Katie Nartonis, writer/curator/filmmaker, and Jo Lauria, writer/curator/educator in conversation on Garry Knox Bennett (1934–2022), an important Bay area designer/craftsman whose singular vision and finely crafted furniture, and sculpture influenced the material culture of California in the 1960s–1970s and beyond. Bennett was on the leading edge of design in the Bay during the counterculture era.

Garry’s Oakland company “Squirkenworks” crafted, many fabulous and subversive products, including the original peace-pins worn by Vietnam war protesters. This event at CAMP is informed by the upcoming exhibit, “Garry Knox Bennett: Crafting the Counterculture” which opens at the Maloof Foundation during Modernism Week 2025.

Bennett, a bit too old to be a true hippie, was raised in the rough and tumble East Bay during the time the Beat Poets were in San Francisco. He studied painting and sculpture at CCAC in Oakland in the 1950s.

In 1962, he and his wife Sylvia moved to the country to raise a family off the land. It was during this time that Bennett started crafting his own organic-shaped works in wood and metal. They moved back to the East Bay a few years later where Garry’s studio work included painting, jewelry, and metal sculptor.

Eventually, he moved into crafting finely wrought wood and metal furniture, lamps, and decorative arts–all with a touch of Garry humor. He started to incorporate 23K gold and fine silver plating in his works and by the 1980s, Garry Knox Bennett had become the darling of important collectors, gallerists, and museums on both coasts. GKB’s work is currently undergoing a “second look” as he is the subject of multiple upcoming exhibits.

The presentation will include the screening of the award-winning PBS/Craft in America episode featuring Garry Knox Bennett.