Nakashima Foundation for Peace - The Princeton Packet 1986

NEW HOPE, PENNA—On a quiet, country road in the serene Bucks County hills, George Nakashima slowly moves among the handsome sculpted furniture designs which have made him the internationally acclaimed woodworker of his time.

On New Year's Eve—the last of 1986—Nakashima's Altar of Peace will be dedicated in its new home at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, the largest Gothic cathedral in the world. His gift to humanity will remain there for all to see on the first day of the new year and ever after.

"About three years ago, I was recuperating from an operation when I had a vivid dream," begins the soft-spoken, gentle man. "I had recently received a marvelous tree—great in size and character—which was brought to me by one of my loggers, Frank Koziowsky, of Connecticut. I believed this was a 'once in a lifetime' tree—a 300-year-old American black walnut from Long Island."

"ln my dream, I saw this tree as a giant table—an altar for peace—which would be an instrument of conciliation, of bringing people together. When I awoke, I wrote the dream down on paper and soon began sketching designs of this altar." Nakashima sent copies of his proposed design to a few friends for their comments.

ENCOURAGED by everyone who learned of his project, Nakashima had his 'great tree' trucked to a North Carolina saw mill only to discover that there was no saw on the east coast that could cut the trunk into slabs. He then traveled to Chico, Calif., to talk with Scot Wineland, a sawyer specializing in walnut, who also did not have a saw large enough to do the job. However, Wineland designed a saw, at the cost of $3,000, which finally accomplished the task. The log was then moved to the Thompson Mahogany Company yard in Philadelphia where sawing began on Jan. 16, 1984. After two years of drying, the slabs were shipped to Nakashima's workshop where the wood was shaped into its present design.

TWO SLABS of splendid grains and textures have been joined into a rough, heart-shaped triangle about 14 feet wide and 12 feet long to become a beautifully expressive creation. Perfection and simplicity, always present in Nakashima's work, seem a natural reflection of this 81-year-old architect-craftsman-artist-humantarian.

When the wood sculptor began designing his altar, he wanted it to find a home where "it would belong to everyone—a shrine, owned by no one but dedicated to the divine and peace."

George Nakashima thought the United Nations would be the perfect place for it, he says, "and I had two friends who were delegates at the U.N., one from Sri Lanka and one from India." But politics got in the way of making a firm decision, so it was decided to look for another home.

ONE OF THE LEADING enthusiasts for the Alter of Peace was Steven C, Rockefeller, dean of students at Middlebury College in Vermont. Nakashima had met the Rockefellers years before when he was asked to design furniture for Steven's father, Nelson Rockefeller. Steven introduced Nakashima to the Rt. Rev. James Morton, dean of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, on Amsterdam Avenue between 110th and 113th St. on the west side in New York City, who was delighted with the idea of having this masterpiece reside in his church.

"This is a wonderful place for the altar," Nakashima says, his deep, brown eyes sparkling with anticipation. "lt is a most unusual church; it has non-denominational services, all kinds of activities like jazz sessions, dances..." When asked what his religion is, Nakashima says, simply, "I'm a Hindu Catholic."

GEORGE NAKASHIMA was born May 24, 1905, in Spokane, Wash., of Japanese parents. In Japan, his paternal grandfather had been a samurai who fought with a sword. Nakashima says, my family, in just two generations, went from complete feudalism to the jet age."

At the University of Washington, Nakashima first studied forestry and then transferred to architecture. In 1929, he earned his master's degree in architecture from M.I.T., traveled to France and Japan, where he first learned the skills which have become his trademark. His wife, Marion, his baby daughter and his parents were interned in a camp in Idaho at the start of World War II. Released after two years, due to the intervention of another architect, he moved to the peaceful countryside just outside of New Hope.

Less than 10 years later, he had established an international reputation as America's foremost furniture craftsman. His designs of pure, clean lines which focus attention on the beauty of the wood, are sought by collectors and museums, although he still keeps prices moderate for customers who come to his studio, by appointment only.

Through the maze of trees on the wooded property where Nakashima brought his family in 1943, 12 buildings now stand, all built by Nakashima. "There are 10 craftsmen who work here with me," he explains, a wide grin enveloping his remarkably unlined face. "My wife, Marion, handles the bookkeeping and scheduling and my daughter, Mira, and my son, Kevin, assist me with design.

NAKASHIMA is just as much philosopher as artist; he has great concern for the future of this planet. "I am fearful of this society which seems headed for a decline; yet I am optimistic that a greater world will emerge after this period of decadence has passed." He still has many dreams, to hike across the Himalayas and the Gobi desert. "And I would like to make two more altars," he adds, "one for the Soviet Union and one for the city of Nagasaki. There is enough wood in the log for them."

He has received countless awards, among them, in 1984, the Third Order of the Sacred Treasure, from the Japanese government in recognition of the excellence of his craftsmanship and for introducing the Japanese aesthetic consciousness into American life. In Japan he has a small factory which produces his designs, "In a way," he explains, "I am actually trying to bring back Japanese traditions to Japan."

He is presently designing furniture for a Japanese Gallery in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a series of nine rooms, all to be filled with Nakashima furniture.

Looking at his Altar of Peace, he says, "I believe a tree has to be fulfilled. I think the soul of this tree will be happy."

The Altar of Peace will be placed at the front of the nave in the great Episcopal Cathedral when Leonard Bernstein will conduct the annual concert for Peace on New Year's Eve.

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