Fall means it’s time for Fine Furnishings Shows

The fall season is about to begin for the Fine Furnishings Shows with dates in Milwaukee, Wis. (Oct. 3-5) and Pawtucket, R.I. (Nov. 7-9). These annual shows present makers of custom furniture, home décor and accessories with a wide variety of designs, materials and price points.

“These shows provide a venue where artisans have the opportunity to meet with designers, decorators, members of the media, collectors, and the general public to make direct sales, initiate commissions, and generate publicity for their work,” show director Karla Little says.

The Milwaukee show will be held The Garage at the Harley-Davidson Museum, while Pawtucket Armory Arts Center hosts the Rhode Island show.

Both venues feature an awards program, honoring the best in show, students’ work and marketing excellence, sponsored by Rockler Woodworking and Hardware.

“The craft of woodworking takes many forms, and the Fine Furnishings Show is a tremendous showcase of the beautiful pieces woodworkers create for all of us to enjoy. We are proud to help support this wonderful event,” Rockler vice president of marketing Scott Ekman said in a statement.

At the Messler Gallery

A juried exhibition of work by Center for Furniture Craftsmanship alumni and studio fellows opened Sept. 26 at the Messler Gallery in Rockport, Maine. It will run through Jan. 7, 2015.

The work on display is primarily furniture, from elegant, comfortable chairs to sculptural tables and clocks. Center director Peter Korn says that he is gratified to see the school’s graduates exploring a variety of aesthetic terrains.

“This is just what we hope to impart; beyond a commitment to superb craftsmanship, there is the courage to develop one’s own creative voice,” Korn says.

Jurors for the exhibition were Betty Scarpino, editor of American Woodturner magazine; Meg White, director of Boston’s Gallery NAGA, and Andrew Zoellner, assistant editor of American Craft magazine.

The exhibitors are graduates of the school’s nine-month comprehensive program, 12-week intensive furniture and turning programs, summer workshops and studio fellowship program.

They include Nick Barboza of Bangor, Maine; John Beaver of Pacific Palisades, Calif.; Jonathan Brower of Pascoag, R.I.; Mark Buley of Frederic, Wis.; Nicholas Doremus of Jacobstown, N.J.; Reuben Foat of San Diego; Melanie Hamilton of St. John’s, N.L.; Owain Harris of Deerfield, N.H.; Patrick Kana of Rochester, N.Y.; Clark Kellogg of Houston, Texas; Ian Kirk of Bar Harbor, Maine; Mike Korsak of Pittsburgh, Pa.; Chris North of Owls Head, Maine; Mark Palmquist of Frederick, Md.; John A. Pennisi, Jr. of Syracuse, N.Y.; Andrew Pitts of Heathsville, Va.; Monica Raymond of Burlington, Vt.; Michael Scarborough of Sunnyside Gardens, N.Y.; Matt Shewchuk of Melville, N.Y.; Michaela Stone of Rockport, Maine, and Dennis Turney of New York.

After the opening, the exhibition can be viewed online at www.woodschool.org.

Contacts

Fine Furnishings Shows, Tel: 401-816-0963. www.finefurnishingsshows.com

Messler Gallery, 25 Mill St., Rockport, ME 04856. Tel: 207-594-5611.

This article originally appeared in the October 2014 issue.