BELLOWS FALLS — The care and restoration of wooden heirlooms and historic architectural woodwork will be the topic at a slide-illustrated workshop Wednesday, June 26, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., at the Bellows Falls Waypoint Center.
Guest speaker Jonathan Schechtman, master craftsman, furniture conservator, and proprietor of Meeting House Furniture Restoration in Quechee will offer expert advice on caring for and conserving antique wooden heirlooms and interiors.
Schechtman's slide presentation will illustrate antique furniture restoration procedures, followed by one-on-one advice to those who attend. Participants are encouraged to bring items of furniture, such as a chair, a small table, a drawer from a larger piece, or perhaps a photograph of something such as interior wooden paneling.
Schechtman, who founded Meeting House Furniture Restoration in 1982, has master's degrees in both Art Education and Historic Preservation. His training includes studying furniture making in High Wycombe, England, and a stint at the Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute, where he studied furniture restoration.
While he and his company have undertaken the extensive restoration of original woodwork finishes in the Isaac Bell Mansion in Newport, R.I., and restored and maintained the period furniture at the Vermont Statehouse, Schechtman says it is extending the life and utility of everyday family heirlooms that offers the greatest significance and satisfaction to him and his team of artisans.