Solomonica: A Series of Cabinets

WHERE:
Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foun­da­tion for Arts and Crafts
5131 Carnelian St., Rancho Cuca­monga, CA 91701

The exhi­bi­tion is a topical reminder that we share more cultural iden­tity than we often realize. Legends of the bibli­cal King Solomon — who was a ruler, wise man, poet, and alchemist– — that flour­ished in the folk tradi­tions of many differ­ent faiths. This inter­twin­ing of histo­ries is also present in the artis­tic tech­niques of Islamic geom­e­try: highly devel­oped, intri­cate patterns that reached its zenith in the lattice and tile­work of 12^th-century Cairo and 13^th-century Granada. In that time, Jewish, Chris­t­ian, and Muslim crafts­peo­ple worked together to build syna­gogues and churches and mosques.

Beston Barnett sees himself as part of a long line of Jewish crafts­peo­ple working within the multi­lin­gual vocab­u­lary of Islamic geom­e­try. Thus, one cabinet tells the Quranic story of King Solomon in the Valley of the Ants. Another illus­trates the Hebrew legend of Solomon’s romance with the Queen of Sheba. A third plays with the alchem­i­cal symbols that Renais­sance Chris­tians attrib­uted to Solomon. Barnett’s designs lay bare a centuries-long hybridiza­tion of both stories and aesthet­ics: a great sharing of ideas and art.

Barnett says of his work: ​“I am a contem­po­rary designer, concerned with contem­po­rary ideas like ​‘truth to mate­ri­als’ and ​‘form that follows func­tion. But the first time I found a Dremel in my dad’s garage, aged eleven, I carved a Kiddush cup. For me, wood­work­ing and story­telling both have this time-trav­el­ling aspect. I’m inter­ested in where the contem­po­rary and the ances­tral can coexist.”

In Alta Loma, the Maloof Foun­da­tion preserves the house, work­shops, gardens, and galleries of Sam Maloof, arguably the most influ­en­tial furni­ture maker and designer in Cali­for­nia history. By show­cas­ing Barnett’s extra­or­di­nar­ily detailed cabi­nets, the Foun­da­tion contin­ues Maloof’s mission to perpet­u­ate excel­lence in crafts­man­ship. Sliding doors and hidden drawers, dove­tail joinery and deli­cate lattice­work, precious gold leaf and inlaid local walnut are all on display. Of the pieces that have been entered in Design in Wood (the largest wood art compe­ti­tion on the West Coast), three have taken first place.

This is the first time that Barnett’s Solomon­ica cabi­nets are being shown as a complete series. And it is in this side-by-side viewing that the works’ over­ar­ch­ing concept — both visu­ally and narra­tively — is most appar­ent and compelling.

Exhi­bi­tion support is made possi­ble in part through an EFASO grant from the Furni­ture Society and the Allied Crafts­man of San Diego.

Beston Barnett is a San Diego furni­ture maker focus­ing on quality crafts­man­ship, solid wood, modern lines, and often incor­po­rat­ing Islamic geom­e­try. In his prac­tice, he uses tradi­tional hand tools and joinery along­side more contem­po­rary tech­niques involv­ing CNC routers and laser cutters. In 1996, Barnett received his Bach­e­lor of Science degree from Harvey Mudd College in engi­neer­ing and sculp­ture, and then, two careers later, his profes­sional certifi­cate from the Cabi­netry and Furni­ture Tech­nol­ogy program at Palomar College. In 2011, he began making commis­sioned furni­ture full-time and even­tu­ally started City Work­shops, a studio shared with a small commu­nity of crafts­peo­ple in central San Diego. Barnett is an active member of the long-running guild Allied Crafts­men of San Diego and the national Furni­ture Society. In 2026, his first solo exhi­bi­tion of wood art, Solomon­ica: A Series of Cabi­nets, opens at the Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foun­da­tion in Alta Loma, CA.

Beston’s TFS Profile Page

Beston’s Website