New Blog!

The Covenant House Artisans Program has moved its blog to a new page. Click here and come see what's happening at the shop!

The Artisans at Gelberg Signs

Last month, Covenant House and Gelberg Signs began a partnership that will create great opportunities for Covenant House youth. Pictured (top to bottom) are Dominic in the vinyl sign shop, setting up menu boards for a national chain of eateries; Brandon loading screen printed mylar sheets out of a massive print dryer in the screed printing department, and Steven, a 2002 graduate, who is now working in the plastics fabrication area, detailing one of many CNC cut plastic signs.

Gelberg is a family business, with many years as Washington DC full service sign shop - they did our signage on the property at # 7 New York avenue. They are beginning work on the new Nationals Stadium, and are seeking talented DC residents to join their team. The Gelberg team will be presenting at the upcoming employer's open house at CHW, and we are proud that they have chosen to partner with us! We look forward to referring as many talented, qualified youth as are needed as Gelberg grows!

Footstools for Sister Tricia!

Sister Patricia Cruise, President of Covenant House put in a special order for footstols with compartments below the cushions ages ago, and they're finally complete! A set of three matching footstools in solid maple, featuring the new Covenant House logo (!) will soon make their home in her office in New York City.

We are proud to have been able to be of service to Sister Tricia, and for her support of the Artisans!

Hall Tables from the PM class

The PM Artisans recently completed their poplar hall tables - and these are some of the best ever. In fact, there have been some arguments over who has the best finish, and some distinct ribbing about small dings in the tops or legs. That tells us that they really care about their work, and are proud of what they have accomplished. Top to bottom - Fred (who finished first!), Anthony, Ty, and a group shot with James.

The Mercedes belongs to a neighbor, but it complements the photo nicely. Great work, guys!

"Birdie" houses for Fannie Mae HTH Golf Classic

These "birdie" houses were made as tee markers for the 7th Annual Fannie Mae Foundation Help the Homeless Golf Classic on Friday, September 14th at Compass Point Golf Club.

Thanks to Fannie Mae hero Victor Maes, Dianne Lewis at Samaritan Ministries DC, and Chuck James from St. Andrews Episcopal School for making the connection. 100% reclaimed stock went into these pieces, which have laser marked Fannie Mae logo tops.

For information on how you can support Covenant House through Fannie Mae's Help the Homeless Walkathon, click here! Join the Artisans as we walk to end homelessness in the national capital region in November!

Off the Block is on the road!

Off the Block is on the road beginning this Sunday 9/9/07!

For those of you who remember us from a favorite annual craft show, Off the Block is returning to several regional shows on select weekends in September, October, November and December. On these dates the Artisans will leave their home base at Eastern Market on Capitol Hill and journey to Adams Morgan, Takoma Park, Downtown DC and Alexandria, VA. A complete date and location list is below.

Thank you to those of you who visited with and congratulated the Artisans over the grand re-opening weekend at Eastern Market! Every weekend we're not at a special event, you can find us at Eastern Market, on the Hine School lot, just south of the new East Hall building. Scroll down for a map to our location.

Click on the listings below for location information and show times.
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Adams Morgan Day
Sunday, September 9th
(THIS WEEKEND!)
Metro: Woodley Park or Dupont Circle
Our first appearance! Come on out! Great food, fantastic music, and good art. One of DC's most popular street festivals.
Washington, DC

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Arts On Foot
Smithsonian Portrait Gallery
Washington, DC
Saturday, September 15th
Metro: Gallery Place

Our second annual show, in conjunction with the DC Youth Vision Arts Collaborative. Covenant House youth will be working alongside painters, photographers and printmakers from Latin American Youth Center's Art and Media House, mixed media artists from Life Pieces to Masterpieces, jewelers and painters from Washington Very Special Arts ARTiculate Gallery, and young photographers and artists of many persuasions from New Community's ArtSpace.
Great food and fun at this free downtown event!
Special thanks to the DC Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation and Downtown DC for their support!

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Takoma Park Folk Festival
Takoma Park, MD
Sunday, September 16th
Free shuttle from Takoma Park Metro

This will be our third annual visit to TPFF - our very first craft show from 2005 - and each year our friends come back to support Covenant House! Come for the food, crafts, music - and stay for the people watching! Our youth always are amazed by the diversity of talent at this event, and you will be too!

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Art on the Avenue
Mt. Vernon Avenue, Alexandria, VA
Saturday, October 6th
Metro: Braddock Road

Our second annual visit to Art on the Avenue can be summed up in one word - HUGE! This show covers nearly a half mile of Braddock Road in the Del Ray neighborhood in Alexandria, VA - and it showcases the highest quality fine crafts, wearables and DIY from the Mid-Atlantic. Many thanks to the Art on the Avenue crew for their second year of generosity and donating our booth space for the second time!

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DC Downtown Holiday Market
Outside the Smithsonian Portrait Gallery
Washington, DC
December 7th - 23rd (two weeks!)
Metro: Gallery Place

This is the big one - if you miss this, you've missed the best. We will be rolling out our very popular holiday ornaments at this show, along with an affordable assortment of holiday stocking stuffers. Brave the elements (we'll have our heater running if you want to warm your toes) and come down for one or fourteen days and nights of entertainment, food, art, wearables - and the Portrait Gallery stays open late for evening strolls! Right across the street from the Verizon Center.


All other weekend dates you can find the Artisans at Eastern Market! See posting below for map of the location.

Covenant House celebrates Eastern Market opening

On Saturday, August 25, join the Artisans as they celebrate the opening of the new Eastern Market building on the Hine Jr. High School side of 7th St.

After the tragic Market fire in May, times have been difficult for all of the art, craft, antique and produce vendors. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the market managers, community leaders and dedicated market "regulars", all EM vendors are looking forward to the opening of the temporary Market building located directly across from the South Hall on the Hine School lot.

To those who came out and visited with us, picked up a special gift or made a donation this summer - THANK YOU! Your support has kept our youth's spirits high, and raised their hopes for success. It is really important that the Artisans receive positive feedback and a hands-on entrepreneurial experience, and thanks to your support, they haven't missed a beat.

DC Mayor Adrian Fenty will be there, along with numerous civic leaders and community members - and all of your favorite vendors will be back in business!

We hope to see you on Saturday August 25 at 10:00 AM!

Barack Obama Visits THEARC

It was a busy day in the neighborhood today! Youth involved with our Summer Enrichment, Pre-Apprenticeship, and Artisans programs had an opportunity to meet Presidential Candidate Barack Obama. The Senator from Illinois visited THEARC this morning, a follow-up to Mayor Fenty’s endorsement of the presidential hopeful as announced yesterday.
Prior to making his speech, the Senator met with 30 CHW youth and staff members—shaking every hand and greeting each person by name. He also inquired of the youth’s summer activities and offered encouraging remarks. On behalf of CHW, the Senator received an Artisan box with the inscription, "Good luck on your journey from Covenant House to the White House". The Senator referenced Covenant House a few times during his speech which outlined his initiatives for the working class, the poor, and education.
You can learn more by visiting his website: barackobama.com.

A round of applause to all youth participating in the meet and greet session with the Senator. They were all very enthusiastic, patient, and well behaved as we waited for the Senator to arrive. He was delayed due to a Senate Vote.

Youth had front row seating during his speech, and one young man received happy birthday wishes from Senator Obama, from the podium, at the conclusion of his speech.


- Jocelyn Harris, Director of Communications


Pictured from top to bottom: Senator Obama and Judith Dobbins, Executive Director; Senator Obama addressing CHW youth; Senator Obama with Prevention Services Youth; Artisan Dominic Jones presents Senator Obama with a engraved Dream Box; detail of the engraved box.

DC Primary Care Association Awards

The DC Primary Care Association has been a generous supporter of the Artisans and Off the Block over the past year, and requested that we create unique plaques for their 2007 Summer Reception. Pictured above with Executive Director Sharon Baskerville are recipients Vera Waltman Mayer, Enrique Cobham, Claude Cowan and Father John Adams. Fr. Adams' plaque features fine yellowheart and wenge veneer inlay, along with custom laser engraving. This three-step process has been mastered by our staff and is an option for major awards. The plaque pictured is 12" x 16", and was designed especially for DCPCA. Click here to learn more about the award recipients and their respective organizations.
Many, many thanks to Lee Paczulla for her advocacy and support of this project, and for linking to CHW on the DCPCA Website!

The new PM Artisans and their Valuables Boxes

The new PM class has created some fantastic red alder valuables boxes.
Pictured are Bill, Fred, James and Tyrone. Like totally, dude!

Dream Boxes for NoMA BID

These cherry and maple Dream Boxes were custom engraved for the North of Massachussets Avenue Business Improvement District's annual meeting and awards. Covenant House's Outreach center - the big building on the corner of North Capitol and New York Avenue - is within the NoMA service area. We love their logo, and are grateful for their support!

Special Order for Adams Elementary School

Andrew Davis came to us with a unique challenge - could we make a beautiful box and two photo frame for special administrators and instructors at a local elementary school, each with custom engraving, in less than three days, and stay within a tight budget?

The answer - absolutely.

Andrew couriered over two school folders with the Adams Elementary logo and mascot printed on them. After a quick scan and a little cleanup, proofs were prepared and delivered.
Our Dream Boxes are always in stock, and Andrew's wife was able to find two perfect wood frames that we measured and engraved. Total project time from start to finish - three hours. On top of that, the items were delivered in person, to ease the pressure that Andrew was under - he had to photoshop many separate photos of children from two classes together to put in the frames, prior to presentation - and he only had a few overnight hours to get the job done!

Our customer was satisfied, and so were we!

We can engrave anything wood that will fit within our 16" x 12" engraver, and soon we will be able to handle double that size! Think of us for engraving your special something - no deadline is too tight!

Custom award frames for Allied Capital

We had a fantastic opportunity to create 47 unique gift frames for Allied Capital's CEO Roundtable, an major event that brings together CEO's from companies that Allied Capital invests in. Each solid mahogany 4x6 photo frame is held to a sold maple 7" x 12" vertical board by rare earth magnets, and the Allied Capital logo and CEO Roundtable imprint is laser engraved on thr front and back of each piece. The bases have a solid mahogany layer laminated between curly maple. The completed frames were presented to each visiting CEO, complete with their photograph taken at the event with with actor / lawyer / commentator / game show personality Ben Stein! Many thanks to Sara Kiser, Craig Feldman and Jim Ilaria for their design brilliance and generous support of the Artisans program and Off the Block!

Kingman Island Signs

We were invited to create cedar signs for the newly opened Kingman Island, which is in the middle of the Anacostia River, between RFK Stadium and the east side, south of the Pepco plant in near SE Washington. This project was commissioned by the Anacostia Waterfront Corporation - we thank them for their generous support.

In process at the shop....

...and installed at Kingman Island!

Dream Boxes from the AM Class

Edgar, Fred, Dominic, Cherrell and Preston (not his Escalade) are truly accomplished woodworkers. They are about to enter the world of production - be sure to come out to Eastern Market soon to see their wares!

Legal Aid Society's 75th Anniversary Awards

Brandon and Iris are holding two Inspiration Boxes made especially for the Legal Aid Society of DC's 75th anniversary and Servant of Justice Dinner on April 17th. This is the second year that the Legal Aid Society of DC has supported Covenant House by commissionning special awards for their clebrated honorees. We thank Gregg Kelley and is wonderful staff for their support, and hope to be there to help duing their 76th year!

Awards for CUA's Student Leadership Recognition Celebration

For the second year, Catholic University's University Center,Office of Student Programs and Events has selected the Artisans Program to craft beautiful personalized boxes for their Student Leadership Awards. Iris, Chris, Brandon, Mike and Lewis worked hard to prepare over thirty individual boxes for presentation over the course of two weeks. We are grateful to Kim Timpany and her team at CUA for their significant investment in our program.

Thanks Jim! We'll miss you!

Jim Bradshaw (pictured, center, with the afternoon Artisans) came to Covenant House Washington after learning about what we were doing from reading the Washington Post article that ran in December of 2005, and has been a dedicated volunteer, woodworking mentor, and expert photographer for our youth and staff. Many of his photos appear on this blog.

Jim will be relocating to South Carolina next month, and we will miss him dearly.

Thank you, Jim, for your dedication, excitement, and hopes for our youths' success. Best of luck to you in SC, and you know that you can come back to use our shop anytime!

Ced at SurroundArt

Cedric Spicer, a 2006 Artisan grad and 2007 Shop Assistant, has completed a 30 day paid internship with SurroundArt, a leading art display and crating/art handling company in Washington, DC. Ced has assisted with construction of crates that will hold priceless art and antiquities, and was on hand when an enormous Calder sculpture was prepped for shipping to Ireland! Ced is learning from his coworker Sam (pictured) and is confident that there's a career in custom art crates! He is now a contract worker with them, and will be challenged to achieve and move upwards! Go Ced Go!


Stop the presses! Ced passed his GED with flying colors on March 29, 2007! Congrats Ced!

Datron Gray - Glass Professional!

Datron is a 2005 graduate of the program - we will always remember when he came to us one day asking to learn how to drive an automatic transmission, because he was starting a job parking cars that night! He turned his career as a lot attendant into a driving job for a countertop installation shop, and then into working for Mel and Sons, a nearby glass installation and repair company. We are so proud of Datron!

Darall and his new car, Raven with her truck!!

Darall Watson is a spring 2006 graduate, and he recently purchased a car! Since his graduation, he has been a manager a local McDonalds restaurant, and has been saving for his move into his own apartment. He is one test from completing his GED, and we are so proud to know that he is more independent that ever before. Congratulations, Darall!

And what do you know, Raven Reed stopped by today as well! She is an installer with a contractor for a local cable company, and has been working in the trades since she graduated. Raven is a graduate of a class of 2004, and she has been actively recruiting other Artisans who have driver's licenses!
Way to go Raven!

Module 2 Done with Success

Preston



With the pressure off the morning Artisans, are coming out their shells.
Having finished their second module they are eager to move on. They already show
conviction and the drive to improve their skill in this craft.

Terrence





Cherrell

Hanging With Justin

The afternoon class hung out with our artist in residence, Justin Couch who is a brillant designer. He is in a show at the Honfleur Gallery in which he invited the afternoon class to share with him. I think it is safe to say that Justin has drawn inspiration from the afternoon class which we feel is a very good thing. The Honfleur Gallery is supported by ARCH which is supporting Justin's residency with us.

Avery Special Gift

This box is a once in a lifetime gift. We made this box for Jim Ilaria. Jim is a board member who has been helping us to set up a business plan. Jim gave this impressive piece of work to his wife for a christmas gift.

New Designs and Boxes with Inlay!

These magnificent works of art, hand crafted by the Artisans have become top sellers. Like the original pieces they will make a perfect gift for everyone. With there high quality inlay they make a statement and stand out in any room.

Works of Art

These boxes done by two outstanding Artisans. Show how just after a couple of months, of dedicated training and effort become high quality work. Iris and Chris in five, months have gained valuable skills.

Recent Awards made by the Artisans

A set of awards made for Fair Chance for their annual capacity building partnerships with several DC nonprofits.

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A detail of clocks made for their supporters at the World Bank and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.

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The Artisans have been making plaques for the DC Department of Human Services Early Care and Education Administration since 2004 - we truly appreciate their continued support!

New Inlaid Boxes!

Heres a couple of snapshots of our most recent innovations - inlaid boxes! Figured maple on walnut, walnut on cherry, purpleheart on maple...endless combinations, beautiful results. Keep an eye out for more designs!

Custom clocks made for the City Council

These clocks were made for the members of the D.C. City Council, gifts from Council Chair Vincent C. Gray. Each is solid cherry, with laser engraved faces feturing the DC seal. Many thanks to Council Chair Gray and Mike Brosman of Innovation Specialties and ClockParts.com!

Voice of America features CHW

Covenant House was recently featured on Voice of America, the State Department's international broadcasting arm. The feature revolved around the state of vocational education in the US, and features several aspects of CHW, including the Artisans in the woodshop and out at Eastern Market. Download a broadband version of the feature by clicking here, or a dialup version by clicking here.

New Hall Table Crew

Lewis

Chris

Teneka

Brandon

Hall Table Crew

The PM Artisans just completed their hall tables - from L to R:
Chris, Brandon, Jeff, Lewis, Teneka, Chauncey, Mike, Iris and Larry.
This crew is the bomb!

Working on tables.

Chauncey examining his wood for his legs.

The laser system

Brandon working on the laser system.

The New Class

We would like for you to meet the new pm Artisans class. They are currently hard at work on their first project. We are hoping for an exciting six months with them.

Nikia and the Artisans on the Air!

Click here or on Nikia's picture to view the video file!
Nikia Young is one of our graduates who is now working in the community as an intern at Dahlquist Studios in Alexandria, VA. She and the Artisans were recently profiled as part of JC Hayward's feature on Covenant House Washington. Many, many thanks to WUSA 9 for their fantastic story!

Salute

Matt we the Artisans want to than you. We greatly appreciate all the hard work that you have done while you were with us. We wish you luck as you continue your education have a great year.

Two of our newest tables - Shay's lift up top desk, and Kevin and Ced's curly cherry and maple inlaid hall table - it's for sale now! Come see it at Reston Market on Saturdays and Eastern Market on Sundays - it's not going to be around long!

DC Box

A recent box made for Downtown DC.

We would like you to meet our newest employee. Jeff is the Assistant production and training manager. Jeff came to us from Dahlquist Studios. He is a very experienced wood worker and we are very grateful to have him here. We expect that with Jeff here production will increase and Artisans ideas will come to light.

This is our salute to our summer intern. Sal we want to thank you for all the work you put in. Thank you for all of your ideas and teaching the artisans how to use the laser engraver. We hope that Sal will continue on to great things.

Finished with Pride!

If you would have told us three months ago that we would be making tables most likely we would have laughed at you. After three months in the program we have learned a trade that we can be proud of. Making these tables has given us an experince that we will never forget. The time and effort that was put into these tables showed us that when ideas are in your head and you have a project in progress they will come.

Where you can find the Artisans

On the weekends, you can find the Artisans out at markets in the community. On Saturdays you can find us out at Reston Market, at beautiful Lake Anne Plaza. On Sundays you can find us on Capitol Hill at Eastern Market. At these markets you will find us selling fine handcrafted woodwork, such as bookmarks, boxes, business card holders, and other charming accessories. We also do custom projects, so if there is something you would like, but do not see, we will do our very best to make it for you.

Working in the shop!

Our new volunteer Myra. Myra is workin on a small table to be sold at a weekend market.



Shay and Angie are putting the finishing touches on their tables.

A successful graduate!

Larry and Dominic, with Dominic's new car! Dominic is a 2004 graduate of the Artisans Program, and recently recieved his high school diploma and got married. Dominic is a highly successful graduate and has been working as an audio-visual technician for a local church.

CONGRATULATIONS DOMINIC!!

Artist in Residence Opportunity!

We appreciate all that have applied for this position. We are now in the proccess of reviewing applications. We will post updates as they become available, so please be mindful and remember to check back.

An honor to present....

We were honored that the Artians were called on to make two very special awards for the 22nd Annual Covenant House Awards Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in New York ity on June 6, 2006. One, a curly maple and igured cherry piece, was presented to Sister Patricia Cruise, S.C., President of Covenant House. The other was presented to board member Tom Pearce, and is made of is walnut with curly maple details. Both dedications were laser engraved on the underside of the lid. These awards are new designs and include complex joinery, sloped sides and a rounded lid.


Nikia with Sister Tricia's box, presented in recognition of her silver anniversary as a Sister of Charity. The light and dark cherry laser engraved and cut inlay on the front is the emblem of the Sisters of Charity. These awards were very well recieved by all. Many thanks to Kathleen Fineout from Covenant House Corporate in New York City for having faith in us!

Kevin, Tyrone and Ced with their valuables boxes! These poplar boxes are made using chisels, eastern style saws and an assortment of planes, and are detialed using laser engraving as well as scroll sawn hblovk handles.

Check out those valves!

 
J.R. and volunteer Bob Hughes with some great custom plaques, but what are those golden things?....
 
Here's more! Wow - looks like 30 of them!


These plaques were custom engraved for Wilmer Hale, a law firm here in D.C. Wilmer Hale provides pro bono legal services for CHW, and we are very grateful for their generosity and interest in working with us on this project. A special shout out to Kevin Smith who hooked us up! 

Inspiration box, walnut with curly maple lid and legs, engrave mahogany plaque applied to the interior of the lid.

Dream Box made for the Tourette Syndrome Association of Greater Washingon. Maple with cherry lid, engraved on the interior.

JR and Dan at the Philadelphia Furniture and Furnishings Show! These tough looking salesmen were responsible for getting us there, selling Artisan work, and sharing what Covenant House does for youth in Philadelphia and DC. After many long days and late nights of preparation, we had a fantastic show! Many thanks to the show organizers, and especially to Dan for getting us involved in the first place. Great Job, Dan!

JR looking relaxed in the booth- He had to stoop down a little bit in order to fit in the frame. I had to use a speial "tall person" lens just to get the shot.

Here's the Artisans crew that came along to Philly - L to R: Larry, Gordon, C, Sheri, Angie, Ced, Steve, Kevin, Nik, and Jerome. It was a great day, a balance of meeting woodworkers from across the country and getting out of town! We hope to get out more often!

Helping kids play in style...

Bebe and Bacups are launching a new line of exclusive handpainted children's furnishings, and we are making their toy boxes! Check out the Bebe and Becups website for ordering information!

A widebelt sander is in the house - thanks to Stanley Associates and Bob Hughes!

Thanks in part to Stanley Associates, the shop now has a 24" widebelt sander! Bob Hughes (hiding behind Gordon, 2nd from left), a Staney employee, has connected us for the thrd consecutive year with a generous contribution from the Stanely Volunteer Program. The woodshop has recieved over $2,250 in support from SVP for student tools, woodshop technology, and now major machinery. Many, many thanks to Stanley Associates and volunteer Bob Hughes!

These miniature versions of our full-size occasional tables (pictured are a telephone table in mahogany and a walnut coffee table) were made by volunteer Deborah R. Deborah has created a miniature hall table in cherry and a maple side table is in the works! We will be bringing these "salesman samples" to market with us - who knows they might not last long! Thanks, Deborah!

A hot sauce tasting bar for Uncle Brutha's Gourmet Foods, a fellow vendor and soon to be store owner on Capitol Hill! The sign is laser cut birch letters on mahogany ply, with reclaimed oak supports and birch ply shelves.
Many thanks to volunteer Bob Hughes for his engineering and fabrication skills!

Our bookmarks are all the rage - order custom engraved ones for your friends, book club members, parishoners - even wedding guests! $3 each or 2 for $5, quantity discounts available. Call (202) 610-6519 or email for more information!

Engraved card holders made for each member of the Covenant House Washington Board of Directors.

Anthony with a bench and telephone table for Marie and the gang at M Squared Associates on Capitol Hill! They are solid maple with curly maple tops. These were completed by Anthony, JJ, Diante, Nicole and JR in the AM class.

Three of the new Artisans and their Valuables Boxes. From top row to bottom: C, Nik and Gordon.

Each Artisan learned the properties of solid wood, advanced hand tools (including chisels, planes, and pull saws), and intermediate joinery. All pieces for this group of boxes were cut to basic width and length by staff, and the Artisans marked and cut finger joints, rabbets and chamfers for the lid, and made a custom handle. Great stuff! Next stop - the machine shop! Nik and Gordon both used the laser engraver to embellish their boxes. Gordon's image is scanned from his original drawing.

These are the second boxes these students have created, and now they are off to Module Three - a birch plywood cubby box - which is their introduction to the machine shop.

A "Dream Box" made into an award for DC Action for Children, witha highly figured laser engraved cherry top, curly maple body with maple feet and handles.

New awards created for DC Action for Children. This one is laser engraved curly cherry, with a tiger maple base and curly maple logo disc.

Call for Woodworkers - Artist Residency Opportunity

Click the link above and learn about an amazing opportunity for emerging woodworkers and furniture designers at the Artisan Woodshop in partnership with ARCH DC.

The Artisans created over 20 plaques for Councilmember Vincent Gray's Ward 7 Constituent Services Recognition event on January 24th, 2006. We are grateful for his tireless dedication and support of Ward 7 residents, businesses and services - of which we are one! Also, many thanks to Comcast for their funding for these awards!




A close-up of some of the laser engraved cherry awards. They were each personalized using our original design and a custom logo provided my Councilmember Gray. Once engraved, they were color filled with black paint, to increase the contrast of the engraved text. In order to achieve this effect, each plaque was masked and painted through, and the masking was painstakingly removed by hand by Diante M., an AM Artisan. We enjoyed this project!

Anthony K. with a solid mahogany coffee table custom made for Sue W. Note the redheart inlay! Sue saw us at the Barracks Row festival in October 2005 and ordered a table in December! We were proud to made it for her! Thanks, Sue!

An Inspiration Box made for Mrs. Carmen Robles - Inman, from the board of the Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative. The logo on the top was laser engraved. The box is mahogany, with an ambrosia maple lid and legs.



A view with the lid open, exposing an additional laser engraved mahohgany detail.


A detail of the lid.

Alec O'Neill joined the Artisans Program as a volunteer shortly after meeting us at the Barracks Row festival on October of 2005. After serving as a volunteer with the Red Cross after hurricane Katrina, he spent two months of Mondays supporting our youth and staff. He is a great woodworker, and will be sorely missed as he transitions off into a great new position on the Hill. Alec, beware - we will be hitting you up for that tour of the Capitol soon!

Featured in the District Chronicles!

Thanks to Khadijah Ali Colemann, writer for the District Chronicles who moonlights as the Assistant Director of the CHW Peer Supported Pregnancy Prevention Program, the Artisans were featured in the District Chronicles - you can find the great article here.

Laser Cut Name Puzzles!

We were lucky enough to have a wonderful commission late in the holiday season. These great laser cut puzzles were the brainchild of Laurie Magovern, for her son, nieces and nephews for the holidays.

an unpainted finished puzzle

A painted prototype

Nolan with his puzzle!


Everybody loved their puzzles!

Laurie now is officially an angel in our shop - she has an honorary section of the machine shop, and is welcome to come and stand in it any time she likes! Yay Laurie!
You had a GREAT IDEA!

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Youth at Work! Awards

JR, EEOC Vice Chair Naomi Earp, and Sharvona (nice smile, Sharvona!) with the completed awards at the EEOC headquarters on December 20th, 2005. We were met with a beautiful reception, greeted by many staff, and the outh received well deserved praise for their work. The awards will be presented to five EEOC sites who have demonstrated a significant commitment to supporting EEOC's Youth@Work initiative - a national education and outreach campaign to promote equal employment opportunity for America's next generation of workers. This was a significant commission for our students, and we are proud of our partnership.

The Artisans in the Washington Post!

The Artisans were interviewed by Marc Fisher of the Washington Post in October, after he met them at the amazingly successful Arts On Foot craft show and sale event September 17th, 2005. Print a copy of the article here!

Order Custom Tables!

Download a custom table catalog here!


Contact us for information about ordering a custom made table!



P.J. and his solid walnut and african mahogany table from the summer of 2004.

Cherry tables made for Marie and Chris Cox (2004), and Steve with his bookshelf (2003).


A butternut and walnut table by Clarence, Spring 2005.

Tyrone's Cutting Board

Tyrone had a request from a family associate who learned about a cutting board that he had made, and offered to purchase one from him. With some help from Larry and Matt, tyrone was able to take scraps of assorted hardwoods, laminate them together, plane them flat, and band saw an undulating curve along the edge. He sold his cutting board for over $30.00. 

Sheldon and Brian McAuley's farewell box

Sheldon Duffus and a box made for retiring Covenant House Board Chairman Brian McAuley. It is one of our Inspiration boxes, made from curly maple and african mahogany, with a CNC carved cherry Covenant House Dove logo on top, and a CNC carved cherry plaque on the interior.

The Mayor visits Western Market and meets the Artisans!

James Flemings shares an Off the Block flyer with Mayor Anthony Williams on at our booth at Western Market in Adams Morgan on Saturday, November 5th, 2005. Issac and J.R. were very proud to meet Mayor Williams, and the Mayor enjoyed the work our students made. Visit the Western Market every Saturday in Adams Morgan - it's a great spot. Learn more at the Western Market website.

Trip to Sugarloaf Mountain

At the top of Sugarloaf Mountain, November 10, 2005. From L to R: Issac, Anthony, Dennis, Larry (Workshop Manager), Steve, and Bob (Volunteer).

A plaque made for Covenant House in New York City, recognizing individuals who made a significant difference in the lives of Covenant House Youth

JR with the awards that he assisted to fabricate.

Awards made for WPFW Pacifica Radio Unvarnished Truth Awards ceremony on September 23rd, 2005. These were made from Madrone Burl and mahogany, and laser engraved.

Sharvona at Barracks Row Festival

Sharvona at the Barracks Row Festival, October 1, 2005. As you can see, there wasn't much left of our inventory at the end of the show, when we wook this picture. We had a great day - over $700.00 in sales - and really appreciated the comments made by the visitors! Many inquired about custom furniture...hoping that those leads bear fruit!

Toy Boxes for Bebe and Bacup

The Artisans assembling toy boxes for the folks at Bebe and Bacups. Each box is made using high quality hardwoods and composite materials, they are delivered primed and ready for the artists at Bebe and Bacups to paint with beautiful designs. These toy boxes can be found at the Bebe and Bacups website.

The newest class of morning Artisans, September 2005.

Lynwood and our first customer at the Takom Park Show - she bought a magnetic paper clip holder, called a Stick To It Paper Clip Block.

Darell, Larry and Lynwood at our first craft show - The Takoma Park Folk Festival, September 11th 2005.

Some recent photos

Charrone with his pencil boxes - January 2005.

Dedicated to the memory of John Tierney, our teacher and friend.

Will S., LaKeisha, NaKeisha and Kendall thicknessing stock for box tops and bottoms.

A set of cedar boxes made by the Artisans.

After John passed away, we took several weeks to collect our thoughts and plan for the future, without breaking our stride or failing to meet the expectations of the Artisans. Before he passed away, John had ordered many hand tools and pieces of equipment, and quite a bit of 1" x 4" cedar to construct decorative panels, designed by the Artisans, which would ultimately become part of a series of pergolas at Lydia's House , a faith-based out-of-school time community based organization located off of Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave. in Ward 8. With that project on hold, we decided to start with a basic project that each of the Artisans could immediately grasp and run with - a box. Over the course of November and December we spent many afternoons learning about boxes. I created a rapid-fire series of exercises that would reveal some of the significant challenges our students faced - workshop math, following verbal or written direction, keeping track of an order of operations - these were not tasks any school instructor had been able to share with our students - and it showed. Their confidence was fragile, and their patience short. Having never approached making a "thing" before, the process of laying out, marking and cutting stock became a series of hands-on lessons in basic geometry. "How many sides does a box have?" may seem to be a basic question - and if you answered four, you're wrong, too. Six sides if it has a lid, and each side has three dimensions that you ahve to take into consideration. We were able to get past the abstract, pencil on paper thinking so often found in school, and cut up a bunch of leftover foam core to make our own box parts.

In order to teach about joints and thicknesses, we laminated two sheets of foam core - each ply being 1/4" - and made our own 1/2" thick material. Each student created their own parts, with dadoed bottoms and rabbeted ends of the sides. Lids slid in dadoes as well. This was a very challenging project, but was a great first step. We cut with exacto knives, straight edges, and squares. A great way to learn how to measure, mark and cut!

We made a second run at the boxes, which by this point had become CD cases. The Artisans set up shop on the loading dock, and proceeded to plunge right into using the sliding compound miter saw. Over the course of several days, we hauled out a band saw, built a router table, and ran some RO sanders. No dust collection, mind you. It was November in D.C., and our only open space was the loading dock outside the back hallway door. Cold as it got, the Artisans stuck with it. It was a good time, and we were gaining momentum again.

As a team, we decided to spend December preparing a gift for each CHW staffer, to be delivered at the January general staff meeting, using the tools and materials on hand. The Artisans set out to make a series of 100 4" x 5" x 5" cedar finger jointed boxes with hinged lids. This was the first time we produced something as a team, and with the December winds blowing, had to set up shop in a storage closet and narrow hallway, connecting the loading dock to the interior of the building. Our workshop was eight feet wide and twenty feet long, and we had to sneak a power cord up through the ceiling panels into another room in order to access electricity. Using sawhorses and plywood, we created portable work surfaces, and prepped hundreds of feet of stock using a band saw, portable planer, router table, miter saw, portable table saw, drill press, and disc sander. Yes, we had dust collection from a big shop-vac - but only when the electrical panel didn't pop a circuit.

NaKisha assembling the tops and bottoms.

Kendall with completed box sides.

Alonzo cutting finger joints at the router table.

Kendall, NaKeisha and Will resawing stock prior to final thicknessing.

Learning from John, drawing what you see

A view of the Artisans in drawing class the courtyard at 3400 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., S.E.

John Tierney was a believer in learning "how to see", in order to feel confident about making anything. In early October, he conducted a series of drawing classes in the courtyard at the old Community Service Center. Will S. is on his right

The first Artisan project

June 2, 2001 - Scotty Dias of NYC's Urban Wood Design, works with the very first Artisans on the loading dock of the CHW Community Service Center, to fabricate a custom bookcase. NaKisha (Peanut) is working the circular saw.

The Artisans with their completed bookcase.

May 2001 - John Tierney, E. Louise White, Captain Bill Pinkney and Valarie Ashley aboard the Freedom Schooner Amistad.

The Artisans and the Amistad

May 2001 - The Amistad arrives in port at the Baltimore Inner Harbor. Rawn Tarrant and a CHW youth are aboard, having made the voyage up the coast from Virginia

L to R: John Tierney, Rawn Tarrant, and Valerie Ashely. John Tierney was the motivating force and founding father of the Artisans Program. John was an amazing teacher, widely known funrituremaker and visionalry. Before working with Covenant House, he worked as an administrator at Hampshire College in Amherst. MA, at Boston University and was the owner of Leeds Design Workshop, a woodworking school in Easthampton, MA. He passed away in October of 2001.

The Original Artisans

The original Artisans, before our program had a shop. In foreground, from L to R: Kisha, Kima, Paul, John Tierney, Rick, Will. This photo was taken on a trip to Baltimore's inner harbor in the spring of 2001.

Join the CHW Artisans Program!

Are you or do you know a young woman or man who would benefit from being in a paid training program, learning to work with your hands and how to sell what they make?

Covenant House Washington (CHW) has an opportunity for six young adults to join a six-month fine woodworking training program, leading to employment placement.

Our next class begins Wednesday, January 17th, at the CHW Artisans Woodshop, located in the Kenilworth neighborhood of N.E. DC.

Hands-on and OJT trainings include:

• Practical math / woodshop math
• Safety and materials handling
• Production methods and quality control
• Traditional furniture fabrication
• Laser and computer controlled cutting tools
• Basic layout and graphic design
• Specialty retail sales and communications

Our graduates are employed by local and regional cabinetmakers, fabricators, specialty retailers and government facilities. Their work has been featured in national publications, and is sold at regional craft marketplaces year-round.

Qualified applicants are

• Able to commit to a daily morning class, meeting weekdays from 9 to noon, from January to July of 2007.
• 17 ½ to 23 ½ years old
• Possess or can obtain identification prior to program start
• Have a HS diploma or GED, or
  
• Is enrolled in a GED program,or
• Completes an assessment screening for CHW GED enrollment and demonstrates readiness to take the GED within their six month enrollment period.
• Demonstrates an interest in learning and working with their hands.

Benefits include:

• Hourly stipends, with the possibility of earning up to $700/mo.
• Free DC metro fare
• Free hot daily meal
• All shop supplies available at no charge
• Employment placement upon successful completion

While enrolled, Artisans receive any needed educational, vocational or social supports and services from Covenant House Washington, in order to reinforce their attendance and skills retention.

HOW TO APPLY:

1. Interested youth need to complete an intake in the Service Management offices at Covenant House’s Community Service Center, 2001 Mississippi Ave. SE. weekdays between 9 AM and 6 PM.

2. Once intake is compelte, all qualified youth will recieve a program application and be scheduled for an interview at the Artisans woodshop prior to the start of class.

IMPORTANT : Intake Deadline is 6 PM on Friday, January 12^th.

If you have any questions, please email Matt Barinholtz or call the woodshop at (202) 610-6519.