This week, we began shooting the film on collecting George Nakashima, and today, we spent the day at the George Nakashima Woodworker in New Hope, Pennsylvania. As architect, designer and thinker, Nakashima called himself woodworker. He integrated work, life, and the natural world which he admired, when crafting furniture that grew out of his philosophy and belief that every tree deserves another chance, ‘a second life,’ in his words. In the early 2000s, a decade after his death, Nakashima had suddenly come into the international spotlight and the marketplace. It all began with a coffee table that was offered for sale at the new design department of Phillips in New York, at the time, headed by James Zemaitis; a tremendous interest in his work has been growing since and his furniture is sought after by collectors worldwide. The film on collecting Nakashima tells the story of his furniture and its relationship with the marketplace, while guiding architects and collectors in the process of collecting. I am honored to have seven of the most knowledgeable figures in this world as the speakers: Derek Ostergard, Mira Nakashima, Bob Aibel, James Zemaitis, Michael Gruber, Russell Piccione, and Nick Offerman. Each brings his/her own aspect while creating the full narrative. The film is supported by Rago Auctions, the New York School of Interior Design, The ROW, Cultured Magazine, Design Think Tank, and will premiere in a special event that will raise funds to the Nakashima Foundation of Peace in the fall.
With Mira Nakashima in the logs warehouse
