Sal Maccarone
Encyclopedia
Sal Maccarone is a American
author
, woodworking
seminar
speaker, furniture
maker, wood sculptor and kinetic artist. He is best known as a master craftsman
, and for his internationally distributed woodworking books such as Tune Up Your Tools, ISBN 1-55870-409-4, and How to Make $40,000 a Year Woodworking, ISBN 1-55870-480-9 both published by
F & W publications, Betterway Books, in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is also known for his woodworking technique articles published both online
since 1994, Article.
and by the national magazine
Popular Woodworking. Article. Articles such as his "Evolution of an Entryway" have also been published in industry
specific journals.
He attended San Jose State University
and achieved a Bachelor of Fine Arts
degree in 1972. During 1973 and 1974 he was enrolled in the Master of Fine Arts
Program for sculpture at (SJSU), where he studied under Professors Sam Richardson, John Battenberg, and Fletcher Benton
, all internationally recognized sculptors. While attending the university
he also completed a four year cabinet making apprenticeship
in Santa Clara, California
, and became a Journeyman
cabinet maker in 1973.
While studying for his masters degree in sculpture he became interested in the kinetic sculpture movement of the 1960s. Always using wood as the main media for his sculpture, he also incorporates metal
, glass
, plastic
, and natural stone. His meticulously engineered kinetic sculptures are best described as a combination of fine furniture
pieces which contain a impossible bottle
type environment that is viewed through glass. The cabinet always remains stationary while the artwork within is kinetic. When turned on, the pieces sequenced with a combination of light and mechanical
movement. Video.
He gained national recognition for his furniture, and sculpture in 1977 when he and his work were featured on the KPIX-TV
program Evening Magazine
. Video. He was the co-founder of Bears in the Wood a small chain of retail stores in the San Francisco Bay Area
which served as the showrooms for furniture that he both designed and built. The stores also sold Teddy Bear
s which were imported from around the world. The merchandise was displayed within an environment which featured a three story waterfall, and a full scale
log cabin. These were the first stores in the country to market "just" Teddy Bears. The airing of that TV special set off a national Teddy Bear store frenzy
in the United States from coast to coast which began in 1976, and continues until the present.
In 1979 his work was featured in the Fine Woodworking
"Design Book Two" printed by the Taunton Press
. This hardcover book featured photographs of the best work in wood by selected craftsmen from across the United States
, and Canada
.
In 1990 his woodwork, and sculpture
at the Tenaya Lodge in Yosemite was featured first in the Fresno Bee newspaper, and then on the KGPE
CBS
TV47 program, Eye on the Valley. Video. The program was filmed at Sal's studio in Mariposa, California
in March 1990.
Beginning in 1997, after the publication of his first national woodworking book, he began teaching woodworking technique. Touring the country with The Woodworking Shows, a Los Angeles
based traveling trade
organization, he gave three day woodworking seminars in twenty-one different US cities each season. He continued teaching and traveling the country on an average of twice each month until October 2002.
In 2009 he began a syndicated
newspaper column called, "How Art Shapes Our Lives". The column is published once each week in the California central valley
, Sierra foothills, and the Yosemite area. The mission of the column was designed to help build an awareness of the fine arts and the "Bigger Picture" while pointing to something local that can be observed. Article archives.
In 2010 he designed and built the two wood and glass display cases which reside as part of the permanent collection in the Great Lounge of the Ahwahnee Hotel
. These furniture pieces were the first new additions to grace the Great Lounge since 1927. Both matching cases are made of native walnut
and are primarily used to display the historic baskets made by the Miwok people who once lived in Yosemite Valley
. In 2011 the display cases were designated as "Reserve Property" of the hotel and are now part of the United States
national heritage.
He has been in the business of designing and building commission
ed pieces of furniture, and sculpture since 1972. His woodwork and kinetic sculpture can be viewed in many public, and private collections
throughout the United States
, and British Columbia
. Article. His woodwork portfolio has been used as reference within the Marriott International
interior design
library system since 1990.
As a member of the American Institute for Conservation
he has also served as a conservator of furniture for the Ahwahnee Hotel
in Yosemite National Park
, and has helped to preserve such National treasures as the three Craftsman style harvest tables which were built in 1926 by L & J.G. Stickley especially for the hotel.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, woodworking
Woodworking
Woodworking is the process of building, making or carving something using wood.-History:Along with stone, mud, and animal parts, wood was one of the first materials worked by early humans. Microwear analysis of the Mousterian stone tools used by the Neanderthals show that many were used to work wood...
seminar
Seminar
Seminar is, generally, a form of academic instruction, either at an academic institution or offered by a commercial or professional organization. It has the function of bringing together small groups for recurring meetings, focusing each time on some particular subject, in which everyone present is...
speaker, furniture
Furniture
Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
maker, wood sculptor and kinetic artist. He is best known as a master craftsman
Master craftsman
A master craftsman or master tradesman was a member of a guild. In the European guild system, only masters were allowed to be members of the guild....
, and for his internationally distributed woodworking books such as Tune Up Your Tools, ISBN 1-55870-409-4, and How to Make $40,000 a Year Woodworking, ISBN 1-55870-480-9 both published by
F & W publications, Betterway Books, in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is also known for his woodworking technique articles published both online
ONLINE
ONLINE is a magazine for information systems first published in 1977. The publisher Online, Inc. was founded the year before. In May 2002, Information Today, Inc. acquired the assets of Online Inc....
since 1994, Article.
and by the national magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
Popular Woodworking. Article. Articles such as his "Evolution of an Entryway" have also been published in industry
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
specific journals.
He attended San Jose State University
San José State University
San Jose State University is a public university located in San Jose, California, United States...
and achieved a Bachelor of Fine Arts
Bachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
degree in 1972. During 1973 and 1974 he was enrolled in the Master of Fine Arts
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
Program for sculpture at (SJSU), where he studied under Professors Sam Richardson, John Battenberg, and Fletcher Benton
Fletcher Benton
Fletcher Benton is a kinetic artist from San Francisco, California.-Life:He graduated from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1956...
, all internationally recognized sculptors. While attending the university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
he also completed a four year cabinet making apprenticeship
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
in Santa Clara, California
Santa Clara, California
Santa Clara , founded in 1777 and incorporated in 1852, is a city in Santa Clara County, in the U.S. state of California. The city is the site of the eighth of 21 California missions, Mission Santa Clara de Asís, and was named after the mission. The Mission and Mission Gardens are located on the...
, and became a Journeyman
Journeyman
A journeyman is someone who completed an apprenticeship and was fully educated in a trade or craft, but not yet a master. To become a master, a journeyman had to submit a master work piece to a guild for evaluation and be admitted to the guild as a master....
cabinet maker in 1973.
While studying for his masters degree in sculpture he became interested in the kinetic sculpture movement of the 1960s. Always using wood as the main media for his sculpture, he also incorporates metal
Metal
A metal , is an element, compound, or alloy that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat. Metals are usually malleable and shiny, that is they reflect most of incident light...
, glass
Glass
Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...
, plastic
Plastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
, and natural stone. His meticulously engineered kinetic sculptures are best described as a combination of fine furniture
Furniture
Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
pieces which contain a impossible bottle
Impossible bottle
An impossible bottle is a type of mechanical puzzle. It is a bottle that has an object inside it that does not appear to fit through the mouth of the bottle. The objects inside authentic impossible bottles must always go through the neck. The glass cannot be cut or blown around the objects.The ship...
type environment that is viewed through glass. The cabinet always remains stationary while the artwork within is kinetic. When turned on, the pieces sequenced with a combination of light and mechanical
Mechanics
Mechanics is the branch of physics concerned with the behavior of physical bodies when subjected to forces or displacements, and the subsequent effects of the bodies on their environment....
movement. Video.
He gained national recognition for his furniture, and sculpture in 1977 when he and his work were featured on the KPIX-TV
KPIX-TV
KPIX-TV is the CBS owned and operated television station in San Francisco, California. Through its parent company CBS Corporation, KPIX is co-owned with The CW affiliate KBCW-TV ....
program Evening Magazine
Evening Magazine
Evening Magazine is the name of various news and entertainment style local television shows in different markets.-The original concept:...
. Video. He was the co-founder of Bears in the Wood a small chain of retail stores in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
which served as the showrooms for furniture that he both designed and built. The stores also sold Teddy Bear
Teddy bear
The teddy bear is a stuffed toy bear. They are usually stuffed with soft, white cotton and have smooth and soft fur. It is an enduring form of a stuffed animal in many countries, often serving the purpose of entertaining children. In recent times, some teddy bears have become collector's items...
s which were imported from around the world. The merchandise was displayed within an environment which featured a three story waterfall, and a full scale
Scale model
A scale model is a physical model, a representation or copy of an object that is larger or smaller than the actual size of the object, which seeks to maintain the relative proportions of the physical size of the original object. Very often the scale model is used as a guide to making the object in...
log cabin. These were the first stores in the country to market "just" Teddy Bears. The airing of that TV special set off a national Teddy Bear store frenzy
Frenzy
Frenzy is a 1972 British thriller film produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and is the penultimate feature film of his extensive career. The film is based upon the novel Goodbye Piccadilly, Farewell Leicester Square by Arthur La Bern, and was adapted for the screen by Anthony Shaffer. La Bern...
in the United States from coast to coast which began in 1976, and continues until the present.
In 1979 his work was featured in the Fine Woodworking
Fine Woodworking
-Editorial style:The magazine's editorial direction has always been to focus on the very best of woodworking techniques at the highest level of skill. There has always a blend of articles from hands-on techniques, complex theory behind timber, finishes or tools, through to sheer showcase admiration...
"Design Book Two" printed by the Taunton Press
Taunton Press
Taunton Press, based in Newtown, Connecticut is a publisher of periodicals, books, and websites for the hobbyist and building trades. It was established in 1975 by Paul Roman and his wife Jan.- Publications and Products :...
. This hardcover book featured photographs of the best work in wood by selected craftsmen from across the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
In 1990 his woodwork, and sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
at the Tenaya Lodge in Yosemite was featured first in the Fresno Bee newspaper, and then on the KGPE
KGPE
KGPE, virtual channel 47, is the CBS affiliated television station for the Fresno, California market. KGPE's digital signal is on UHF channel 34 from Auberry, California. It's currently owned by High Plains Broadcasting and operated by Newport Television, LLC....
CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
TV47 program, Eye on the Valley. Video. The program was filmed at Sal's studio in Mariposa, California
Mariposa, California
Mariposa is a census-designated place in and the county seat of Mariposa County, California, United States. The population was 2,173 at the 2010 census, up from 1,373 at the 2000 census. Its name is Spanish for "butterfly", after the flocks of Monarchs seen overwintering there by early...
in March 1990.
Beginning in 1997, after the publication of his first national woodworking book, he began teaching woodworking technique. Touring the country with The Woodworking Shows, a Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
based traveling trade
Trade
Trade is the transfer of ownership of goods and services from one person or entity to another. Trade is sometimes loosely called commerce or financial transaction or barter. A network that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter, the direct exchange of goods and...
organization, he gave three day woodworking seminars in twenty-one different US cities each season. He continued teaching and traveling the country on an average of twice each month until October 2002.
In 2009 he began a syndicated
Print syndication
Print syndication distributes news articles, columns, comic strips and other features to newspapers, magazines and websites. They offer reprint rights and grant permissions to other parties for republishing content of which they own/represent copyrights....
newspaper column called, "How Art Shapes Our Lives". The column is published once each week in the California central valley
California Central Valley
California's Central Valley is a large, flat valley that dominates the central portion of California. It is home to California's most productive agricultural efforts. The valley stretches approximately from northwest to southeast inland and parallel to the Pacific Ocean coast. Its northern half is...
, Sierra foothills, and the Yosemite area. The mission of the column was designed to help build an awareness of the fine arts and the "Bigger Picture" while pointing to something local that can be observed. Article archives.
In 2010 he designed and built the two wood and glass display cases which reside as part of the permanent collection in the Great Lounge of the Ahwahnee Hotel
Ahwahnee Hotel
The Ahwahnee Hotel is a destination hotel in Yosemite National Park, California, on the floor of Yosemite Valley, constructed from stone, concrete, wood and glass, which opened in 1927...
. These furniture pieces were the first new additions to grace the Great Lounge since 1927. Both matching cases are made of native walnut
Walnut
Juglans is a plant genus of the family Juglandaceae, the seeds of which are known as walnuts. They are deciduous trees, 10–40 meters tall , with pinnate leaves 200–900 millimetres long , with 5–25 leaflets; the shoots have chambered pith, a character shared with the wingnuts , but not the hickories...
and are primarily used to display the historic baskets made by the Miwok people who once lived in Yosemite Valley
Yosemite Valley
Yosemite Valley is a glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada mountains of California, carved out by the Merced River. The valley is about long and up to a mile deep, surrounded by high granite summits such as Half Dome and El Capitan, and densely forested with pines...
. In 2011 the display cases were designated as "Reserve Property" of the hotel and are now part of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
national heritage.
He has been in the business of designing and building commission
Commission (art)
In art, a commission is the hiring and payment for the creation of a piece, often on behalf of another.In classical music, ensembles often commission pieces from composers, where the ensemble secures the composer's payment from private or public organizations or donors.- Commissions for public art...
ed pieces of furniture, and sculpture since 1972. His woodwork and kinetic sculpture can be viewed in many public, and private collections
Collecting
The hobby of collecting includes seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining whatever items are of interest to the individual collector. Some collectors are generalists, accumulating merchandise, or stamps from all countries of the world...
throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. Article. His woodwork portfolio has been used as reference within the Marriott International
Marriott International
Marriott International, Inc. is a worldwide operator and franchisor of a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Founded by J. Willard Marriott, the company is now led by son J.W. Marriott, Jr...
interior design
Interior design
Interior design describes a group of various yet related projects that involve turning an interior space into an effective setting for the range of human activities are to take place there. An interior designer is someone who conducts such projects...
library system since 1990.
As a member of the American Institute for Conservation
American Institute for Conservation
The American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works supports the conservation professionals who preserve our cultural heritage...
he has also served as a conservator of furniture for the Ahwahnee Hotel
Ahwahnee Hotel
The Ahwahnee Hotel is a destination hotel in Yosemite National Park, California, on the floor of Yosemite Valley, constructed from stone, concrete, wood and glass, which opened in 1927...
in Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park is a United States National Park spanning eastern portions of Tuolumne, Mariposa and Madera counties in east central California, United States. The park covers an area of and reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain...
, and has helped to preserve such National treasures as the three Craftsman style harvest tables which were built in 1926 by L & J.G. Stickley especially for the hotel.