Sal Maccarone
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Sal Maccarone is an American author, sculptor, designer and kinetic artist. He is best known as a master craftsman, and for his internationally distributed woodworking books such as ''Tune Up Your Tools'', and ''How to Make $40,000 a Year Woodworking'', both published by F & W publications, ''Betterway Books'', in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is also known for his woodworking technique articles published both online since 1994, Article.
Popular Woodworking.
and by the national magazine Popular Woodworking. Article.
Evolution of an Entryway.
Articles such as his "Evolution of an Entryway" have also been published in industry specific Academic journal, journals. He attended
San José State University San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sy ...
and achieved a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1972. During 1973 and 1974 while enrolled in the Master of Fine Arts Program for sculpture at (SJSU), he studied under professors Sam Richardson, John Battenberg, and
Fletcher Benton Fletcher C. Benton (February 25, 1931 – June 26, 2019) was an American sculptor and painter from San Francisco, California. Benton was widely known for his kinetic art as well as his large-scale steel abstract geometric sculptures. Life Born ...
, all internationally recognized sculptors. While studying for his master's degree in sculpture Sal became involved in the kinetic sculpture movement of the 1970s. Always using wood as the main media for his sculpture, he also incorporates metal, glass, plastic, and
natural stone This is a geographical list of natural stone used for decorative purposes in construction and monumental sculpture produced in various countries. The dimension-stone industry classifies stone based on appearance and hardness as either "granit ...
. His meticulously engineered kinetic sculptures are best described as a combination of fine furniture pieces which contain an
impossible bottle An impossible bottle is a bottle containing an object that does not appear to fit through the bottle's mouth. The ship in a bottle is a traditional and the most iconic type of impossible bottle. Other common objects include fruits, matchboxes ...
type environment that is viewed through glass. The cabinet always remains stationary while the artwork within is kinetic. When turned on, the pieces sequenced with a combination of light and
mechanical Mechanical may refer to: Machine * Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement * Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations of ...
movement. Video.. He gained national recognition for his furniture, and sculpture in 1977 when he and his work were featured on the
KPIX-TV KPIX-TV (channel 5) is a television station licensed to San Francisco, California, United States, serving as the San Francisco Bay Area's CBS network outlet. It is owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division alongside C ...
program
Evening Magazine ''Evening Magazine'' is the name of various news and entertainment-style local television shows in different markets. Concept On August 9, 1976, Westinghouse (Group W) Broadcasting-owned KPIX in San Francisco debuted a locally-produced magazin ...
. Video.. He was the co-founder of Bears in the Wood a small chain of retail stores in the
San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...
which served as the showrooms for furniture that he both designed and built. The stores also sold
Teddy bear A teddy bear is a stuffed toy in the form of a bear. Developed apparently simultaneously by toymakers Morris Michtom in the U.S. and Richard Steiff under his aunt Margarete Steiff's company in Germany in the early 20th century, the teddy b ...
s which were imported from around the world. The merchandise was displayed within an environment which featured a three-story waterfall, and a full scale log cabin. These were the first stores in the country to market "just" Teddy Bears. The airing of that TV special set off a national ''Teddy Bear'' store
frenzy ''Frenzy'' is a 1972 British thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It is the penultimate feature film of his extensive career. The screenplay by Anthony Shaffer was based on the 1966 novel ''Goodbye Piccadilly, Farewell Leicester Squa ...
in the United States from coast to coast which began in 1976, and continues until the present. In 1979 his work was featured in the
Fine Woodworking ''Fine Woodworking'' is a woodworking magazine published by Taunton Press in Newtown, Connecticut, USA. History and profile The magazine began publication in 1975, with simple monochrome printing and stapled monochrome covers. The magazine fo ...
"Design Book Two"Taunton Press first printing Sept. 1979 page 194 printed by the
Taunton Press Taunton Press is a publisher of periodicals, books, and websites for the hobbyist and building trades based in Newtown, Connecticut. It was established in 1975 by Paul Roman and his wife Jan. Publications and Products Periodicals published by ...
. This hardcover book featured photographs of the best work in wood by selected craftsmen from across the United States, and Canada. During 1985 Sal was commissioned by the "California State Mining and Mineral Association" to build a working scale model of a California Gold Rush era "Gold Stamp Mill". The model currently resides at the California State Mining and Mineral Museum in
Mariposa, California Mariposa (; Spanish for "Butterfly") is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in and the county seat of Mariposa County, California, United States. The population was 1,526 at the 2020 census. The community is named afte ...
. In 1990 his
woodwork Woodworking is the skill of making items from wood, and includes cabinet making (cabinetry and furniture), wood carving, joinery, carpentry, and woodturning. History Along with stone, clay and animal parts, wood was one of the first mater ...
, and sculpture at the Tenaya Lodge in Yosemite was featured first in the
Fresno Bee ''The Fresno Bee'' is a daily newspaper serving Fresno, California, and surrounding counties in that U.S. state's central San Joaquin Valley. It is owned by The McClatchy Company and ranks fourth in circulation among the company's newspapers. I ...
newspaper, and then on the
KGPE KGPE (channel 47) is a television station in Fresno, California, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside NBC affiliate KSEE (channel 24). Both stations share studios on McKinley Avenue in eastern Fresno, ...
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
TV47 program, ''Eye on the Valley''. Video.. The program was filmed at Sal's studio in
Mariposa, California Mariposa (; Spanish for "Butterfly") is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in and the county seat of Mariposa County, California, United States. The population was 1,526 at the 2020 census. The community is named afte ...
in March 1990. In early 1990 Maccarone began furniture design, and construction for the Chateau du Sureau in
Oakhurst, California Oakhurst (formerly Fresno Flats) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Madera County, California, United States, south of the entrance to Yosemite National Park, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. At the 2020 census, the population was 5,9 ...
. Over a period of eighteen months he worked very closely with the hotel owner to ultimately produce eighty different period pieces of furniture, and the castle's Honduras mahogany doors. During the process Sal perfected the distressing process which visually ages the
woodwork Woodworking is the skill of making items from wood, and includes cabinet making (cabinetry and furniture), wood carving, joinery, carpentry, and woodturning. History Along with stone, clay and animal parts, wood was one of the first mater ...
. Part of that unique process involved using a small gauge shotgun. By glancing the shot at an angle, he discovered that it was possible to simulate worm holes in the faces of the wooden doors. Beginning in 1997, after the publication of his first national woodworking book, he began teaching woodworking technique. Touring the country with The Woodworking Shows, a Los Angeles based traveling trade organization, he gave three-day woodworking seminars in twenty-one different US cities each season. He continued teaching and traveling the country on an average of twice each month until October 2002. In 2009 he began a syndicated
newspaper column A column is a recurring piece or article in a newspaper, magazine or other publication, where a writer expresses their own opinion in few columns allotted to them by the newspaper organisation. Columns are written by columnists. What differe ...
called, "How Art Shapes Our Lives". The column is published once each week in the California central valley, Sierra foothills, and the Yosemite area. The column is designed to help build an awareness of the fine arts and the "Bigger Picture" while pointing to something local that can be observed. Article archives. In 2010 he designed and built the two wood and glass display cases which reside as part of the permanent collection in the Great Lounge of the
Ahwahnee Hotel The Ahwahnee Hotel is a grand hotel in Yosemite National Park, California, on the floor of Yosemite Valley. It was built by the Yosemite Park and Curry Company and opened for business in 1927. The hotel is constructed of steel, stone, concre ...
. These furniture pieces were the first new additions to grace the Great Lounge since 1927. Both matching cases are made of native
walnut A walnut is the edible seed of a drupe of any tree of the genus ''Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. Although culinarily considered a "nut" and used as such, it is not a true ...
and are primarily used to display the historic baskets made by the
Miwok people The Miwok (also spelled Miwuk, Mi-Wuk, or Me-Wuk) are members of four linguistically related Native American groups indigenous to what is now Northern California, who traditionally spoke one of the Miwok languages in the Utian family. The word ...
who once lived in
Yosemite Valley Yosemite Valley ( ; ''Yosemite'', Miwok for "killer") is a glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada mountains of Central California. The valley is about long and deep, surrounded by high granite summits such as Hal ...
. In 2011 the display cases were designated as "Reserve Property" of the hotel and are now part of the United States national heritage. He has been in the business of designing and building commissioned pieces of furniture, and sculpture since 1972. His woodwork and kinetic sculpture can be viewed in many public, and private
collections Collection or Collections may refer to: * Cash collection, the function of an accounts receivable department * Collection (church), money donated by the congregation during a church service * Collection agency, agency to collect cash * Collection ...
throughout the United States, and
British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
. Article. His woodwork portfolio has been used as reference within the Marriott International interior design library system since 1990. As a member of the
American Institute for Conservation The American Institute for Conservation (AIC) is a national membership organization of conservation professionals, headquartered in Washington D.C. History The AIC first launched in 1972 with only a handful of members. Now it is grown to over 3 ...
he has also served as a conservator of furniture for the
Ahwahnee Hotel The Ahwahnee Hotel is a grand hotel in Yosemite National Park, California, on the floor of Yosemite Valley. It was built by the Yosemite Park and Curry Company and opened for business in 1927. The hotel is constructed of steel, stone, concre ...
in
Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park ( ) is an American national park in California, surrounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an ...
, and has helped to preserve such National treasures as the three
Craftsman style American Craftsman is an American domestic architectural style, inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, which included interior design, landscape design, applied arts, and decorative arts, beginning in the last years of the 19th century. Its ...
harvest tables which were built in 1926 by L & J.G. Stickley especially for the hotel.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maccarone, Sal 1949 births Living people American woodworkers American sculptors American modern sculptors American non-fiction writers People from Lawrence, Massachusetts American people of Italian descent San Jose State University alumni