Demonstration by famed wooden boatbuilder a career builder for Abington students

ABINGTON, Pa. — Penn State Abington and two Philadelphia nonprofits, the Independence Seaport Museum (ISM) and the Museum for Art in Wood (MAW), are hosting a return visit by Douglas Brooks, a respected wooden boatbuilder, writer and scholar. He will discuss his work and demonstrate traditional Japanese boatbuilding techniques from March 28 to March 30, 2025, at all three locations.  

Brooks apprenticed with seven boatbuilders in Japan, and he will share experiences drawn from more than two dozen trips to the island nation. His research focuses on the techniques and design secrets of the craft, which have been passed from master to apprentice with almost no written record.      

H. John Thompson, associate teaching professor of art at Abington, explained that Brooks’ work shows students the many opportunities in the arts. 

“As we consider innovative ways to create impactful learning experiences, his work and reflections on his experiences in Japanese boat shops should be inspiring to students and faculty. Douglas’ work also preserves a way of teaching and learning by illustrating how a study of history and an artistic craft can lead to a rewarding and fulfilling life and career,” he said.  

Thompson’s students built a 12-foot duckboat in collaboration with ISM in 2022, and Brooks' visit is in conjunction with a current interdisciplinary course in wooden boatbuilding which focuses on the art, craft and history of wooden boats.  

“While I don't expect the students to become professional boatbuilders, the class is an important example of how many opportunities there are to pursue a sustainable and fulfilling creative life with the foundation of an education in the arts,” Thompson said. 

This partnership with the MAW and ISM advances Abington’s initiatives to make meaningful connections with organizations in the region.  

“These partnerships illustrate to students the range of careers a life in the arts may include, from becoming a studio artist and researcher to work in museums and non-profit organizations,” Thompson said.   

Brooks’ visit is supported by a Penn State Abington faculty development grant, the Division of Arts and Humanities, and the campus art gallery. 

Brooks’ schedule while in the Philadelphia area: 

Friday, March 28  

• 12:15-3 p.m. lecture and boatbuilding demonstration at Penn State Abington

• Evening reception and book signing at the Museum for Art in Wood in Philadelphia 

Saturday and Sunday, March 29 and 30  

• Plane-making workshop at Independence Seaport Museum

About Douglas Brooks

Brooks specializes in the construction of traditional wooden boats for museums and private clients. He worked in the Small Boat Shop at the National Maritime Museum in San Francisco and has since built boats at museums in Japan and across the United States. In 2014, he was awarded the American Craft Council’s Rare Craft Fellowship Award.    

Brooks has taught workshops at Middlebury and Bates colleges and conducted a workshop at the Apprenticeshop in Rockland, Maine, and the Northwest Maritime Center in Port Townsend, Washington.  

About Penn State Abington  

Penn State Abington provides an affordable, accessible and high-impact education resulting in the success of a diverse student body. It is committed to student success through innovative approaches to 21st-century public higher education within a world-class research university. With more than 3,100 students, Penn State Abington is a residential campus that offers baccalaureate degrees in 26 majors, accelerated master's degrees, undergraduate research, the Schreyer Honors College, NCAA Division III athletics and more.