A 1973 MFA graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, Hank Gilpin heeded the advice of his teacher, Tage Frid, who encouraged him to find a niche in the furniture world and stick with it. Armed with technical skills and a pragmatic design sense that relies on efficient commission work, Gilpin has operated his own shop in Lincoln, Rhode Island, for more than 32 years. Over the years he has built up a loyal base of clients who respond to his type of direct woodworking. His works tends to be historically informed but with a contemporary slant that emphasizes his respect for indigenous hardwoods and efficient, expressive joiner. He is recognized as the consummate master-cabinetmaker, who knows so much about wood and woodworking tools.

For over thirty years Hank Gilpin has made furniture to order for clients throughout the country, designing and building more than 2,000 pieces. Selected pieces of work by Gilpin have been exhibited in museum and gallery group shows, but the rest have been seen mainly by those who own them. In 2009, the first solo show of Gilpin’s career presented both new work and a cascade of images of furniture he’s made for clients over three decades.

Gilpin’s work was featured in New American Furniture at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, in 1989, the show that established studio furniture nationally, and has been in every major museum survey since.