Manning Rare Woods Collection

The Manning Rare Woods Collection at the Rhode Island School of Design is a body of wood which contains boards of rare species, highly figured grain, or very large dimensions. The purpose of The Rare Wood Collection is to allow students and faculty of the Rhode Island School of Design the opportunity to utilize wood of outstanding beauty and value.

Robert B. Manning and R. Bowling Barnes donated the collection in 1974 to the Rhode Island school of Design. At the time of the donation it was the third largest collection of rare wood in the country. The kiln dried wood was the private mania of a cabinet worker and craftsman named Keyser. He was extremely proud of his lifelong hobby and rarely sold any of it unless it was to an artist. He boasted that he had over 115 different kinds of wood from all over the world and was “the only person anywhere in the United States who owned Madeira mahogany.” An eccentric, perhaps, Keyser would go into his warehouse on a Sunday morning and move about greeting each variety of wood with “How are you today?”. Attempts to secure the collection from Mr, Keyser for the Rhode Island School of Design were made several times before his death. The wood was sold by Mr. Keyser’s son to Mr. Manning and Mr. Barnes who in turn donated the entire collection to the College. Approximately 60,000 board feet of wood was loaded onto five 38 foot tractor trailers by twelve students and faculty and then subsequently unloaded by hand into the basement of the College Building where it presently rests. Tours of the Rare Woods Collection occur twice a year in the fall semester and during Wintersession.

Only outstanding designs that utilize the innate qualities of selected pieces of Rare Woods will be accepted. A design project, in order to be considered, would need to examine and explore the aesthetic and dimensional characteristics of each individual piece of wood selected. Wood is awarded to individuals only once during their lifetime. All design proposals must include information such as presentation drawings, working drawings, or models that communicate design ideas and construction methods. Lumber species and dimensions must be specified.

Proposals are to be presented to The Rare Woods Committee for review. A charge of 50% of the current retail value of the wood will be made for awarded material. Upon receipt for any proposals the Rare Woods Committee will meet and notify applicants of their proposal acceptance, rejection, or suggested modifications.

The Rare Woods Committee: Chair: Seth Stem Committee Members: Michael Beresford, Peter Walker, Lothar Windels.

Past Recipients include:

Zeke Leonard MFA '08 [1]

Brendan Ravenhill MID '09[2]

Stephen Keith Szermer MID '10[3]

Picture of the collection on the Biggest Little!