A NEW exhibition opening at Bankfoot House this week will explore the connection between local craftsmanship, history and the Glass House Mountains landscape.
‘Local Ground William Andrew Grigor and a contemporary response to his work’ features historic furniture believed to have been made by William Grigor when he was about 15 years old, alongside a contemporary work by furniture maker, curator and local historian Dr Mike Epworth and his partner Bronwyn Harm.
The historic pieces, including a small desk, corner whatnot and washstand, offer a glimpse into Grigor’s early craftsmanship before he became a respected builder and timber merchant.
Dr Epworth said details in the handmade furniture may have been inspired by the surrounding Glass House Mountains, while the washstand demonstrates Grigor’s ingenuity through decorative forms carved with a penknife rather than a lathe.
The contemporary work uses reclaimed local materials to further explore the relationship between people, place and community.
“Bankfoot House is a jewel for Australian folk-furniture scholarship,” Dr Epworth said. Local Ground opens at Bankfoot House on Friday, September 4, with an artist talk from Dr Epworth from 10am–11am.