News & Events

Save money and have some fun during one of our events. Our upcoming events are:

Off to Sunny Florida

Brent is taking his wares to a wholesale show in Orlando.
January 21 - 23, 2012

Learn Painting and Knitting at The Barn

We've got two artists giving lessons at The Barn. Helga Lobb is offering a beginner's Acrylic painting workshop. Liz Miller of Clifton Woolens will be leading a comprehensive beginners knitting course.
April 14 - 15, 2012

Fine Craft Show

We're going to have an open house with several artists on the date of the Studio Tour weekend.

Artists in the Cornhill Nursery Garden

Brent Rourke is going to be at the Cornhill Nursery's August event.
August 18 - 19, 2012

Fall Open House

We're going to have our annual Fall event. As usual, there will be several artists on site.
October 13 - 14, 2012

Christmas at The Barn

November 24 - December 24, 2012

Boardroom Table Wasn't Your Run-of-the mill Project
Telegraph Journal Newspaper, July 11, 2011
Even a master craftsman can have his challenges. Just ask Brent Rourke, the man behind a project of gigantic proportions. The Bloomfield wood worker, who operates the Barn in Bloomfield showroom and factory, was recently commissioned by PotashCorp to construct a 30-foot long boardroom table for Portage Atlantic rehabilitation centre in Cassidy Lake.

Out of the Box
Telegraph Journal Newspaper, April 11, 2009
When Michelle Obama asked Chicago restaurateur Emmanuel Nony last summer if he could deliver lunch from Sepia, his trendy West Loop eatery, next door to Maria Pinto's boutique where Obama was going for a dress fitting, he told her, 'Of course.' He would personally deliver it himself.

The request got him thinking about a takeout container fit for the lunch of a first lady (or, at that time, the wife of a man with a serious shot at the most powerful job in the world). After all, a gourmet meal served in a Styrofoam box is like a designer sheath paired with white sports socks and tennis shoes - it just doesn't go.

Sepia Teams Up With Maria Pinto on Designer Lunchbox
NBC Chicago, October 23, 2008
Stylish West Loop restaurant Sepia has joined forces with its new neighbor, designer-of-the-moment Maria Pinto, to come up with something called the "Pinto Box."
Read More.

Jeri's Organizing & Decluttering News
December 2, 2007
What a treat for a container connoisseur like me! Woodworker Brent Rourke makes some stunning boxes. To quote Brent, "They are elegant and practical, functional and decorative, traditional and contemporary at the same time."
Read More.