Crafting a Legacy: A talk with Bob Ortiz

After three decades as one of Chestertown’s most beloved artisans, master wood craftsman Bob Ortiz is contemplating retirement and how to write his next chapter.

Part of the equation is what to do with his downtown workshop, a place that has become more than a room filled with industrial machinery, lumber and his signature furniture. Over the years, the studio space has became renown for its musical showcases, poetry readings, art pop-ups featuring other local artists and a furniture making workshop.

As far as closing the shop, Ortiz says “It’s usually not a very happy ending,” reflecting on the common struggle of retiring business owners to find buyers who value both the physical and emotional worth of their work. But Ortiz hopes for a different outcome, one that benefits both the community and the spirit of the space he’s nurtured and is currently in talks with community businesses and schools. “In a blue-sky scenario,” he says, “I’d love for someone to come and take my shop, and make use of it.” He is currently talking with commiunity organizations and schools about a further incarnation of the studio workspace.

Bob and his wife, accomplished singer-songwriter Pam, moved to Chestertown in 1997. Both musicians, the duo has performed together for years at community events and concerts, and famously worked on the musical production “Red Devil Moon” with poet and playwright Robert Earl Price.

By design, Robert Ortiz Studios became a prominent art hub in the community as Bob embraced the idea of a studio open to the public, a place where clients for his exquisite furniture mingled with poets and acoustic guitar players.

His presence as a community nexus on Cross Street will be sorely missed.

The Spy recently spoke with Bob about his craft, his aesthetic, what inspired him to become a craft artist, and the value of arts in the community.

For more about the Robert Ortiz Studios, go here.

This video is approximately seven minutes in length.