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    Matt Hutton, 36
    Associate Professor
    Maine College of Art


    Matt Hutton co-founded the Woodworking & Furniture Design department at the Maine College of Art soon after arriving at the college in Portland a decade ago. The nationally recognized program was launched with the conversion of a men’s bathroom into a woodworking studio; last summer, Hutton led the construction of the department’s new 5,000-squarefoot studio/work space. “The department was a natural fit for Maine, with its rich history of wood products,” says Hutton, an Associate Professor at MECA.

    He arrived in Maine having just finished his MFA at San Diego State University. An Indianapolis native, Hutton has a BFA from the Herron School of Art at Indiana University Purdue University and studied in England and Japan. In addition to teaching at MECA, he has been an instructor at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Rochester Institute of Technology, the Herron School of Art and Takumi Juku in Japan.

    “This summer, Matt is leading the charge to host the Furniture Society’s annual conference in Portland, bringing 450 wood enthusiasts to the area for a weekend,” said MECA President Don Tuski.

    “He is coordinating workshops, lectures, and exhibitions to showcase Maine talent,” for the event, which takes place June 14-16 at MECA.

    Hutton’s work is exhibited nationwide. Here in Maine, he is in his third year as a Haystack board member, and chairs the trustee committee. Each year he teaches Haystack’s Student Craft Institute, open to Maine high school students. “To support the nonprofits he believes in, Matt annually donates his work to Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Colorado and to Haystack to support student scholarships,” Tuski notes.

    Hutton and his wife, Erin, live in Portland with their children, Emma and Forest. Matt produces work for exhibition and commission at Studio 24b, which he built. His Web site is www.studio24b.com.

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