (formerly the American Craft Museum) NY NY
Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven CT
The Minneapolis Institute of Art
The Mint Museum of Craft + Design, Charlotte NC
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles CA
Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh PA
The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu HI
Long Beach Museum, Long Beach CA
Musee de Bugey-Valromey, Lochieu France
The Detroit Institute of Art, Detroit MI
The Wood Turning Center, Philadelphia PA
Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg TN
Saskatchewan Arts Board, Saskatoon SK Canada
James A. Michener Art Museum, New Hope PA
Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock AR
Temple Judea Museum of Keneseth Israel, Elkin's Park PA
Louisville Slugger Museum, Louisville KY
Mars Corporation, Corporate Office, Langley MD
Messiah College, Grantham PA
1669 Pineville Road
New Hope PA 18938
215-794-8125
e-mail <marksfirri@gmail.com>
