Furniture designer George Nakashima’s (1904–1990) exquisite creations merged traditional woodworking techniques with innovative design, resulting in work that demonstrates a high level of craftsmanship coupled with a reinterpretation of modernist design. A nisei, Nakashima was born in Spokane, Washington and raised in Seattle. He then embarked on a fruitful period of international study and work in France, Japan, and India, in which he worked with Antonin Raymond, an influential European architect. During World War II, Nakashima and his family were incarcerated at Minidoka. He was released in 1943 with the help of his former employer Raymond. He and his family moved to New Hope, Pennsylvania, where he established his studio. His commissions include furniture for the home of former New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.

This exhibition will feature rare examples of George Nakashima’s furniture and designs from the immediate post-World War II period until his death in 1990. It will also include archival material as well as designs by his daughter Mira Nakashima, who runs the George Nakashima studio today. 

The exhibition will feature a range of Nakashima’s designs from the immediate post-World War II period until his death in 1990. Photographs, ephemera, and other archival materials pertaining to Nakashima will also be on display. Most of the objects come from the collection of the Nakashima family and will be supplemented with local loans. A video piece by John Terry Nakashima, a media producer and nephew of George, will be on view in the Terasaki Orientation Theater.

George Nakashima: Nature, Form & Spirit is based on an exhibition organized by the Mingei International Museum in San Diego with Mira Nakashima, curatorial consultant.