Rick Brown Awarded Fulbright Scholar

We are very proud to announce that Handshouse Studio's Rick Brown has been awarded the Fulbright Scholars Research Award. With this award, Rick and his wife, Laura, will spend 2007 in Poland researching the architecture and art of the wooden Zabludow Synagogue built in Poland in 1637 and destroyed during the Nazi invasion in 1941.

They will study archived historic photographs and architectural drawings of the 17th and 18th century wooden synagogues of Poland and produce additional drawings from direct observation and documentation of interior and exterior architectural details, artistic embellishments and construction details of many intact significant wooden church from the same region and period of construction.

The information gathered through this investigation of the architectural details, materials, tools and building processes will be complied and used to ultimately build a full scale accurate replica on Polish soil.

Rick Brown and Laura Brown will analyze where principles and theories of art and architecture meet head to head with tools, materials and processes in the actualization of building practice, and create a comprehensive compilation of information that includes a particular focus on materials, process and details utilized by artists, architects, builders, and craftsmen in the original construction of the Zabludow Synagogue.

This information will include its many elaborate and refined artistic components such as the Arc and Bimah. Gathered research materials, photo documentation and field notes will be utilized to produce measured drawings, construction documents, descriptions of materials, identification of tools, and record the medieval building technology used during the original construction.