The Free Edge – George Nakashima’s Legacy at National Institute of Design, presented at the National Institute of Design in 2016, examined a pivotal yet often overlooked chapter in the global history of modern design: the encounter between George Nakashima and post-independence India. The exhibition revisited Nakashima’s residency at NID in November 1964, initiated by Gira Sarabhai, at a moment when the institution was defining its pedagogical and ideological foundations.

Founded in 1961, NID emerged as a central project in India’s cultural modernization, advocating for a synthesis between industrial development and craft traditions. Nakashima’s presence must be understood within this broader framework of nation-building and international exchange. During several intensive weeks on campus, he worked closely with students and faculty to produce 32 pieces of furniture—of which 26 remain preserved within the institute. These works, ranging from chairs and benches to daybeds and tables, embody a rare confluence of Japanese woodworking philosophy, American studio craft, and Indian material culture.

The exhibition assembled these extant pieces alongside archival documentation, positioning them not merely as functional objects but as pedagogical instruments and historical witnesses. Through their exposed joinery, reverence for the “free edge” of timber, and disciplined structural clarity, the works articulated an alternative modernism—one grounded in material authenticity and ethical craftsmanship rather than industrial anonymity.