
Chest on Chest Installation View
Wriston Art Center, Lawrence University, Appleton, WI
- About
BA Harrington received her traditional training in the Cabinet and Furnituremaking Program at the North Bennet Street School in Boston. After a decade of building custom furniture, she returned to academia and her studio art background, graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with an MFA in wood, and a Master’s Degree in Art History. She is currently Associate Professor of Woodworking, and Director of the Wood Center at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP).
Harrington’s sculptural installations reference iconic early American furniture forms built specifically for use by women. Her largest body of work investigates the Hadley chests, a large grouping of dowry chests built in Western Massachusetts during the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
- Region
- Indiana, PA
- Website
- www.baharrington.com
- Media
- Wood
- Professional Status
- Educator
Portfolio

Chest on Chest Installation View 2
Wriston Art Center, Lawrence University, Appleton, WI
Stacked Chests

Original Hadley chest
circa 1710, Chipstone FoundationTeaching in the IUP Woodshop

Working on "Hope" Chest
2019 World Wood Day event, Graz, Austria
Red Dowager
White oak, aniline dye, cotton voile
Lineage no. 2
Red oak, aniline dye, linen, silk organza, embroidery floss
"Hope" Chest
Birch plywood, milk paintMany thanks to fellow FS members Jenna Goldberg, Katie Hudnall, and Bill Shairer for their help with the painting. I wouldn’t have finished in time without their assistance!

rocker Rocker
Poplar, milk paint, birch plywood
Lineage no. 3
Birch plywood, milk paint, cotton voile, projected video
Lineage no. 1
Red oak, antique linens