Archives of American Art

Oral history interview with Silas Kopf

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.kopf04
Creators:
Kopf, Silas
Cooke, Edward S., 1954-
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America
Dates:
2004 October 1
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
60 Pages
Transcript
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
An interview of Silas Kopf conducted 2004 October 1, by Edward S. Cooke, Jr., for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, in Northampton, Massachusetts.
Scope and Contents
Kopf speaks of growing up in Warren, Pennsylvania.; being interested in drawing as a child; getting a degree in architecture at Princeton University; visiting Richard Newman at his studio; moving to Rochester and taking classes in woodworking; working for Wendell Castle's studio and the projects they worked on at the time; trying to find his own style and deciding to make marquetry furniture; setting up his own shop; his early influences; moving to Easthampton; working at the Leeds Design Workshop; selling his early works in galleries; traveling to Italy to look at Renaissance intarsia panels; exploring portraiture and trompe l'oeil styles; choosing furniture designs; hiring assistants; taking part in the Woodworker's Alliance for Rainforest Protection; pricing his work; working on commission; and teaching workshops. Kopf also speaks of his favorite furniture pieces; participating in exhibitions; how the market and interest in studio furniture has changed; and visiting France on a fellowship. Kopf recalls George Nakashima, Stephen Proctor, James Krenov, and others.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Silas Kopf (1949- ) is a woodworker and furniture maker from Northampton, Massachusetts. Edward S. Cooke, Jr., is an art historian and professor in New Haven, Connecticut.

Administration

Sponsor
Funding for this interview was provided by the Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America. Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.
Existence and Location of Copies
Transcript available on line.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.

Digital Content


Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

More Information

General

General
Originally recorded on 3 compact discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr., 54 min.


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Art -- Economic aspects Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Woodworkers -- Massachusetts -- Interviews Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Furniture designers -- Massachusetts -- Interviews Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Decorative arts Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Furniture making Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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