Furniture Society picks three for Award of Distinction

The Furniture Society will present Awards of Distinction, recognizing outstanding achievement and longstanding commitment by an individual or institution to the advancement of the art of furniture making, to Ronald D. Abramson, Miguel Gómez-Ibáñez, and Mira Nakashima, during its virtual conference on June 8-11.

“We felt like these three individuals made a wonderful statement for this year. Our theme for this year has been ‘Working Together’, and I think that these three individuals truly show the spirit of working together to support, improve, and further our field,” says Monica Hampton, the society’s executive director.

Abramson is an attorney, furniture collector and philanthropist in the Washington D.C. area. He has served on the society’s board of trustees, including several years as president, and helped develop the group’s educational grant program.

Gómez-Ibáñez is a designer and maker of studio furniture, cabinetmaker and president emeritus of the North Bennett Street School. He has been an influential board member of multiple organizations, including the society, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, and the American Craft Council.

Nakashima is the daughter of Japanese-American woodworker and architect George Nakashima, and since 2004 has been president and creative director of George Nakashima Woodworkers, a custom furniture company in New Hope, Pa.

The honorees were selected by jurors Tom Loeser, Steffanie Dotson, and Elizabeth McGoey, who considered nominations from society members.

For more, visit furnsoc.org.  

This article was originally published in the June 2022 issue.