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MUSEUM FOR ART IN WOOD ANNOUNCES A PLANK IN A SHIPWRECK, THE NEW EXHIBITION FROM THE 28TH ANNUAL WINGATE ARTIST RESIDENCY PROGRAM IN WOOD
The exhibition opens August 1, following a two-month residency where an international group of fellows explore and create new works of contemporary art in wood
PHOTOS: HERE
Philadelphia, PA | July 18, 2025 – On August 1, Museum for Art in Wood (141 N. 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19106) presents the opening of A Plank in a Shipwreck, the exhibition created by the fellows of the 2025 Windgate Arts Residency Program in Wood (WARP Wood). The exhibition represents the culmination of a highly renowned international residency, which supports artistic exploration, collaboration, and collegial exchange among artists and thinkers in wood. A Plank in a Shipwreck brings sculpture, marquetry, woodworking, and research produced during the WARP Wood program to the Museum’s main gallery, and is on display through October 19.
The 2025 WARP Wood Resident Fellows determined the title and curatorial direction of the exhibition, A Plank in a Shipwreck, during the two-month residency. The title is a direct translation of the Latin phrase “tabula in naufragio,” which has been used in legal contexts to describe a final hope, a last lifeline. The phrase offers an apt visceral metaphor for the bold leap each of the 2025 WARP Wood Fellows has made, crossing oceans and borders, letting go of safety, and trusting in a collaborative, uncertain process. Each WARP Wood exhibition reflects the fellows’ creative journey, featuring individual and collaborative works, including pieces made before and during their residency.
The Museum received a record-breaking number of applications to this year’s residency program, with a greater international response than ever before. The 2025 WARP Wood cohort features: Stockholm, Sweden-based marquetry artist Klara Knutsson; Pretoria, South Africa-based sculptor and relational artist Allen Laing; Brooklyn-based designer, woodworker, and sculptor Nifemi Ogunro; and Mexico City-based sculptor Edgar Orlaineta. Asem Kamal, a multifaceted artist based in Giza, Egypt, with experience in motion, design, video, and DIY, is serving dual roles as artist and documentary fellow. Rounding out the cohort as the Student Artist is University of Arkansas MFA recipient and artist Arden Carlson.
The Museum celebrates the opening of A Plank in a Shipwreck with a First Friday unveiling on August 1, from 5:30 to 8 p.m., which includes a tour of the exhibition led by the Resident Fellows beginning at 6 p.m. Accompanied by photographs, essays, and documentary materials, the exhibition offers an intimate look at the evolution of each artist’s practice during the residency.
“This year’s cohort came to Philadelphia from three continents and five countries, and collectively represent wood-informed approaches including sculpture, performance, marquetry, furniture, sustainable practice, and social engagement, while bridging the gaps between these methods,” shared Jennifer-Navva Milliken, Executive Director of Museum for Art in Wood. “WARP Wood is by design a uniquely intense residency; in its nearly 30 years of existence, artists have experienced creative breakthroughs, created ambitious work, and initiated life-changing friendships. While here, the 2025
Fellows sought every opportunity to get to know the city of Philadelphia and its people, whether through interactive and relational pop-ups that recorded the stories of residents or through collecting fallen wood material from streets and parks – all of which is integrated into their work. It is an enormous honor to have hosted these outstanding and accomplished artists in this unique residency.”
Now in its 28th year, WARP Wood is a two-month residency that brings together a select cohort of artists, a scholar, and a documentary artist to live and work in a collaborative environment for a transformative experience rooted in creativity, research, and exchange of ideas. Every year since 1995, the Museum for Art in Wood has awarded the prestigious and sought-after fellowships to a cohort consisting of artists, a student artist, a documentary artist, and a scholar.
From June 2 to August 1, WARP Wood fellows lived and worked in Philadelphia from the studio facilities at NextFab (1800 N. American Street), a state-of-the-art, membership-based makerspace. In addition to studio work, fellows participated in a range of activities that connect them with Philadelphia’s vibrant art community, including artist visits, museum tours, and meetings with local artists and collectors. Midway through the program, the WARP Wood 2025 Scholar Fellow, Dr. Holly Gore, Director of Interpretation and Associate Curator at the Wharton Esherick Museum, joined the cohort for one week, where she engaged in discussions and conducted interviews with each Artist Fellow. The Museum also shared blog posts on its website, written and produced by WARP Wood Fellow Asem Kamal, that track the fellows’ progress and experiences in real-time in the weeks leading up to the final exhibition.
Since its inception in 1995, the Windgate Arts Residency Program in Wood has hosted more than 160 artists from around the world. Alumni include prominent figures such as curator and historian Glenn Adamson, Korean sculptor Cha Jong-Rye, and Ghanaian fantasy coffin carpenter Eric Adjetey Anang. The program continues to elevate and expand the possibilities of wood as a medium through innovation, community, and cross-disciplinary exchange. For more information, visit www.museumforartinwood.org. To learn more about supporting the WARP Wood Residency and the Museum’s other programming, please click here.
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About the Museum for Art in Wood: The Museum for Art in Wood is the international leader for contemporary art and creativity in the material of wood. The Museum engages, educates, and inspires the public through the exhibition, collection, and interpretation of contemporary art in wood. Founded in 1986 and sited in Philadelphia, the Museum for Art in Wood serves a local and international community. It has built its reputation by providing opportunities for makers and visitors to experience craft directly, through participatory programming; seminal exhibitions and documentation; and the growth, conservation, exhibition, and care of its permanent collection. The Museum’s practice of keeping these resources free and available to the public emphasizes its commitment to building a democratic and inclusive community. Visit museumforartinwood.org to learn more.