Kate Hawes

Teaches at Makeville Studio

Kate Hawes is a graduate of the Cabinet and Furniture Making program of the North Bennet Street School in Boston. She began working in wood twenty years ago, when she studied with Maurice Fraser at the Crafts Student’s League in Manhattan. She subsequently worked for John Fischer Furniture making high end custom furniture, first as an apprentice and then as a bench person. In 2000, she co-founded a cooperative wood shop in Bushwick, Brooklyn which was the home for dozens of independent artists and furniture makers over the years.  In 2009 she was awarded an artists’ residency at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Colorado. Currently, Kate lives and works in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.  Her recent work evolves out of her background in traditional furniture making, while also reflecting her interest in building intuitively and exploring new forms.  She enjoys teaching students to cut joinery by hand, never underestimating the power of a sharp chisel edge and cutting to the line.