Adam is an independent carpenter, consultant, and editor specializing in timber and
log framing. He researches, publishes, teaches, and presents on this subject and has
a particular interest in l'art du trait, the stereotomical drawing tradition of the
French compagnon carpenters. Adam lives in the hills of Vermont and travels widely
for interesting projects.
Summarize your Simon’s Rock experience in 12 words or less.
Big ideas. Lifelong friends. Broad horizons. Youthful excess and asceticism bound together.
What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?
The maple creemees. Ice cream is a major food group for me and always has been. I'm not too particular about flavors in the heat of the day.
Is there a particular artist who has most inspired you?
I find more inspiration in the tradespeople of the past who created beautiful things out of the materials at hand. The Shakers have been a great inspiration to me in terms of their material culture, architecture, furniture, and in their approach to structuring their communities. Also, illiterate medieval peasant carpenters who built not only the edifices of the state, but the prosaic and utilitarian structures that sheltered real people living real lives.
Do you have a favorite spot on the Simon’s Rock campus?
The sugar shack. One spring, I wrote my whole thesis sitting in the woods boiling maple syrup, composing my thoughts long-hand on a legal pad. Two decades later, that remains a challenging and surprisingly clear-eyed missive, somehow written to the present me by my young self.
Why do you give back to Simon’s Rock?
To offer students another way to explore what they want to do and what they might be interested in. I believe in what an education in the liberal arts has to offer. I want to make sure experiences I know would have been really positive for me to have at Simon’s Rock are available for today’s students.