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Craft for a Greater Good

Craft for a Greater Good (CGG) is an initia­tive to connect with and serve our annual confer­ence cities through part­ner­ships and the creation of impact­ful projects. The Furni­ture Society will engage people through the creative problem-solving process of furni­ture making. This will posi­tion craft and design as tools of empow­er­ment and universal connection.

CGG

Craft for a Greater Good will:

  • Inspire young people to work with their hands, engage in creative problem solving, and under­stand the value of making.
  • Exem­plify what our field has to offer, broad­en­ing engage­ment with our members.
  • Help iden­tify and meet a need within the community.
  • Co-create work with lasting social benefit and impact.
  • Expand our membership. 
  • Posi­tion our annual gath­er­ings as more than just a single moment in time, but rather as an ongoing plat­form for dialogue and action. 
  • Allow our members, who carry a vast amount of knowl­edge, to pass on skill sets to the next generation. 


Craft for a Greater Good — How it all began…

During the 2018 Furni­ture Society Member Meeting, a member received a stand­ing ovation for her sugges­tion that the Furni­ture Society find ways to make a differ­ence in the cities where we host our annual conferences. 

In response, the Craft for a Greater Good initia­tive was launched in 2019 in conjunc­tion with our confer­ence in Milwau­kee. The goal of the project was to posi­tion furni­ture and creative problem solving as univer­sal connec­tors, to tap our rich collec­tive skill sets, and to pass those skills on to the next gener­a­tion while making a mean­ing­ful contri­bu­tion to the local commu­nity. Confer­ence atten­dees, partner orga­ni­za­tions, crafts­peo­ple, and local resi­dents collab­o­ra­tively created work with lasting social benefit and have affected positive change. 

Annie Ellie1

2021 Local Resident Fellows

Annie Evelyn & Ellie Richards

In this iter­a­tion of Craft for a Greater Good, Annie & Ellie will be the liaison between TFS and our part­ners at STEAM Studios and our member­ship to explore the design-build process which includes devel­op­ing designs, and proto­typ­ing furni­ture for tiny homes that will be used by BeLoved Asheville as they serve the home­less popu­la­tion in Asheville.

The launch of our new Local Resi­dent Fellow posi­tion will allow us to forge a deeper connec­tion and long-term commit­ment to our host city, ensur­ing the success of this program.

Sponsors

  1. The John & Robyn Horn Foundation
  2. Sara Little Turnbull Foundation

2019 Craft For A Greater Good — Milwaukee, WI

In conjunc­tion with the FS19 Ground­work confer­ence, The Furni­ture Society part­nered with two local orga­ni­za­tions: HOME GR/OWN an initia­tive working to trans­form neigh­bor­hoods in Milwau­kee, and the Milwau­kee Art Museum (MAM) Teen Intern­ship Program, connect­ing teens with prac­tic­ing artists to address issues impor­tant to their commu­nity. During the span of the confer­ence, atten­dees used unique and surpris­ing mate­ri­als to construct benches designed by Madison, Wiscon­sin artist, Tom Loeser, for the Victory Over Violence park.

Sponsor

  1. The Moeller Family Foundation