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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. 

Chair workshop results and tinyhome shot

We Need Your Help

All Hands on Deck!

Help us 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, and co-create work with lasting social benefit and impact within the community!

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.

Please follow us on Insta­gram for updates on our latest projects!

Sponsors

  1. The John & Robyn Horn Foundation
  2. Sara Little Turnbull Foundation
  3. The Real Milk Paint Company

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