Parchment is one of the decorative arts’ most captivating and durable surface materials, with origins tracing back more than 2,500 years to the ancient city of Pergamon. Prized by classical and modern furniture makers for its quiet, luminous elegance, parchment brings an organic depth to fine woodwork that few other materials can match. This immersive weekend course introduces students to working with genuine parchment, a specially prepared rawhide material. The course will cover its history and traditional production while exploring the wide range of modern finishes, colors, and visual textures available to today’s designers. At the bench, students will create sample panels while learning substrate preparation, hide handling, and adhesion. The class will also explore studio philosophy, design integration, and ways to incorporate this ancient material seamlessly into contemporary work.