Walsh not only works in wood but marble and bronze. Early commissions included ecclesiastical clients, the Embassy of Japan, and the National Museum of London. More recent commissions include the National Gallery of Ireland and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. University College Cork has honored Walsh with an honorary doctorate. His work can be seen in The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Centre Pompidou in Paris and the National Gallery of Ireland.
“Walsh is one of the finest creators of his generation, a master of wood who conjures furniture and sculpture that blur the lines between art and design.” To get a sense of the scope of this humble man’s talent please enjoy this article from The Financial Times of London:
https://www.ft.com/content/b9acaafe-4ca5-4578-89b5-e6bf3e711aa6
The attached video gives the reader a further sense of Walsh’s thinking and work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBQDhmzaHKA
Joseph Walsh Studio
Joseph Walsh Studio encompasses a design studio, workshop, gallery and archive – all set around an 18th-century farmhouse and the property in County Cork. He studio “aims to create discourse around the value of making, the importance of retaining skills and the impact this work can make within our homes, our workplaces and public spaces.”
Supporting the studio are large buildings within which studio team members work to design and build many of the pieces Walsh has conceptualized and/or designed. Team members come from diverse backgrounds, including architecture, industrial design and product design, to undertake research and development for Joseph Walsh’s ambitious concepts.
The Workshop
The Workshop is one of the leading studio workshops in Europe, attracting the best talent from around the world, in various disciplines including the core areas of wood working and stone carving, with many of the makers coming from such celebrated institutions as the Shinrin Takumi Juku in Japan, Les Compagnons du Devoir in France and Letterfrack furniture college in Ireland. Since the early years of the studio, the influential designer and educationalist Robert Ingham has played an important role in its development, contributing significantly to the dynamic ethos of training, mastery and collaboration.
Training Programs
Walsh supports two training programs: the DALTAE training program that offers individuals the opportunity to learn alongside the team at Joseph Walsh Studio, and the Workshop training program that allows DALTAE candidates to work directly under the direction and guidance of the workshop leader and senior members of the team across an intensive three-year program. The latter program “begins with the founding principles of making and basic woodworking skills, before moving on to more advanced methods and an understanding of the complex and highly developed techniques that are unique to Joseph Walsh Studio.”
The Gallery and Archive
The gallery and archive is a resource for assisting clients, institutions, and the media wishing to engage with Joseph Walsh and his designs. Teams also work with the client should they choose to commission a bespoke piece, using the archive to explore his work across the last 20 years.
The Cultural Program
Joseph Walsh Studio’s Cultural Program attempts to expand on Joseph Walsh’s work creating platforms and discourse surrounding
design in London to an international audience. This includes traditional conversations and panels, as well as various documentary films
96