Emil Milan, American woodworker born in 1922, was a trained sculptor.

• Born: 1922
• Died: 1985
• Hometown: Elizabeth, NJ
• Education: The Art Students League of New York
  Abraham Clark High School

About Emil Milan

Assisted by the G.I. bill, he attended the Arts Students League in New York and made various wooden goods there. After years of creating throughout the New York Metropolitan area he moved to Thompson Pennsylvania, where he turned his barn into a studio. Milan concentrated on creating functional, yet sculptural pieces, primarily producing wooden bowls, spoons, trays, candlesticks, shoehorns, etc.

After leaving the Art Students League in 1951, Milan continued carving figural works and what he called “functional sculpture” in wood (bowls, trays, spoons, and other accessories) at his parents’ home in Roselle. During that time he met Myra and Stan Buchner who were forming a new craft association called New Jersey Designer Craftsmen, and he began selling his works in the group’s Christmas shows. Emil Milan continued to develop his woodworking through this partnership along with the business, and international shows that followed as a result of their success.

In 1957, a carved tray and two spoons by Emil Milan appeared in the Design Wood exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Craft (now Museum of Art and Design) in New York City. The three works were purchased by the American Craft Council for the Museum’s permanent collection. Later, the then American Craftsmen’s Council launched its traveling exhibit program in 1960 with a “Communication in Craft” exhibit focusing on wood and on fiber arts. Three works by Milan were selected for the “Craftsmanship in Wood” display. The exhibit started at the Museum of Contemporary Crafts (NYC), January 8 – February 15, 1960, then travelled to museums, schools, and craft groups across the US. The exhibit included leading woodworkers of the day such as Wharton Esherick, Joyce and Edgar Anderson, Sam Maloof, Bob Stocksdale, and George Nakashima, as well as leading designers such as Charles Eames, James Prestini, and Tapio Wirkkila.

This recognition transitioned him into his later life where in 1961, Milan bought a derelict dairy farm and moved to a rural setting near Thompson, Pennsylvania. He lived and worked there for the rest of his life. During this period he sold his works directly to customers from his workshop and through retail shops. It was during this time where he also started teaching at the Peter’s Valley Craft Center (now Peters Valley School of Craft near Layton, New Jersey) from the Center’s inaugural year, 1971, through 1984. He was an Associate Instructor in 1971–72 and a Resident Instructor in 1973. He taught methods he used carving sculptural forms and functional objects and about varieties of wood species, wood structure, and tool use and care. His students varied widely in experience and skill, from newcomers to emerging professional woodworkers. He taught by demonstration, encouraging individual creative expression and innovation in using both hand tools and power tools.

His works are in the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery, the Yale Art Gallery, the Center for Art in Wood, the Museum of Art and Design, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and many private collections. Once prominent in midcentury modern design, Milan slipped into obscurity after his death.[1] His legacy has been revived by an extensive biographical research project that has led to renewed interest in his life, work, and influence. Milan passed away in 1985.