Studio furniture shines at Mass. exhibit

Currier Museum of Art presents "Celebrating New Hampshire Artists," while Pritam & Eames releases  its gallery schedule

{loadposition position10}

The Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, Mass., is presenting its first exhibition exclusively devoted to studio furniture from the museum's permanent collection that will run from Feb. 13 through Sept. 26. The studio furniture exhibition will showcase a growing collection of works from emerging and master furniture artists.

The selected pieces come from a variety of craftspeople including Garry Knox Bennett, Wendy Maruyama and the late Sam Maloof.

Bennett's Chair No. 915 is included, an interpretation of a Gebrüder Thonet chair. "I had some reclaimed Douglas-fir that is just gorgeous stuff - 100 years to the inch - and I started with the front legs," says Bennett. "I made five chairs; just wanted to start out with a loose concept and see what I could build off of - and I did use a lot of color. The back legs are pretty much typical of my wiggly, wavy line. I use that shape a lot. It's actually a comfortable chair."

Made in New Hampshire

The exhibition, "Celebrating New Hampshire Artists," opens March 6 at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, N.H.

The Currier Museum was founded 80 years ago and has been committed to exhibiting and acquiring the work of New Hampshire artists. The collections reflect art that depicts the people and places of New Hampshire, many created by artists with national and international reputations. Selected from more than 1,000 artworks in the collection that were created by 156 New Hampshire artists, this exhibit will celebrate the state's vibrant arts community.

The presentation will include works by furniture makers Jon Brooks, Terry Moore and Jere Osgood; painters James Aponovich and John Hatch; ceramic artists Mary and Ed Scheier, and Gertrude and Otto Heino, and photographers Lotte Jacobi, Carl Austin Hyatt and Doug Prince. The exhibition runs through June 7.

Happenin' Hamptons

Pritam & Eames of East Hampton, N.Y., released its gallery schedule for the New Year. The early spring show, which runs from March 19 to May 25, features the work of Michael Cullen, Greg Smith, Joe Tracy and the collaborative work of Peter Bloch and Ted Blachley.

Its Anniversary Show starts May 28 and ends June 29 and will include pieces built by James Schriber, Brian Newell, Kristina Madsen, Judy Kensley McKie, Michael Hurwitz, Tom Hucker, William Walker and David Ebner.

The Mirror Show opens July 2 and will display work by Andy Buck, Brian Newell, Wendy Maruyama and Fran Taubman through Aug. 3.

Pieces with the theme of "Seating" by Howard Werner, Judy Kensley McKie, Kristina Madsen, Tom Hucker, William Walker, Tim Philbrick and Andy Buck will highlight the late-summer exhibition from Aug. 6 through Sept. 7.

Sfirri honored

Professor Mark Sfirri, a turner and artist, was named a James Renwick Alliance 2010 Distinguished Educator. The prestigious national award lauds honorees for their reputation of excellence and innovation in education, their influence on students in their field and for their contributions to American education in the craft field.

The James Renwick Alliance is an independent national nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing scholarship and education on contemporary American craft, to supporting activities directed toward this purpose and to encouraging connoisseurship and collecting.

Contacts

Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester, NH 03104. Tel: 603-669-6144. www.currier.org

Fuller Craft Museum, 455 Oak St., Brockton, MA 02301. Tel: 508-588-6000. www.fullercraft.org

James Renwick Alliance, 4405 East West Hwy., Suite 510, Bethesda, MD 20814. Tel: 301-907-3888. www.jra.org

Pritam & Eames, 29 Race Lane, East Hampton, NY 11937. Tel: 631-324-7111. www.pritameames.com

This article originally appeared in the February 2010 issue.