Annual Appeal 2019

Dear Friends of Furniture,

Furni­ture is an art that plays a role in our every­day lives and in our imag­i­na­tion. It welcomes our family and friends into our homes, telling a story about how and when we gather, the way we see the world, and our place in it…

Here at The Furni­ture Society (TFS), we cham­pion the art of furni­ture-making by inspir­ing creativ­ity, promot­ing excel­lence, and foster­ing an under­stand­ing of this time­less tradi­tion. For over two decades at TFS, we have dedi­cated our work to break­ing out of the conven­tional silos of furni­ture-making — extend­ing what is valu­able about the craft to build commu­nity. Educa­tional programs, grants, program part­ner­ships, publi­ca­tions, exhi­bi­tions, recog­ni­tion of excel­lence in the field, and annual confer­ences are all a part of our work to strengthen, develop, and empower furni­ture design­ers and makers across the country. 

At this time of year, when we gather with friends and family around the table, please consider joining us in our work of build­ing this commu­nity by making a tax-deductible contri­bu­tion to TFS before December 31st.

At TFS this past year, we posed the ques­tion: How can we bring the beauty and skill of furni­ture design into the greater commu­nity, with a focus on students and artists who might not other­wise learn these skills?

Our answer: the creation of Craft for a Greater Good (CGG). CGG takes our members out of their shops and studios so they can teach and share their skills while impact­ing the commu­ni­ties in which they live and work 

The teens took pride in those design choices they made…and had owner­ship over this collab­o­ra­tive expe­ri­ence, working with people who were really in-the-know to help execute some­thing that was just in their imag­i­na­tion before. — Shannon Moulter, Milwau­kee Art Museum Teen Intern­ship Program Direc­tor (on the impact of Craft for a Greater Good)

CGG’s inau­gural program kicked off at our 2019 confer­ence in Milwau­kee. We part­nered with the Milwau­kee Art Museum Teen Intern­ship Program, connect­ing this local group of young people with Furni­ture Society members. Through­out the confer­ence, students worked collab­o­ra­tively with local Furni­ture Society members, utiliz­ing local resources to design, construct, and install benches in their community’s Victory Over Violence Park. Through our Craft for a Greater Good program and the connec­tions they made with our members, these teens learned valu­able life skills of commu­ni­ca­tion, collab­o­ra­tion, problem solving and construc­tion giving them agency to help benefit their commu­nity in a direct and mean­ing­ful way. We look forward to contin­u­ing this impact­ful initia­tive at future conferences. 

Will you consider invest­ing in TFS and programs like Craft for a Greater Good to help us share the time-honored tradi­tion of furni­ture design, build­ing commu­nity, and working toward posi­tive change through craft? Your gift will help instill value in the every­day lives of artists and commu­nity members across gener­a­tions and through­out the country.

With your help, together, we can utilize the power, skill, and imag­i­na­tion of craft to change our world, one commu­nity at a time. Please donate today! 

Wishing you and yours a very happy holiday season!

Warmly,

Monica Hampton
Exec­u­tive Director