
Wrest-Plank Octavo Mandolin
2018Made from the wrest-plank, or pin block, of a 1914 piano, the sound holes on this octavo mandolin are the holes that held the tuning pins in tension for 104 years

- About
Zeke Leonard is an assistant professor in the Syracuse University School of Design, member of the Environmental and Interior Design faculty, and Coordinator of the School of Design’s First Year Experience. His research involves the role social responsibility and environmental stewardship can play in contextually-relevant design and fabrication practices. Zeke regularly partners with community groups and organizations to find ways to put local resources to better use. He previously taught at RISD and NYU, and is a regular visiting instructor at institutions including the Haystack Mountain School of Craft and the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. Zeke holds an MFA in Furniture Design from the Rhode Island School of Design and a BFA in Set Design from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
- Region
- Syracuse, NY
- Website
- www.zekeleonard.com
- Media
- Wood, steel
- Professional Status
- Assistant professor
Portfolio

Wrest-Plank Octavo Mandolin
2018Made from the wrest-plank, or pin block, of a 1914 piano, the sound holes on this octavo mandolin are the holes that held the tuning pins in tension for 104 years

"Venetian" style Tenor Guitar
2020Modeled on a 1930’s Kay Kraft Venetian, this tenor guitar is made entirely out of reclaimed piano parts.

Intonarumori
2013These Futurist “Noise Instruments” were invented by Luigi Russolo in 1913. I was commissioned to make them from the original Italian patent drawings.

Scrap Pile Ukuleles
2019These were all built out of my scrap bins, and are all made from woods as varied as chectsnut taht has been recliamed from old pianos, to walnut, to poplar.

Cherry Siblings
2019These two instruments (a soprano ukulele and a baritone ukulele were made out of solid cherry cabinet door left over from a friend’s renovation.