For Concord furniture maker Brad Wolcott, deployment offered clarity in life and in art

By KELLY SENNOTT

For the Monitor

Published: 02-01-2023 4:55 PM

While Brad Wolcott served as a cavalry officer in the United States Army, his days were spent leading soldiers on patrol and planning tasks associated with the job.

But when the tasks were done, there were also large gaps of time. Time in which to think.

“One of the things about deployment that’s impossible to describe to civilians is the way in which it strips away everything that’s unnecessary in your life,” Wolcott said via phone. “You had a lot of time to reflect on your life and priorities, the kind of life you wanted to build, what’s important to you.”

After the end of his four-year service, including a 13-month combat tour in Iraq, there were several things that stood out as priorities for Wolcott. One was to be more present for his girlfriend (now wife) and their future children by obtaining a new job with flexibility. He also thought frequently about design, specifically furniture design. Meaningful, high-quality work that would fill a home.

“In Iraq, design and furniture was something I thought about a lot,” Wolcott said. “I love to work with my hands. I love design and engineering problems. And I was never someone who could sit at a computer.”

Wolcott, who grew up in Concord, says he was always creating something as a kid. In high school, his senior project was building a strip-built kayak, and in college at Dartmouth, his free time was spent in the Hopkins Center Woodworking Workshop, making items ranging from steam-bent snowshoes to a Shaker-style queen-sized bed. For his efforts, he was awarded the Heiman-Rosenthal Achievement Award in Creative Arts.

“Woodworking was going to be part of my personal plan, but it was not initially part of my professional plan. It was something I was going to pursue as a serious hobbyist,” Wolcott said.

Yet when he returned home, he was coaxed back into the craft. It happened that his financial advisor, Tony Hartigan, was also a founding member of the New Hampshire Furniture Masters. Hartigan connected him with other members like David Lamb, Tom McLaughlin, and Terry Moore, who convinced him to enroll at the North Bennet Street School in Boston for furniture making.

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In those early classes, Wolcott was the only veteran in the building, which was unusual, because these days, the classes Wolcott teaches at North Bennet are full of them. He says woodworking is a very popular hobby or vocation for vets, offering direction, the opportunity to work on something concrete, and the satisfaction of having made something beautiful.

“There are a lot of folks who are looking for a sense of purpose when they get out,” Wolcott said. “They’re leaving that community, leaving the brotherhood, leaving that sense of purpose and pride in your job. It’s incredibly disorientating and can be incredibly difficult for so many veterans, particularly those who have served overseas.”

In his own furniture, Wolcott says he’s more of a generalist in terms of design and construction, building anything from tables and chairs to music stands and desks, primarily working with native North American hardwood. He loves the forms, curves, and elegance of art deco furniture, but his own style is more contemporary, and he’s thoughtful about how he uses materials to maximize their beauty.

“I want the furniture I make to be things people actually look at. They appreciate the quality of the materials; the quality of the design; the uniqueness; the thought, and the intentionality that were put into it,” he said. “And there are people out there who want their homes to be beautiful. They want it to reflect who they are, and they want to appreciate the things they’re surrounded by.”

Five years ago, Wolcott moved back to Concord with his wife and two children, leaving his job at a design and engineering contracting firm to focus on family and to hone in on his craft. Most mornings and early afternoons are spent in his basement workshop, while evenings are with the kids.

Recently, he was juried into the League of NH Craftsmen, and some of his pieces are on view in its show, “Continuing the Tradition,” this winter. Soon, he takes over as manager for the New Hampshire Furniture Masters Exhibition gallery in the Concord Chamber of Commerce.

More than a decade into the profession, Wolcott still finds excitement in furniture design.

“I love the opportunity to be creative, to explore, and to learn. I’m intensely curious,” he said. “One of the struggles, for me as a creative person, is that when I look at my own work, all I see are mistakes or things I’d tweak. But for me, I’m just really passionate about design, about doing things at the highest level possible. I’m a student of the game, so to speak.”

For more information about Wolcott’s work, visit bradwolcott.com.

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