PETER SCHLEBECKER
4324 5th Avenue San Diego, CA 92103 pete.schlebecker@gmail.com 301-377-9825
EDUCATION:
MFA, 2004, Furniture design, Rhode Island School of Design
BS, 1980, Anthropology, Iowa State University
AREA OF FOCUS:
Teaching woodworking, ideation and development of innovative furniture designs with market appeal. Sketching, modeling, prototyping.
TECHNICAL ABILITIES:
Expertise with all aspects of woodworking including hand tool techniques, joinery, veneers, and finishing
Knowledge of many kinds of manufacturing methods, including wood, metals and plastics.
Expertise with Laser cutter
Expertise with CNC router
Experience using 3D printers
Expertise with all kinds of finishing techniques including spray finishing .
Experience maintaining and repairing all kinds of shop tools and machinery.
Expertise with sculptural metal fabrication methods including welding and cutting steel, aluminum and stainless steel,
Basic skills in light metals and jewelry.
Basic skills in hot and cold glass
COMPUTER SKILLS:
Adobe Suite: Photoshop, Acrobat
Microsoft office suite
Google Docs of all kinds.
Dropbox file storage
Gantt charts
Vectric V-carve for CNC
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
November 2018 to Present Consultant to 10XBeta Company to oversee build-out of new office renovation including utilities, architecture and furniture.
2013 to October 2018 Head of Fabrication at RockPaperRobot, Inc. Design and prototyping of kinetic and space saving furniture for mass production, liaison with supply chain and manufacturers.
2011-2013 Self employed as Schlebecker Studios while teaching workshops at The Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Maine, Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina, and the Center for Creative Woodworking in Maryland.
2004 – 2011 Staff Instructor and Facilities Manager at The Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, Rockport, ME
2002-2004 Completed Master’s degree program in furniture design at the Rhode Island School of Design. Includes hands-on teaching assistantships: Sophomore/ beginning woodworking, Junior metals, lamp design, and 3D design methods.
2000 - 2002 Self employed as Schlebecker Studios custom- design furniture, Sandwich, MA
1997- 1999 Worked for Cormier Architectural woodworking producing high-end custom
cabinetry, S. Yarmouth, MA.
1995-1996 Worked for Kochman, Reight, and Haigh cabinetmakers, Stoughton, MA.
1990 - 1995 Self employed as Schlebecker Studios, producing high-end, original -design furniture and cabinets.
1988 - 1990 Employed at American Hardwoods, Silver Spring, MD High end custom furniture.
1984- 1987 Founded Schlebecker Studios, designing and making studio furniture in Hyattsville, MD
1981- 1983 Technical writer and assistant, Civil engineering dept., Potomac Electric Power Co.
Washington, DC
1980 Abstract writer, Gelman library, George Washington University, Washington, DC
RELATED EXPERIENCE:
2004 - Completion of the Brown University Sheridan Center Teaching Certificate Program
1992 – Co-founded the Alexandria Center for Woodworking Arts, Inc., a cooperative woodworking facility housing 16 woodworking artists in Alexandria, VA
1990 – 1995 Member of the Washington Woodworkers Guild: numerous demonstrations in wood working techniques.
EXHIBITIONS:
April 2017 High Point, NC Furniture Market
May 2014, May 2015 ICFF New York, NY
June - September 2013 “New Work by Faculty” Messler Gallery, Rockport, ME
June 15 – July 30, 2010 “Outdoor Furniture, Everyone’s Invited” MIT campus, juried Furniture Society show, Cambridge, MA (catalog)
May 8 – June 15, 2010 “ Furniture Makers of Northern New England” Yesterhouse Gallery, Southern Vermont Arts Center, Manchester, VT (invitational)
June - September 2009 “New Work by Faculty” Messler Gallery, Rockport, ME
May 2009 to May 2011 “The Furniture Gallery at Rayr” Rockport, ME
June - September 2008 “New Work by Faculty” Messler Gallery, Rockport, ME
October, 2007 “Work of the Hand” Center for Maine Contemporary Art, Rockport, ME Juried show
June - September 2007 “New work by Faculty” Messler Gallery, Rockport, ME
October, 2006 “RISD Artists of Maine” grand opening show of the Waterfall Arts Center, Belfast, ME (invitational)
June - September 2006 “New work by Faculty” Messler Gallery, Rockport, ME
June 2006 “Show Us Your Drawers” juried show of the Furniture Society. Herron Gallery of Art, Indianapolis, IN (catalog)
December, 2005 “Midcoast Maine Woodworkers” Messler Gallery, Rockport ME (Juried)
June - September 2005 “New Work by Faculty” Messler Gallery, Rockport, ME
July, 2004 “Arts Café Series” Solo exhibit, SGI-USA Culture Center, Waltham, MA
May, 2004 “Faux-Real” Graduate thesis show, Providence, R.I.
January, 2004 “Graduate Furniture Show” Sol Koffler Gallery, Providence, RI
March 1996 “The Home Show” Boston Expo Center, in booth of Kochman, Reight, and Haigh
June 1995 “The Furniture Show”, Del Ray Arts Resource Foundation gallery, Alexandria, VA.
May, 1994 “Washington Wood”, Furniture show of the Washington Woodworker’s Guild at “The Art Barn”, Rock Creek Park, Washington, D.C. (juried)
May, 1992 “Washington Wood”, Furniture show of the Washington Woodworker’s Guild at “The Art Barn”, Rock Creek Park, Washington, D.C. (First place in Juried show).
April 1991 “Out on a Limb”, Cooperative group furniture show, Arlington, VA.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Hillary Mangle “New England’s New School Craftsmen - The life Breather, Peter Schlebecker” Experience (the New England Seacoast) Summer 2008, 21
Rosanne Somerson “Show us your Drawers” Furniture studio 5 -The Meaning of Craft, 2007, 37
Barbara E. Cohen “Furniture Fanfare” Housetrends Magazine, Spring 2006, 4
Hobart Rowland “Is it a Chair, Or is it Art?,” The Alexandria Gazette, June 30, 1995
Jennifer Harper “Table of Contents,” The Washington Times, Thursday August 5, 1993. F-1
PUBLICATIONS:
“Mitered Edging made easy” Fine woodworking, #214. October 2010.
“Five Essential Jigs for the Router Table” Fine woodworking, #200, October 2008. The Taunton Press, Newtown, CT
“Rock Solid Router Table” Fine Woodworking, #195 November, 2007. The Taunton
Press, Newtown, CT
“Essential Push Sticks” Fine Woodworking, # 186, October, 2006. The Taunton press, Newtown,CT
VIDEOS PUBLISHED:
Finewoodworking.com:
miter angle sled:
www.finewoodworking.com/workshop/workshoparticle.aspx?id=31280
Zero clearance fence for router table:
www.finewoodworking.com/workshop/workshoparticle.aspx?id=31279
Pattern routing jig:
www.finewoodworking.com/workshop/workshoparticle.aspx?id=31278
Feather board for router table:
www.finewoodworking.com/workshop/workshoparticle.aspx?id=31277
Veneer jointing jig for the router table:
www.finewoodworking.com/ToolGuide/ToolGuideArticle.aspx?id=31281
Breathing drawers:
www.finewoodworking.com/item/6326/video-gallery-drawers-that-breathe
CONFERENCES:
Furniture Society Annual Conference 2010, MIT Cambridge, MA, Piece in juried show “Everyone’s Invited – Outdoor Furniture”
Furniture Society Annual Conference 2007, Herron School of Art, Indianapolis, IN, Piece in juried show “Show us Your Drawers”
Furniture society Annual conference 2004, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA, Piece in show “Members Gallery”
ORGANIZATIONS:
Furniture Society member
43 year member, Soka Gakkai International, Buddhist lay organization promoting peace, culture and education.
About
Hi, I have been a woodworker and furniture designer for 35 years. I am so fortunate to have been able to work in this field for my entire career. I started off as an amateur woodworker and it grew into a profession as I became a cabinetmaker. After 17 years as a cabinetmaker I was able to go back to school and earn my Master of Fine Arts degree at the Rhode Island School of Design. Fresh out of RISD, I became the staff instructor and facilities manager at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Rockport, Maine and had a blast there for 7 years. During that time I was able to participate in many gallery shows for fine and sculptural furniture and produced a number of articles and videos for “Fine Woodworking Magazine”. I have also taught at Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina and the Center for Woodworking Arts in Maryland. In 2013 I joined a furniture design start-up company called Rock Paper Robot in Brooklyn, New York designing furniture for production. I was there for 5 years and then I moved to San Diego with my wife in 2019. It seems like I have worked in just about every area of furniture design and making now, and I’m looking forward to my next adventure!
Below you will find my Curriculum Vitae.