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. 

TFS is excited to be part­ner­ing with YAYA, an orga­ni­za­tion serving New Orleans area chil­dren and youth through educa­tional expe­ri­ences and entre­pre­neur­ship oppor­tu­ni­ties in the arts. 

YAYA’s mission — to empower creative young people to become success­ful adults — posi­tions YAYA as an ideal CGG partner.

This iter­a­tion Craft for a Greater Good will be held at STEAM studios — on the campus of UNC Asheville. Brent Skid­more and his talented team will help educate local youth and teach them to create furni­ture for BeLoved Asheville, an orga­ni­za­tion that helps build micro homes for those in need. 

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.