ANGELA CABAN
As a Broadway dancer, singer and actor performing in “Cats”, Angela Caban would never have guessed where her journey would lead after a fateful day walking home from the theater and stumbling upon a box of World of Interiors magazines. Flipping through the pages showcasing old world decor, Caban was immediately inspired to enroll in FIT’s fine art and restoration program. Upon graduation, she started her own decorative painting business, specializing in 18th century gilding. A chronic student, Caban also traveled the world, learning from and working with French and Italian artists and mentors to master portraiture, still-life, landscapes and decorative painting. The result? Among other things, an opulent ceiling she designed was featured in the August 2022 issue of Architectural Digest.
Now, a professor at the American College of Building Arts, Caban teaches techniques like graffito, fresco, hand sculpting, marbling, wood graining, molding and water and oil gilding. According to Caban, because ACBA blends a liberal arts education with this kind of heritage craftsmanship, the college offers a unique education unlike any other.
When it comes to turning artistic talent into a career, Caban said that while in school learning, it’s important to play and experiment, cultivating the eye and honing the hand skills, because trying a technique just once and moving on without practice is never a good strategy. “Collect, read and study all of the books as well,” she added, “because you’re only as good as your library.”
CAROLYNE CHARDAC
Currently a senior studying ornamental plaster work at ACBA (where Caban teaches), Carolyne Chardac reached a pivotal moment in her life. In 2018, when her mother passed away and her youngest son left home for college, Chardac visited Charleston and toured ACBA, where she knew she had found her new way forward. Starting life over in her 50s wasn’t easy, but staying at her desk job in Atlanta was not an option. She took the leap and never looked back.
When Chardac was doing restoration work on nine-foot scaffolding at Hardwick Hall, an Elizabethan-era country house in Derbyshire, England, she gazed out the windows at the lush English countryside and caught herself tearing up with joy and gratitude. “Experiencing the old world alters the chemistry of who you are,” Chardac said of her externship, which she spent training and traveling all over England with master plasterer Philip Gaches. Gaining further knowledge and experience by working at Auberlet et Laurent, a Parisian-based atelier, Chardac constructed intricate cornices, ceilings, ornaments, columns and moldings.
Chardac’s next adventures will take her across the United States, renovating historic churches, buildings and residences as well as setting up her own permanent studio for local work.
MARGARET CONWAY
Another transformational story at ACBA is that of Margaret Conway, who was invited to tour the college with her son. She was so profoundly impressed with the campus and the traditional building trades being offered that she was inspired to join her child and return to school. Undeterred by the challenge of embracing a lifestyle change, Conway, a mother of six children with a background in advertising, communications and real estate, courageously embarked on this new endeavor.
Growing up, Conway spent her summers in Ireland, which cultivated her deep appreciation for architecture and preservation. This passion led her to specialize in ornamental plasterwork and decorative arts, a program that encompasses coursework in gilding, verre eglomise, faux marbling and wood graining. Last summer, Conway had the privilege of working on the plaster restoration of a 30,000-square-foot French neoclassical-style mansion in Newport, Rhode Island, during her externship with the acclaimed Kirby-Perkins firm. The summer prior to that, Conway collaborated with the world-renowned historical preservation firm EverGreen Architectural Arts in New York City on restoring the Ascension Roman Catholic Church on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, the Shubert Theatre in Times Square and the historic moldings at the Waldorf Astoria.
Through ACBA, Conway was recently selected to participate in the Richard H. Driehaus Study Abroad Program, traveling with a group of students to Venice, Florence, Siena and Rome, where she gained invaluable insights from master artisans. Conway now applies her expertise in the building arts to her real estate business, Lighthouse Realty Group, as well as to her company Conway Plaster Designs & Decorative Finishes.
COURTNEY BUKOWSKY
Old world elegance meets modern glamor with One of a Find Charleston, whose owner, Courtney Bukowsky, sources vintage and antique furniture to repurpose for her clients. Paying attention to the trends in what consumers are looking for, Bukowsky noticed that her patrons were in the market to find high-drama lacquered furniture. Discovering that a truly professional spray booth was difficult to find locally, Bukowsky rented space and installed her own. As business accelerated, Bukowsky acquired a showroom where she now offers lacquered furniture, along with new home accessories and other home decor to which she applies lacquer and stylish trim. Having immediately sold out of luggage racks at a home show preview party, Bukowsky launched Stay Luggage Racks in May 2023. Stay Luggage Racks is now expanding into a line of products, such as luxury sheets and robes, that will enhance unforgettable guest room experiences.
Bukowsky said that because business changes over time, it’s important to tune into what markets are doing and to be prepared to evolve when an opportunity presents itself.
As these artisans have demonstrated, no matter what your craft may be, tap into the gift you might not yet know you have by taking the first step and following the path, wherever it may lead. As professor Caban said, “the hand of the artist is what makes the architecture, the sculpture or the painting so special.” She added, “Women are wired for beauty and we need a lot more beauty in the world.”
By Sarah Rose
