"Cathedral Stand-up Desk" by Monica Raymond

“Current Student Work” showcases furniture and decorative objects created by participants in the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship’s flagship course, the Nine-Month Comprehensive. The students who are presently enrolled come from a wide array of backgrounds and experience, including fine arts management, cabinetmaking, engineering, climbing instruction, and health and human services. For many, this exhibition is the first opportunity to see their work in a professional setting. Commenting on the work in the exhibition, the Center’s director, Peter Korn, said “Exciting, fresh designs such as these can only happen when talented individuals explore a new medium, unburdened by ingrained assumptions about the limitations of material, function, and technique.”

Exhibitors in “Current Student Work” are Gregory Boll, from Indiana, Michael Danchak, from Connecticut, Ian Kirk, from Maine, Ryan Meacham, from Pennsylvania, Ted Newman, from Montana, Rob Opdyke, from Pennsylvania, Monica Raymond, from New Hampshire, Alex Roebuck, from Ontario, Arnd Seibert, from Germany, and Jerry Wilkins, from North Carolina.

The Nine-month Comprehensive program is designed for aspiring professional furniture makers and dedicated amateurs who seek in-depth training at the highest standard of excellence. Students complete eleven sequential projects that take them from woodworking fundamentals through the fine points of design and craftsmanship. The Lead Instructor for the course is Aled Lewis, a highly respected furniture maker from the U.K. Lewis is joined by twelve co-teachers who are experts in areas such as casework, finishing, carving, drawing, bending, veneering, and chair making.

The Messler Gallery is located on the campus of the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, located at 25 Mill Street, in Rockport, Maine. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. For more information go to www.woodschool.org .

"Constellation #4" by Kevin Osmond

Everyday Things brings together contemporary works from the collection that depict commonplace objects and imagery, utilize everyday elements in their construction (teabags, fluorescent lights, metal pipes, a bowling ball), or serve as functional artist-made objects, including benches, chairs, and light fixtures. With roots in Pop Art, Photorealism, and design, artists in the exhibition use non-traditional materials and subject matter to transform, repurpose, and represent aspects of everyday life.

The exhibition features 32 works—including sculpture, painting, and prints—from realist paintings from the 1960s and 1970s (Don Eddy, Janet Fish, John Baeder, and Jack Beal), mixed-media works from the 1980s to 2000s (Tania Bruguera, Mike Kelley, Pepón Osorio, Carrie Mae Weems, and B. Wurtz), and recent acquisitions to the collection (Leidy Churchman, Jim Drain, Rob Pruitt, and Jessica Stockholder).

The Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art is located at 224 Benefit Street, in Providence, Rhode Island.  Museum hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am-5 pm; Thursdays, 10 am-9 pm.  The Museum is closed on Mondays and on the following holidays: January 1, July 4, Thanksgiving Day, and December 25.  Museum admission is as follows: Adults $10; Senior citizens (age 62+)$7; Youths (ages 5-18) $3; College students with valid ID $3. Admission is free for Members, children under 5, RISD and Brown students, faculty, staff. For more information go to risdmuseum.org .

"112358" by Brian Reid. Side table in white oak, maple, black epoxy. 50” w x 34” h x 10” d

Initiated in 1994, the SAC Artist Awards encourage and support the work of New England craft artists who demonstrate a mastery of their media and create original and innovative work. Every other year, a panel of jurors selects three award winners, one of the awards is funded by the John D. Mineck Foundation and earmarked for a furniture maker.

The 2012 competition jurors were: Gail Fredell – Studio Furniture Artist, Educator and Arts Administrator. Based in Asheville, NC. Jeff Guido – Artistic Director at The Clay Studio in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Heather White van Stolk – Jeweler and Associate Professor of Art at Massachusetts College of Art and Design

The 2012 Artist Award Winners are: Abigail Newbold (MA), Fiber; Brian Reid (ME), Furniture; Andrea Williams (MA), Jewelry.

Part collector, part craftsman, part designer, Abigail Newbold utilizes a domestic vocabulary to create objects and installations that examine issues of comfort, survival and portability. Born in Boston, she received her BFA from Massachusetts College of Arts and her MFA in Fiber from Cranbrook Academy of Art.

Brian Reid’s studio furniture practice specializes in parquetry designs. He studied at the prestigious Parnham College (Dorset, UK) under renowned makers John Makepeace and Robert Ingham, and creates one-of-a kind and commissioned furniture from his studio in midcoast Maine.

Andrea Williams is an independent fine art jewelry designer. She is an accomplished metalsmith who specializes in contemporary, eco-conscious, nature inspired jewelry true to her belief that jewelry should not be worn as a status symbol, but should instead bring us closer to the earth that birthed the materials.

Reception on Friday, April 27, from 6-8pm

The SAC Exhibition Gallery is located on the second floor, above the SAC Retail Gallery:
175 Newbury Street, Boston, MA.  Gallery hours are Tuesday-Saturday: 10am-6pm; Sunday: 12pm-5pm (through June 24th); Monday: By appointment only.  For more information go to www.societyofcrafts.org .

Ursuline refectory table, 1734–1753; on loan to The Historic New Orleans Collection from Robert Edward Judice; photo by Jim Zietz

From the ports of the Caribbean up the twisting Mississippi to French Canada, this groundbreaking exhibition traces the emergence of the distinctive craftsmanship of Creole America—what the New York Times called “a signature Louisiana style.” More than fifty pieces of furniture, from nearly two dozen collections, are on display, along with tools, hardware, wood samples and interactive components designed to bring early Louisiana furniture-making to life.

The Collection will present four events in conjunction with this exhibition. Reservations are recommended and may be made by emailing wrc@hnoc.org or calling (504) 523-4662.

Lecture: Historic Finishes. Friday, April 20 • 6–8 p.m. (Williams Research Center, 410 Chartres St.)
Salt Lake City–based conservator Stephen Shepherd will discuss finishes used on historic furniture. He appears in costume to demonstrate the wardrobe and techniques of a 19th-century craftsman. (Free; reservations suggested)

Demonstration: Seat Treatments
Saturday, May 12 • 9 a.m.–noon (533 Royal St.)
New Orleanian Mary Cooper will demonstrate different techniques used in crafting the seating surfaces on traditional Louisiana chairs—caning, corn shuck/rush, split oak and cotton tape. (Free; reservations suggested)

Site Visit: LSU Rural Life Museum
Saturday, May 19 • Full day.
The LSU Rural Life Museum in Baton Rouge, with more than 30 historic buildings on site, is the perfect place to observe the technology and architectural settings associated with the production and use of early Louisiana furniture. Following a tour, museum director David Floyd will address the group over a jambalaya lunch. ( $60/person (round-trip bus departs New Orleans 8:30 a.m.) ; $30/person (drive yourself))

Workshop: Bench Making
Saturday, June 2 (SOLD OUT)
Louisiana craftsman Greg Arceneaux will lead participants through the steps involved in building a small traditional bench.

The Historic New Orleans Collection is located at 533 Royal Street, New Orleans, LA.  Museum Hours are Tuesday – Saturday 9:30 am – 4:30 pm.  The Museum is free and open to the public.  For more information call 504-523-4662 or go to www.hnoc.org .

Cabinet by J Blok Studios

The Philadelphia Invitational Furniture Show showcases exceptional artisan quality furniture and is the longest running exhibition of its kind. For 18 years this show has  cultivated an amazing array of handmade furniture and furnishings to suit all tastes.

This year’s show will see more than 60 exhibitors showing artisan made items spanning a great range of styles and price points.  The styles include: modern re-interpretations of arts and crafts, shaker, and art deco; reproductions of 17th and 18th century classics, metal furniture for home and garden, and work inspired by the organic designs of local past masters Wharton Esherick and George Nakashima. And of course there will be completely original, sculptural creations that spring only from the minds of the artisans.

PIFS 2012  will be at a new venue – the beautiful and historic 23rd Street Armory in downtown Philadelphia. The gorgeous castle-like structure is located conveniently near the highways, public transit, and within walking distance from any downtown location.

On Friday, March 23, 6-9PM,  will be the preview party with traditional “Sawing of the Log”. Party and auction to benefit CERF+, an organization helping with the emergency needs of crafts people. Preview party tickets are $15- no discounts available for the preview party, but we have a limited amount of tickets, so ordering early is encouraged.

The 23rd Street Armory is located at 22 S. 23rd St., in Philadelphia, PA.  Show hours are Saturday March 24th 11am-7pm, and Sunday March 25 11am – 5pm.  Advance tickets for Sat & Sun – $10 ( $13 for weekend pass) ; $12 at the door ($15 weekend pass)  Tickets are available through paypal, by phone, or at the box office the day of the show(s).  You will not receive tickets in the mail. Your name will be on a guest list at the door.

For more information go to www.philaifs.com .

Pine Chair by Howard Werner

The work of husband and wife artists, furniture maker Howard Werner and painter Michelle Stuhl, is currently on display at Wexler Gallery.  Werner has been direct-carving sculpture and furniture from large tree sections since the mid 1970′s.  His work is influenced by both classical forms from Greece and Italy as well as primitive carvings from Africa and Oceana.  The tools and raw materials he employs are important to the finished work.  His process is evident in the rough chainsawn surfaces and the untouched natural sections of the trees that are prominent in many pieces.

"Yawar Siwi" (Crimson Ring) by Michelle Stuhl

Stuhl’s current body of work is influenced by a 2008 visit to Peru. ” I found the people and their culture, the landscape, and most of all, the remains of the ancient Inca civilization compelling,” she says. Moved by the Spanish invasion of the Inca Empire, the repetition of gold in this work references the conquistadors melting down almost all significant objects and treasures, to use in the new cities built over the ancient foundations. “For me, gold is the symbol that epitomized the invasion,” says the artist.

Wexler Gallery is located at 201 North 3rd Street, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Gallery hours are Tuesday – Saturday, 10am – 6pm, or Monday by appointment.  For more information go to www.WexlerGallery.com .

Two Squares Table #2 (detail) by John Eric Byers

Each year, the Racine Art Museum welcomes the newest gifts of artworks to its contemporary craft collection with a debut exhibition. Sitting Pretty: Furniture from RAM’s Collection celebrates the arrival of a number of recent gifts of handmade furniture.

RAM debuts these gifts—including pieces by Isaac Arms, Garry Knox Bennett, John Eric Byers, and Peter Pierbon who have contributed examples of their own work to the collection. The show also features two major works by John Cederquist from the estate of Linda Brooks Sullivan and Karen Johnson Boyd’s contribution of three chairs created by Clifton Monteith, Roy Superior, and Dick Wickman. Exhibited within the context of RAM’s existing furniture collection, these new arrivals further underscore the depth of the museum’s holdings.

Artist included are: Harry Anderson, Isaac Arms, Boris Bally, Garry Knox Bennett, John Eric Byers, Wendell Castle, John Cederquist, Eddie Dominguez, Susan Evans, Thomas Hucker, Tom Loeser, Daniel Mack, Terence Main, Clifton Monteith, George Nakashima, Jere Osgood, Albert Paley, Peter Pierobon, Jim Rose, Randy Shull, Tommy Simpson, Roy Superior, and Dick Wickman

The Racine Art Museum is located at 441 Main Street in Racine, Wisconsin. Museum hours are Tuesday-Saturday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm, and Sunday 12:00 – 5:00 pm. Admission is as follows: RAM Members – Free; Adults – $5; Seniors (over age 62) – $3; Full-time Students – $3; Young Adults (age 12 to 18) – $3; Children (under 12) – Free. For more information go to www.ramart.org .

'Antelope' chair, Ernest Race, 1950.

To coincide with the 2012 Olympics, this exhibition will showcase 60 years of British creative talent. It will document the transformation of design in Britain since the post-war ‘Austerity Games’ of 1948. Drawing on the V&A’s unrivalled collections, the exhibition will include product design, fashion and textiles, furniture, ceramics and glass, theatre design, graphics, photography, architecture, fine art and sculpture, and will examine concepts of tradition and modernity, subversion, and innovation.

The Victoria and Albert Museum is located on Cromwell Road, in London, UK. Tickets are required, and advance booking is strongly recommended. Admission charge will apply.  For more information go to www.vam.ac.uk/ .

"Pinch" by Matthias Pleissnig.

Torqued & Twisted, a new exhibition at UNC Asheville’s Center for Craft, Creativity & Design, explores the work of nine furniture makers and sculptors from the United States who use the technique of bending wood in innovative, unusual and eloquent ways.

Co-curators Tom Loeser, an artist and professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Katie Lee, Center for Craft, Creativity & Design assistant director and curator, look at how this specific technique of bending wood is used by these artists/designers who both borrow from and build upon various historical traditions.

"Will" by Yuri Kobayashi

Bentwood came to symbolize the modern movement in furniture design, but it still offers tempting territory for a range of aesthetic and formal explorations. The artists/designers in this exhibition push the limits of wood bending to create extraordinary functional and sculptural works of art that are conceptually challenging and expand our understanding and expectations of wood as a material.

“As a curator, I am always interested in how to make exhibitions accessible and of interest to the public,” states Katie Lee. “I feel that exhibitions such as this, which focus on a particular technique, allow anyone to both learn about a material as well as gain an appreciation for the range of ways that artists use a particular technique like bending wood to create their work. I profess to not being a ‘woody’ – a person who knows the ins and outs of wood — grain, wood type, processes, — that’s why I contacted Tom Loeser. Tom is nationally recognized for his ‘functional and dysfunctional’ art and has mentored some of the best wood artists working today.”

This exhibition provides the context for how the technique of bending wood has been used historically as well as how contemporary sculptors and furniture makers utilize this technique today. A few examples are: Matthias Pliessnig draws from the rib and plank boatbuilding approach; Clifton Monteith offers stellar examples of willow or “twig” bending; and Mike Jarvi “unfolds” his furniture from within the plank, in a brilliant, almost oragami-like motion, for which it is hard to find a precedent. Ultimately, each of these artists has refinedand developed their own repertoire of techniques, which in turn results in a highly personal visual aesthetic.

The exhibition opens with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 10, and will be on view through the end of June.   Tom Loeser will give a keynote talk,  “Not the Straight and Narrow:  Diverse Pathways to Bending Wood,” at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 15 in UNC Asheville’s Owen Hall Room 302. His talk is co-sponsored with the UNC Asheville Meet the Maker lecture series. Loeser and Lee will also give a Gallery Talk from 1 to 2 p.m. Friday, March 16. The events are free and open to the public.

The Center for Craft, Creativity & Design is located at the University of North Carolina Kellogg Center, at 1181 Broyles Road in Hendersonville., North Carolina. Gallery hours are noon to 5 p.m. weekdays. For more information please visit craftcreativitydesign.org .

Cabinet by Craig Thibodeau

The Escondido Arts Partnership will exhibit its third presentation of “WOOD: A Furniture Show,” hosted by Brian Murphy of Murphy’s Fine Woodworking, at the Escondido Municipal Gallery. The event will feature 25 pieces by a gathering of some of the very best furniture makers in Southern California.  Artists include Murphy, Craig Thibodeau, Del Cover, Brian Carnett, Bob Stevenson, Jerry Beaudry, Patrick Edwards, Patrice Lejeune, Dick Ugoretz, and Amal and Shem McNew.

There will be an opening reception On January 14, from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

The Escondido Arts Partnership Municipal Gallery is located at 262 E. Grand Ave., in Escondido, California.  Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.  The gallery is closed Sunday and Monday.  For more information go to escondidoarts.org .