Two exhibitions to be presented simultaneously this fall in Philadelphia and New Hope, Pennsylvania, will showcase the late master craftsman George Nakashima.

"The Nakashima Tradition: Origins and Continuity" is a collaboration between Robert Aibel, owner of Philadelphia's Moderne Gallery, which specializes in 20th-century design, and architect/craftsman Mira Nakashima-Yarnall, George's daughter, who continues to direct the Nakashima Studio in New Hope and to develop new pieces of her own.

"The Nakashima Tradition: Origins and Continuity" will begin on October 9 with the opening of "Vintage Works by George Nakashima" at the Moderne Gallery in Philadelphia. "Studio Pieces: Continuity and Growth at the Nakashima Studio" will open October 16 at the studio in New Hope, Pennsylvania. Both exhibitions continue through December 19,1998.

Benefit events associated with the exhibitions will seek to raise funds for continuing George Nakashima's endeavor: The Global Peace Altar/Table Project of the Nakashima Foundation for Peace.

The Peace Altar/Table is a manifestation of George Nakashima's dream to create a tangible focus for prayer and meditation, one for each of the continents of the world. Made of two massive bookmatched planks sawn from a monumental black walnut tree, each Peace Table measures approximately IOW x IOW, weighs half to three quarters of a ton, and costs at least $30,000 to produce.

The Peace Altar/Table intended for Russia is now ready to be received. According to Mira Nakashima-Yarnall, the family hopes to send the Peace Table to Russia in time for the new millennium. Funds raised through the collaboration with Moderne Gallery will help to defray shipping and installation expenses and provide seed money for peace-related activities.

"We are extremely grateful to Bob Aibel for his support, not only of the Nakashima Studio past and present," said Mira Nakashima-Yarnall, "but also for helping realize another manifestation of the Peace Altar/Table dream of George Nakashima."

The original Peace Altar/Table was placed in the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City in 1986. The second Peace Table was the centerpiece for the 50th anniversary of the United Nations in 1995 and was consecrated in the same cathedral. It was returned to New Hope in 1996 and is now housed in the Minguren Museum on the Nakashima compound, where it is waiting to be sent to Russia. The third Peace Table was consecrated and sent to Auroville, India in 1996. Others will be made as funding permits.

On Friday evening, October 9 an invitational benefit party for The Global Peace Altar/Table Project of the Nakashima Foundation for Peace will be at the Moderne Gallery from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Guests at the October 9th opening/benefit party will include Marion Nakashima, widow of George, daughter Mira, son Kevin, and Irene Goldman, chairperson of the Russian Peace Table project and a representative from Auroville, India, where a Peace Altar/Table was installed. They will elaborate on the meaning of the Global Peace Altar/Table Project as a symbol and synthesis of George Nakashima's values and artistry. Donations to the Peace Project will be accepted throughout the exhibition. To request an invitation to the October 9th benefit party at the Moderne Gallery, call (215) 923-8536.

"Studio Pieces: Continuity and Growth at the Nakashima Studio," the parallel exhibition, will open with a wine and cheese reception on October 16 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Mira Nakashima-Yarnall, who has been intimately involved with the work of her father and the studio since 1970, will introduce and debut a new group of furniture named Keisho (pronounced "kayshe," which means "continuation" in Japanese) as the heart of the exhibition.

The Minguren Museum, which showcases vintage George Nakashima works and the Altar/Peace Table and is usually visited only by appointment, will be open to the public on Saturday, October 17 from 1 to 4:30 p.m.

An open house and tours of both the museum and the studio showroom will be hosted by the Nakashima family that day as part of the exhibition opening. A donation of $5 per person for the Peace Project is requested.

The Nakashima Studio will contribute a percentage of exhibition sales to the Global Peace Altar/Table Project. Donations to the Peace Project will be accepted at the opening reception and lecture programs.

To receive additional information about the reception at the Nakashima Studio on October 16, call (215) 862-2272.

Two talks and an all-day program sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania, College of General Studies will be offered as part of the two exhibitions.

"An Emerging Heritage" invites the public to a lecture by Mira Nakashima-Yarnall on her own work and her artistic legacy from her father. She will also speak of the Nakashima relationship to traditional Japanese design and will read excerpts from her upcoming book. Nature, Form and Spirit. Additional commentary will be provided by Robert Hunsicker, who is creating a documentary film with the Nakashima family for release in the year 2000. This program will take place on Friday, November 6 at 7:30 p.m. at the Nakashima Studio.

On Thursday, November 19 at 6 p.m. at the Moderne Gallery, "Living With Nakashima" will bring together several well-known collectors who have important collections of Nakashima furniture. Participants will include Arthur and Evelyn Krosnick and Seymour and Phyllis Lifshutz. Discussion leader will be Bruce Katsiff, director of the James A. Michener Museum of Art in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.

The University of Pennsylvania, College of General Studies will sponsor an all-day program/bus trip on October 24 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. This program will explore the vision, life story, and extraordinary furniture of George Nakashima (1905-1990). The tour will visit the two new exhibits. After a box lunch at the Nakashima Studio, architect/designer Mira Nakashima-Yarnall will lead a special tour of the Minguren Museum, The tour continues to the Moderne Gallery in Old City Philadelphia, where Moderne owner/director Robert Aibel will discuss Nakashima's role in 20th-century decorative arts.

The bus will leave from the University of Pennsylvania campus. The cost is $75 per person and includes box lunch at Nakashima Studio. Register by calling (215) 898-4970.