ANN ARBOR — Luke Barnett believes that the intersection between fine arts and skilled trades is a lot bigger than most people think.

Showcasing that intersection is the goal of “Michigan Contemporary Craft,” an exhibit by staff and alumni of the Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute in Adrian that’s on display through Oct. 5 at the Ann Arbor Art Center.

Barnett, founder and president of the woodworking institute, said that SBWI teaches woodworking as both an art and a trade.

“I’m a firm believer that what we do fits in both of those categories,” he said.

“Think about the Notre Dame cathedral,” Barnett said. “Was that built by tradespeople or was it built by artisans?”

Each piece in the exhibit has a dual identity, as both a creative work and something practical.

“Everything here is in an art gallery — it’s art, it’s beautiful — but it can also be sold and put in someone’s home and used,” said Carolyn Racine, who worked on curating the exhibit and is also one of the artists.

Every piece is one-of-a-kind, crafted by hand and created with an artist’s eye.

An entertainment center by Scott Treppa features a mountain landscape inlaid into the front using various wood veneers.

A piece by Zack Fealk titled “Sit and Listen” — made from, among other materials, a piece of walnut that he found in a barn in Maine and shaped using hand tools — is both a seat and a stand for a record player, complete with a case that’s just the right size and shape to hold a record collection.

A freestanding “Creature Cabinet” made by KJ Borucki was designed to echo the shape of a praying mantis. “I wanted it to have an organic shape,” Borucki said of the piece, which is about as tall as a person and includes a cabinet, side pockets, and a few small drawers whose handles are intricate rope-like chains that she made from wire.

The organic feel of the piece comes in part from Borucki’s choice of spalted maple for the body. “I just love the way it moves, like it has a mind of its own,” she said. “It’s really difficult to work with, because the grain switches direction, but it was worth it.”

In addition to Barnett, Racine, Treppa, Fealk and Borucki, the exhibit includes work by Logan Balis, Armando Covarrubias, Peter Densmore, Adam Davies, Jaime Marvin, Michael O’Connor, and Matt Shockey.

The Ann Arbor Art Center’s gallery is at 117 W. Liberty St., Ann Arbor. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 5-7 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.