Abby Mechanic is a passionate leader, administrator, educator + maker working at the intersection of craft, art and design. Mechanic received her BFA from the Maine College of Art with a concen­tra­tion in Wood­work­ing and Furni­ture Design. After grad­u­at­ing, she worked in various design studios, such as Luur Design, Nate Berkus, and Matter Prac­tice. Mechanic then spent seven years working at Parsons School of Design, where she began as a Part-Time Tech­ni­cian and later became the Asso­ciate Direc­tor of the Making Center. She now works at Peters Valley School of Craft as the Educa­tion Direc­tor, overseeing the school's programming, studio spaces, and artistic team. Mechanic manages a wide range of shops, including Blacksmithing, Ceramics, Fibers, Fine Metals, Glass, Printmaking, Photography, and Woodworking. She curates, plans, and executes 160+ workshops a year with the help of a seasonal team that she recruits, hires, and manages on a yearly basis. In her down­time, she travels around the country teach­ing spoon carving and expand­ing the field of woodworking at organizations like North Bennet Street School, Arrowmont School of Craft, Charleston School of Woodworking, and more!