2023 Guest Speaker
M.J. Wilder

MJ is a skilled Artist and Master Craftsman with over 30 years’ experience building custom made pieces, large and small, utilizing wood, metal, and plastic. His work can be found at prominent cultural institutions in New York City, Washington DC, and around the world.
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He grew up in the Mid-Hudson Valley region of New York’s Tri-State area where he was exposed to a variety of Art, Music, and Cultural experiences. It was there that he attended Monroe Woodbury High School enjoying their diversified Art Program. He then went on to Syracuse University where he majored in Design, minored in Metalsmithing, and obtained his Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1987.
His career started right away making patterns for carbon fiber bicycles in Santa Cruz, CA, and spans over the years, designing and manufacturing sporting goods from surfboards to snowboards, building scenery and effects for Broadway shows and includes working at a world-renowned art foundry for famous Artist’s including Frank Stella, Jeff Koons, Tom Otterness, and Louise Bourgeois.
Today MJ can be found in Maine building Custom Furniture and Sculptures. Otherwise, you can look for him sailing along Maine’s Coast.