James Prestini was born 13 January 1908 to Italian immigrant parents in Waterford, Connecticut. In 1930, he graduated from Yale University with a degree in mechanical engineering. Shortly thereafter he returned to Yale and received an education degree, then taught mathematics and woodworking at Lake Forest Academy near Chicago. While there he developed a love for woodturning. During the 1930s he created his famous wood turned bowls, cups, and trays. In 1939 he began teaching at what is now the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago.

When Prestini’s former student, Professor Jesse Reichek, suggested that he join him at the University of California at Berkeley in 1956, Prestini began teaching at Berkeley. While there, he instructed beginning design classes and was instrumental in opening a design laboratory for architecture and design students. Throughout his career, Prestini maintained a presence as an artist and craftsman. His wood and metal sculptures appear in museums across the globe. Prestini died July 26, 1993 at the age of 85.

Sources: Richard Peters, Jesse Reichek, Claude Stoller, and Alan Temko, "James L. Prestini, Architecture: Berkeley," University of California, California Digital Library, http://texts.cdlib.org/view?docId=hb5g50061q& doc.view=frames&chunk.id=div00080&toc.depth=1toc.id, accessed 15 June 2011.

"James L. Prestini, 85, Sculptor and Teacher," Obituary, New York Times, 31 July 1993, http://www.nytimes.com/1993/07/31/obituaries/james-l-prestini-85-sculptor-and-teacher.html, accessed 15 June 2011.