Students from Assistant Professor of Art History Dana Byrd’s course American Furniture, By Design recently had a hands-on experience at the Bowdoin Craft Center. Under the tutelage of Bowdoin’s Director of Religious and Spiritual Life Bob Ives ’69, the students created their own Shaker boxes.

Byrd’s course, new this semester, offers a scholarly inquiry into furniture produced and used in the United States from the 17th century to the early 20th. Through an examination of American furniture in local collections, students are developing the language, methodology and interpretive skills for object analysis.

Go here to learn more about the Shaker box class Ives offers every semester.