Arthur "Art" Espenet Carpenter (1920-2006) was a woodworker, who was once declared a “living California treasure” in 1984. He is most well known for his sleek and distinctive furniture, especially his wishbone chair and desk with scalloped seashell sides.
Inspired by an exhibit at the Musuem of Modern Art in New York, he bought a lathe and began teaching himself woodworking. Art was a founding member of the Baulines Craft Guild and taught many woodworkers who apprenticed under him. His work is in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution and exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art and the Museum of Arts and Design in New York.
Art Espenet Carpenter, Music Stand, c. 1962, M. Lee Fatheree photograph
