Hugo Nakashima-Brown

Hugo Nakashima-Brown is a teaching artist, designer and woodworker with a background in painting and furniture making. He holds a BFA in Painting from Rhode Island School of Design and a degree in cabinet and furniture making from the North Bennet Street School. His multidisciplinary experience spans woodworking, design, curation and production studio management, allowing him to blend diverse perspectives into his craft.

Trained as a 17–19th century woodworker, Nakashima-Brown draws on historical precedents and centuries of craftsmanship to create furniture that balances timeless aesthetics with the functional needs of the 21st century. Inspired by the Japanese tea ceremony (chanoyu), where design, function and aesthetics converge, he uses chanoyu and Japanese/American folk art as frameworks to explore the intersection of art, craft, sculpture and performance/installation. His current research examines the overlooked, bidirectional influence between Chinese and American furniture traditions.

Nakashima-Brown’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and has been featured in Monocle, Architectural Digest and Fine Woodworking. He has received support from institutions including the Penland School of Craft, Winterthur Museum, Mt. Fuji Wood Culture Society, Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, Oak Spring Garden Foundation and Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. He also serves on the selection committee for the Alex Brown Foundation.