Recently, I had the absolute privilege to attend College of Architecture student Nathan Silverman’s functional art exhibition, which occurred on April 18. For those who don’t know, Silverman is the “bowl guy” in the College of Architecture. For the better part of four to five years now, Silverman has been learning and perfecting his ability to turn wood. His hobby, turned exhibition, has produced some truly exceptional pieces of wooden functional art. Most of these are at the moment bowls, which can serve as functional eating devices or as simple decorative pieces that can add a touch of wood to your dorm or home decor. It is important to note, though, that this hobby has been described by him as a big part of his life, a part of him in a way. So, I just had to sit down and ask him a few questions about his passion.
What got you into functional art?
My first question to Silverman was how most of these kinds of interviews started. “Really, it’s because it makes me happy. It all started when one of my best friends came and visited; I wanted to make her something special, from me.” That response on its own is enough to make my heart melt a little. Silverman explains that it “spiraled” to an obsession, “trying to learn about different kinds of woods and figures.” He explains how he can explore the two within wood turning, creating expressions through form with the wood. He also said that while it would be “cool” to obtain wood from across the world, it is currently not within his mind to do so, simply because of the different laws and regulations regarding imports of wood.
Silverman also went in-depth about sharing his joy with this passion with others through this exhibition. He was overjoyed when people he did not know showed up at the exhibition. He also shared the story of his first project for his aforementioned friend, explaining that it did not come out how he wanted the project to come out, though in a laughable way. He explains that his passion has never deterred him, even when a few of his projects had ended up injuring him to the point of bleeding. He came across the idea of an exhibition when he realized his hobby was more than a hobby, but a form of art. Silverman says he spends much of his free time “focusing on the bowls”, but explains that even though they are bowls, they are “distinctively more than bowls.”
Has your education as an architecture student influenced your wooden designs?
Silverman started by explaining that woodturning was not a young person’s traditional hobby. In the college of architecture, it is rare to see such a hobby, let alone hobbies, being present in studio life. Silverman says that “as part of architecture school, you develop all of these skills”, which isn’t just about the technical or necessary skills needed by young architects, but what he describes as “the eye to look at things; to look at something and see what it can be.” He explains that one can learn how people learn to design and how others design, saying he finds it fascinating how people do things in their own way. Silverman typically draws the designs of his bowls, and while they may not match the drawings exactly in the final product, the finished bowl is always his work that has been given the flair or style he wants it to have. He explained that his goal is not to produce something you’d find in a home goods store, but something that is created by him. He does not follow his drawings as “law” but rather as simple experiments and explorations of what could be.
Do you plan to take this hobby beyond just college?
Silverman says this passion is a part of him. He joked, saying that he wasn’t sure if he “really want[ed] to be known as the bowl guy.” But he clarified that this was very much his passion and isn’t exactly opposed to being described as the bowl guy. I inquired if he would go beyond bowls, which he says he would absolutely go to larger projects. It seems the only restraints on that front are the equipment available to him. He explained that he is eager for his future within this hobby and thinks of this passion as potentially being perpetually being part of his future.
What do you have to say to the people reading your article?
“Find something that makes you happy. For me, this makes me happy. It could be something that you want to share with other people.” Silverman explains that whenever one of his projects is bought, it brings joy to him, and that he is always happy to share that happiness with others.
It should be noted at this time that I do know Silverman more personally, as he is one of my best friends, whom I have known since my first year of my time here at Illinois Tech. Silverman’s passion for wood turning was unknown to me until early last year, though, so imagine my surprise when I arrived at the show, and there were so many bowls that I had no idea existed. Right after finishing the interview, I wished Silverman amazing luck in his passion. I look forward to more of his art, with the hopes of purchasing one myself one day. Silverman sells his bowls on Etsy and will continue his exhibition by appointment only until the end of the first week of May! Follow his Instagram for more looks into his bowls and his exhibition.