There’s No Place Like Home
NBSS has called Boston’s North End neighborhood its home since its founding in 1881, but the School has only been in its current 64,000 sf facility since 2013. Now, a decade in, three of our 2024 graduating students reflect on what makes the award-winning space key to a remarkable education.
Transforming skills with professional machinery
Christina Hodel CA ’24, first visited NBSS as a prospective student after she maxed out on what she could make using YouTube woodworking tutorials. Within minutes into her tour, Christina knew that the school was the right place to achieve her goals—which included learning all the carpentry skills needed to construct a home.
“I walked into the building, and it felt like a dream,” she remembers. “The facilities and equipment were all I ever wanted. I could see how they would offer me the chance to learn everything I needed to know in carpentry.”
Christina’s gut instinct didn’t disappoint her. “I’ve learned so much here in a very short time,” she said right before her graduation.
Pointing to the expansive machine room at the center of the program, Christina notes over the roar of the machines, “That’s where we have all of our big machinery like the table saw, jointer, and the router tables.” Access to, and safe operation of, this equipment is a critical part of the Carpentry curriculum. So is being able to use it on real job sites too.
“I loved learning how to set up and manage a professional workspace here and then being able to take that experience to our class project in Hanover [Massachusetts],” she shares. “It’s such a great part of our training.”
“I walked into the building, and it felt like a dream. The facilities and equipment were all I ever wanted. I could see how they would offer me the chance to learn everything I needed to know in carpentry.”
Facilities that mirror what you’ll find in the field
Down the light-filled hall, in Jewelry Making & Repair (JM), it’s a quieter but no less focused environment. Each student has their head bent over their work, as is needed to develop intricate, ornate pieces—one clasp, setting, and gemstone at a time. Like every program at the School, JM provides them a dedicated bench where they can focus on their craft. This is unlike other schools, many of which have a shared bench system that requires packing up and storing work between classes.
Speaking to the professional workspace, Zach Westelman JM ’24 says, “Our shop at NBSS is the mirror image of what you would find in the field. And some equipment is top of the line, which you only see in high-grade jewelry manufacturing and fabrication shops.”
Zach came to NBSS after completing his first career in the military and then teaching himself blacksmithing. He chose the JM program after experimenting with forging steel and other alloy jewelry at home. “It felt like blacksmithing but on a smaller, finer scale,” he says. He was hooked.
In particular, Zach has enjoyed operating the laser welder, which he explains is “a magical machine that sends a crazy amount of electricity through a laser beam to weld together alloys.” At NBSS, he had the chance to practice using the laser welder with precious metals—a technique he has since used in his new job at Melanie Casey, a nationally known luxury brand that specializes in handcrafted gold and diamond jewelry. “The safety and professionalism at NBSS are right on the same page as Melanie Casey,” he reflects. “That made for a seamless transition from school to employment.”
“Our shop at NBSS is the mirror image of what you would find in the field. And some equipment is top of the line, which you only see in high-grade jewelry manufacturing and fabrication shops.”
Considering space in the studio
India Patel BB ’24 was wowed by the School on her first visit. “I was struck by the size of the school and seeing the relationship between the departments and how each of them has distinct spaces, but together, it feels like a community,” she says. Walking into the bindery and observing the shelves of books and the equipment required to craft them, India “felt a rush of excitement” about everything she could learn in the space.
Later, as a student worker who helped maintain the School, she had special access to every program. This gave her more insight about how everyone works and utilizes the facility. “You become aware not only of everything being made but also the intensive processes behind each weirdly fabulous treasure or object coming into existence,” India explains. “You also see behind the scenes how the building runs. For example, I got to see [NBSS Retail & Exhibit Manager] Kristen Odle setting up an exhibition and arranging objects to sit in a display case.”
These experiences made a lasting impression on India, and she’s determined to learn more as a result. “This idea of being able to make assessments of a space, how it should run and be maintained, and how the objects inside of it should be displayed is fascinating,” she says. “It’s something that I’ll be thinking about a lot when I run my own studio in the future.”
“This idea of being able to make assessments of a space, how it should run and be maintained, and how the objects inside of it should be displayed is fascinating. It’s something that I’ll be thinking about a lot when I run my own studio in the future.”
This story is from our Summer 2024 issue of Benchmarks magazine. View more stories from the magazine, and past issues.
