SCRANTON — When Aiden Martelli started as a lab assistant at Johnson College this year, he set out to make something he dreamed of doing: making a chess set.
He began working on it earlier this year, working 50 to 60 hours a week on the board and pieces. Martelli’s work paid off, with the set among the more than 70 items up for bid at the annual carpentry auction Wednesday evening.
The auction, which took place in the carpentry and cabinetmaking lab in Woolworth Hall, included cutting boards, tables, benches, cabinets, bookcases and freestanding mirrors of various shapes and sizes made by students in the college’s Carpentry and Cabinetmaking Technology program.
More than 50 people attended the auction, many walking around the shop glancing at the items before the auction began. Many of the items were sold for $100 or more.
Martelli, who lives in Forest City, wanted to build his chess set last year but was told by Program Director Todd Campbell there wouldn’t be enough time and that it would be difficult. He had a personal incentive: His great-grandmother, Loretta Marini, encouraged him to make it. She passed away earlier this year.
“I showed (the templates) to her and she really loved them,” he said. “She inspired me to do this fully.”
Martelli worked on the board and pieces between work shifts, finishing it last week. He’s happy with how it and the rest of the furniture turned out.
Mason Miluszusky, a freshman from Fell Twp., spent his first year building three cabinets and helping make a chessboard that were up for auction.
“It feels good to see what it’s all worth,” he said.
Campbell said the auction, now in its eighth year, helps students sharpen their skills, build their confidence and see the value of their work.
“When their project sells for a certain amount of money, most of them are just blown away by it … that’s huge for them,” he said. “I’m very fortunate, every year they dig in and they make some really, really cool stuff.”
Senior Denis Boyle had a piece sell for $1,150 at last year’s auction. He’s glad to see his classmates’ work.
“It’s really fun being in the carpentry class because you get to really express your creativity in your work,” the Throop resident said. “Every year you get to see new and exciting things.”
Auctioneer John Krehel highlighted the students’ work before beginning the auction and said Campbell does a good job with the program.
Proceeds from the auction benefited the Children’s Advocacy Center of NEPA, a nonprofit focused on child abuse intervention. Executive Director Meghan Lennox Gagorik explained the organization’s work, which includes coordinating interviews, medical exams and education, but highlighted the students’ work.
“We are just the grateful recipients of their generosity,” she said.
Gagorik said she’s thankful the students are sharing the proceeds with them.
“The fact that they’re willing to donate the proceeds from their own art is truly the most impactful type of generosity,” she said.
An auctiongoer looks over some of the work from students in the Johnson College Carpentry and Cabinetmaking Technology program at the eighth annual Carpentry Auction to benefit the Children’s Advocacy Center of NEPA on Wednesday in Woolworth Hall on the Scranton campus. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
Work from students in the Johnson College Carpentry and Cabinetmaking Technology program are on display at the eighth annual Carpentry Auction to benefit the Children’s Advocacy Center of NEPA on Wednesday in Woolworth Hall on the Scranton campus. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
Thre work of students in the Johnson College Carpentry and Cabinetmaking Technology program are on display at the eighth annual Carpentry Auction to benefit the Children’s Advocacy Center of NEPA on Wednesday in Woolworth Hall on the Scranton campus. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
A chessboard made by one of the students in the Johnson College Carpentry and Cabinetmaking Technology program is on display at the eighth annual Carpentry Auction to benefit the Children’s Advocacy Center of NEPA on Wednesday in Woolworth Hall on the Scranton campus. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
Auctioneer John Krehel of Krehel Auctions LLC drives prices at the Johnson College Eighth Annual Carpentry Auction to benefit the Children’s Advocacy Center of NEPA on Wednesday in Woolworth Hall on the Scranton campus. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
A woman puruses some of the work from students in the Johnson College Carpentry and Cabinetmaking Technology program at the eighth annual Carpentry Auction to benefit the Children’s Advocacy Center of NEPA on Wednesday in Woolworth Hall on the Scranton campus. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
Abigale Platt, associate director, communications and marketing at Johnson College, gathers students and officials from the Children’s Advocacy Center of NEPA for a photo before the start of the school’s annual auction to benefit the center. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
A woman looks over the work of the students in the Johnson College Carpentry and Cabinetmaking Technology program at the eighth annual Carpentry Auction to benefit the Children’s Advocacy Center of NEPA on Wednesday in Woolworth Hall on the Scranton campus. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)