Maker in Residence
Building Without
Machines
A transformative educational series designed to bridge the gap between ancient heritage and modern self-reliance. This residency prioritizes Manual Sovereignty: the ability to create functional art using only hand tools. By stripping away the noise and dust of power machinery, we allow students to develop a profound "material intelligence."
Maker in Residence: Caleb Nakia Rogers
Host Institution: The Wonder Institute, Jackson Hole, WY
The Maker
Caleb Nakia Rogers
A self-taught furniture designer and maker, Caleb specializes in sashimono, the Japanese tradition of building with out nails or screws. He was featured in a two-hour documentary for TV Tokyo. His works have been published in the highly reputable "Lost Art Press". Caleb lives and works in Jackson Hole, WY, teaching and lecturing at the Wonder Institute.
The Curriculum
The Project Sequence
The residency is structured as a progressive journey. While each class is a standalone experience, together they represent a comprehensive evolution of skill, moving from foundational shaping to complex structural geometry and finally to delicate precision joinery.
The Stool
8 Hours • Offered Three Times
Learn to build a simple, durable wooden stool using traditional hand tools and joinery techniques. This class introduces students to the fundamentals of hand-tool woodworking by constructing a practical piece of furniture for everyday use.
Focus: Round joinery, hatchet, and drawknife work.
The Welsh Stick Chair
16 Hours • 2 Days
Explore one of the most enduring forms of vernacular furniture. Using only hand tools, students will shape components and master the complex angled joinery required to build a functional, historic chair.
Focus: Vernacular furniture, angled joinery, and seat saddling.
The Japanese Andon Lamp
16 Hours • 2 Days
Explore the beauty of Japanese woodworking. Construct a traditional wooden lantern frame and finish it with translucent washi paper, focusing on precision joinery and the design philosophy of everyday beauty.
Focus: Precision joinery, andon design, and washi paper.
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