The Anne Reid Gallery at Princeton Day School presents Andy Franz: Legacy Exhibition, opening on Thursday, April 2 with a public reception from 5-7 p.m.
The exhibition honors the late Andy Franz (1936-2024), PDS teacher and adviser of 29 years, and parent of Susan Murphy and Robert A. Franz, both graduates of PDS.
The exhibition, on display from April 2 through April 30, brings together handcrafted furniture and woodwork by Franz, his students at PDS, and the Nakashima Studio, where he worked as a master craftsman for over a decade.
Franz has been described as a towering figure at Princeton Day School and a true legend among its many impactful educators, Andy Franz’s influence on the school and its students is both deep and enduring.
Franz was born in Palanka, Yugoslavia (then part of Austria-Hungary). At a young age, he was forced into a concentration camp, where most of his family members perished.
Franz and his mother were able to escape slavery in 1947, with the help of his father, crossing into Hungary. At the age of 15, Franz apprenticed as a cabinetmaker to help support his parents while attending school.
In 1956, he immigrated to Ellis Island, assisted by a sponsor in Trenton, to begin his new life in America.
Franz worked for the acclaimed furniture designer George Nakashima for over a decade before transitioning to a teaching position at PDS, where he remained until his retirement in 1998. The school’s senior award for excellence in woodworking bears his name, as does the Princeton Day School woodshop. Until his death, Franz attended the award ceremonies each year, personally shaking the hand of every student recognized.
On view in the gallery, alongside photographs and furniture loaned from the Franz family and the Nakashima studio, are dozens of tributes from Franz’s former students.
The exhibition was co-curated by PDS arts daculty member in furniture design, Christopher Maher, and arts faculty member in painting and drawing and director of Anne Reid Gallery Gwen Shockey. Shockey is also director of the Anne Reid Gallery. The exhibition is also on view in partnership with director of alumni engagement and strategy Amy Gallo.
