Concept:
Furni­ture in its many forms is simul­ta­ne­ously rooted in the history, customs, and resources of specific regions and locales, and moved forward by the blend­ing and inter­min­gling of those things as time moves ever forward. As makers, we draw upon the vernac­u­lar of our partic­u­lar places of origin; the places we’ve been; the places we long to visit. Furni­ture and place are inex­tri­ca­bly connected in these ways. The objects that we most closely relate to say some­thing about not only us as users, but also about their envi­ron­ment: telling stories that go beyond their basic utility. They remind us of where we came from, where others have come from, and how places shape us and we shape them. Furni­ture carries, deep in its DNA, a record of its maker, its envi­ron­ment, its time, its users, even its climate, and so much more. Place is embed­ded in furni­ture and the objects that we design and make in a completely unique way. This is what draws us to these forms. This is what drives us to make new ones. The objects with which we share such phys­i­cal inti­macy, remind us of where we come from and where we have been.

Eligi­bil­ity Criteria

• The call is open to all members of The Furniture Society. 
  
• Appli­cants must have a current member­ship at the time of submis­sion and through the exhibition. 
  
• Current students are welcome to apply. 
  
• Become a member or renew your member­ship HERE.

Regis­tra­tion Requirements

• All Furni­ture Society members are welcome to submit UP TO three pieces of work for possi­ble inclu­sion in the members exhi­bi­tion. Jurors will make an effort to place one or more pieces from each person who applies. The goal of the Members Exhi­bi­tion is to show the current breadth of work being created in the field.
• All appli­cants must have an updated profile page on TFS’s website with a minimum of six images, a bio, and a link to their website or social media. These six or more images must include, but are not limited to, the work submit­ted for consid­er­a­tion in the members exhi­bi­tion (for example, the six images might be three overall shots and three details of the submit­ted work, or images of six differ­ent pieces). Artists MUST list and clarify which three pieces (and corre­spond­ing images) from their TFS profile page are being consid­ered for exhi­bi­tion. Any appli­cants who do not list eligi­ble pieces and images will NOT be consid­ered for the exhibition.
• All work submit­ted should include title, year, mate­ri­als, and dimensions.
• All work submit­ted must be avail­able to exhibit.
• All work must be orig­i­nal and the artist must own sole copy­right. Repro­duc­tions will not be accepted. Work must arrive in good condi­tion and ready to display. All included artwork must remain in the gallery for the entirety of the exhibition.
• All pieces should be able to fit through a 6’-0” wide and 7’6” high door.
• Work can be hung on gallery walls. Please indi­cate your specific needs when submit­ting the work for review.
• Work needs to have been made within the last five years (2020 – 2025)

Require­ments for Participation

• Artists must agree to Waiver of Liabil­ity and Hold Harm­less Agree­ment in order to participate

• Artwork must arrive at the Syra­cuse University’s Nancy Cantor Ware­house no later than the evening of Thurs­day June 26. If you are unable to drop off your artwork during the sched­ule hours, please email Adam Manley amanley@​sdsu.​edu to coor­di­nate. Details will be emailed to partic­i­pants ahead of the exhibition.

• The Furni­ture Society and Syra­cuse Univer­sity have the right to refuse any work.

• Artists are respon­si­ble for transit, insur­ance, and instal­la­tion of artwork. 

• Artists will partic­i­pate at their own risk. TFS and Syra­cuse Univer­sity cannot be respon­si­ble for any damages to the submitted artwork. 

• TFS reserves the right to photo­graph and distrib­ute any images of work in the exhi­bi­tion for educa­tional or public­ity purposes, via elec­tronic or print media of any kind.

Dates:
Exhi­bi­tion Dates: June 26 — 28, 2025
Call for entry opens: March 12, 2025
Submis­sion Dead­line: April 18, 2025

Fees
Submis­sion to The Furni­ture Soci­ety’s Member Exhi­bi­tion is free. You must be a current member of TFS to submit.

Loca­tion:
Sue & Leon Genet Gallery
The Nancy Cantor Ware­house
Syra­cuse Univer­sity
350 West Fayette St.
Syra­cuse, NY 13202

Ship­ping, Dropoff, and Pickup:
Artist is respon­si­ble for deliv­er­ing work to and from the gallery. Crates or shipped items will not be accepted.
Work must be deliv­ered by Thurs­day, June 26, 2025
Work must be picked up: Satur­day, June 28, 2025
Details to follow. 

Ques­tions
Please direct any ques­tions regard­ing regis­tra­tion guide­lines and submis­sion process to Adam Manley at amanley@​sdsu.​edu

About TFS
The Furni­ture Society (TFS) is a non-profit, member-based orga­ni­za­tion repre­sent­ing, promot­ing, and connect­ing furni­ture makers, design­ers, collec­tors, cura­tors, educa­tors, and manu­fac­tur­ers from around the world. TFS works to realize its mission through educa­tional programs, exhi­bi­tions and exhi­bi­tion support, recog­ni­tion of excel­lence in the field, program part­ner­ships, educa­tional grants, work­shop part­ner­ships, regional events, and annual conferences. 

TFS new mission: To elevate the vast field of furni­ture making by culti­vat­ing creativ­ity, recog­niz­ing contri­bu­tions, and contex­tu­al­iz­ing its role within society.

About the Sue & Leon Genet Gallery
Based in Syra­cuse University’s School of Design at the Nancy Cantor Ware­house, the Sue & Leon Genet Gallery is a student-managed space hosting exhi­bi­tions from the school’s students, faculty, and alumni. Program­ming seeks to engage the Univer­sity and down­town Syra­cuse commu­nity with exhi­bi­tions inspired by and related to the field of design.