Furniture Society will gather in New Orleans

The Furniture Society will host its first in-person conference, June 8-10 at Loyola University in New Orleans, since the pandemic.

“The anticipation of being able to come together again, in-person, is almost too much to imagine after the past few years. We are thrilled to be welcomed by our host city, New Orleans, and our partners at Loyola University,” says Monica Hampton, the Society’s executive director.

“While the pandemic afforded the Society the opportunity to create an online series of programs through FS Connects, nothing beats the power of coming together to celebrate community than meeting in person to learn, share stories, work side by side, and to catch up with old friends and to meet new ones.”

The conference will feature a members’ exhibition and conversations with the Society’s Award of Distinction recipients Rosanne Somerson and Michael Puryear.

Presentations and demonstrations are scheduled with Aspen Golann of The Chairmakers Toolbox; instrument maker Don Miller; Lydia Blackmore on the history of New Orleans’ furniture, Chelse Van Voorhis on working with laminates, and a tribute to furniture maker and educator Alphonse Mattia.

Attendees can also participate in a professional development workshop through the Society’s new program, The Nuts & Bolts of Running Your Business. Other events include a chair making effort and opportunities to explore cultural organizations in New Orleans.

The full schedule is available at furnsoc.org. 

This article was originally published in the June 2023 issue.