By Ben Joravsky
Anderson and his wife, Elisabeth, have been using the shop at Loyola Park for six years. He’s a graduate student in literature at Northwestern University; she’s a librarian at the University of Chicago. Both have a deep, almost reverent passion for woodworking.
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Paul says, “Every piece of lumber, like every great book, is unique. It combines an almost infinite variety of possibilities, and yet certain governing principles run through it. Woodworking is a rational system that at the same time involves something new. I think all of us get something different from woodworking.”
“Well, Miro’s a very good pointer. He shows you how to do something. He doesn’t just tell you, he doesn’t dictate–he enables the student to find his own voice. For instance, Miro has showed me countless ways of sharpening a chisel–all of which are correct, because there is no one method.”
In February the woodworkers decided to plead their case at a meeting of the local park advisory council. “Allen Ackermann, Loyola Park’s new supervisor, was there,” says Paul. “He mentioned that yes, our particular space was being considered for the exercise room, which he said would be a nice thing to have. He seemed less like our supporter than a benevolent observer. He certainly gave us no long-term commitment for the future.”
Ackermann would not comment, but Park District officials say the woodworkers have more support than they realize. “I know they do a great job,” says Mary Ellen Messner, the district’s north lakefront area manager. “Miro’s wonderful. He made me a beautiful curtain rod.”
