Each week we feature a member on our web site and promote them through our social media accounts and weekly emails.
Stephen Yusko
Stephen Yusko’s studio is located in Cleveland, OH, where he creates forged, machined and fabricated steel vessels, furniture and sculpture. Yusko has taught at several schools and universities, including Haystack School of Crafts (ME), Penland School of Crafts (NC), and SUNY Purchase, where he was a Windgate Artist-in-Residence; and served on the Board of Trustees for the Haystack School. He has exhibited his work widely including the Metal Museum (TN) and the Ruthin Craft Centre (Wales, UK) and has received three Ohio Arts Council Individual Artist Excellence Awards and a Cuyahoga County Creative Workforce Fellowship Award. See more on Instagram and Facebook at @StephenYuskoStudios.
Find Stephen on the web: http://www.stephenyusko.com/
Valerie Berlage
Born and raised in Western North Carolina, I helped my grandfather in his woodworking shop as a child and learned traditional Southern handcrafts and painting from my grandmothers. Close ties to my family and a love of the mountains kept me in WNC even after earning a BFA and K‑12 teaching licensure from UNC-Asheville. After working for a local craftsman for a number of years, I enrolled in the Professional Crafts Program at Haywood Community College and began focusing solely on woodworking. While my art has gone through several transitions over the years, it has remained rooted in my relationship with my loved ones, so much so that I named my studio after my two grandmothers. As a real home is built piece by piece, my work is created layer by layer out of wood and paint. The memories and happiness that stem from reflection upon my family and childhood, and that create a sense of home, are interpreted through color, texture, and pattern. These elements are layered with geometric shapes to convey a sense of depth and history, sometimes a likeness to an actual“home,” but most importantly, joy.
Find Valerie on the web: http://laurainelilliestudios.c…
Jonah Neumann
Jonah Neumann is a third year student in the Craft and Design program at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario.
“For me, it’s starting from a sketch, transitioning to a design, then to the process of turning a pile of rough lumber into something beautiful and functional. This and the constant challenge of making design decisions and working out fabrication methods is what makes my job endlessly exciting.
With a distinct modern approach to design and a large focus on quality of work, I seek to make unique, forward thinking pieces that stand out, yet are considerate of their environment.”
Find Jonah on the web: Instagram: jonah.neumann
Cameron Block
Cameron Block is a designer-maker from St. Catharines, Ontario. He is currently a student enrolled in the Craft & Design: Furniture program at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario.
“I enjoy the unique problem-solving challenges that wood poses. Creating forms that are comfortable, beautiful, and functional is something that I always strive for. When starting a new project, I identify skills that I want to develop and design pieces that will challenge me to grow out of my comfort zone. The pieces often end up showcasing the method by which they were created, flaws and all. When I look back at these pieces, they have an endearing quality that captures the spirit of learning and growth.”
Find Cameron on the web: https://www.instagram.com/camb…
Neda Moshg Foroush
A designer/maker from Oakville, Ontario, Neda is a student at Sheridan college pursuing a bachelor’s degree in craft and design. Her work focuses primarily on comfortable, functional designs that interact seamlessly with the human body. Neda has a deep appreciation for the extensive processes of woodworking and she is committed to producing high quality work that is timeless in its design.
Vance Bauman
I am a designer/maker from Burlington, Ontario. I am embarking on a second career and am currently enrolled in the Craft and Design Furniture program at Sheridan College. Having left a career in the financial industry, where being creative was frowned upon, I am enjoying exercising my design and creative muscles in furniture design. I am drawn towards designs and pieces that are solid, strong, and have a presence.
Isabel Catalli
Isabel Catalli is a designer and maker from Mississauga ON. She is currently enrolled in the Craft and Design program at Sheridan College. Her work is influenced by the body, how it moves and how it connects with objects. Each piece is designed with not just a functional purpose but with added elements intended to interact with the body in a certain way. Isabel uses flowing forms in her work to invite the user to connect to each piece. Her designs aim to incorporate texture and gestural curves as they embrace luxury and comfort.
Find Isabel on the web: https://www.instagram.com/icat…
Michael Puryear
Michael Puryear is a self-taught, nationally acclaimed furniture designer, and maker who mastered his craft through reading and experimentation. Imaginative and discerning clients will enjoy working with this thoughtful, highly creative designer/maker to address their furniture needs.
Michael Puryear’s designs are infused with“shibui”, the Japanese term for simple elegance. His disciplined designs often include curved elements and contrasting woods. Michael works primarily in wood because of its warmth and appeal to the hand.
The inspired elegance of Michael Puryear’s furniture can compliment any modern, contemporary or eclectic environment. He is based in Shokan, NY.
Find Michael on the web: http://www.michaelpuryear.com/
Peter Scheidt
“From an early age I have been obsessed with making. I learned the joy and compulsion for handcrafting from my parents; I grew up working countless hours alongside my parents either in the garage, woodshop, or building site. Growing up on an old farm in Northern Illinois there was always a machine to fix, a car to repair, or a board to replace. I left the Mid West to attend college on the East Coast and received a bachelor’s degree in media theory from Brown University in Providence, RI. Those four years of studying critical theory continue to inform and inspire me. I have worked designing and building custom furniture independently and collaboratively since 2005. In 2017 I earned an MFA in Furniture Design and Woodworking at San Diego State University and focused on reconciling my degree in critical theory with my compulsion to make objects. My studio practice is research and concept-driven yet firmly grounded in the craft of furniture.”
Peter is currently Windgate Assistant Professor of Woodworking at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Find Peter on the web: http://www.peterscheidt.com/
Joel Scilley
Originally from Florida, Joel Scilley studied art, architecture, and design in New York and Europe and earned a PhD in Media and Cultural Studies. Following these studies, Joel began working as a designer/carpenter/woodworker in 1997. Over time, his carpentry shifted towards fine woodworking, and he made my first turntable and founded Audiowood in 2008.
Joel was named a“Person to Watch” and a“Tech Designer to Watch” by New Orleans Magazine and Apartment Therapy, respectively. He won“Most Unique Work” awards at New Orleans’ Jazz Fest in 2015 and 2018, was a finalist in Etsy’s 2019 Global Design Competition, and won“Best of Show” at The Green Project’s Salvations 2019 salvaged design competition.
Joel has lived in New Orleans since 2013.
Check out Joel’s website and Instagram pages
Chris Martin
Educator, designer, and maker Chris Martin is based in Ames, Iowa, where he is currently Professor of Art and Visual Culture at Iowa State University. He holds a BFA in Craft Design (ISU 1990) and an MFA in Furniture Design (RISD 1994). In addition to his teaching duties at ISU, Chris has designed and produced furniture pieces for both commission and gallery exhibitions. In 2008 Chris and his wife,Tammi, took leave from ISU for two years of service as U.S. Peace Corps Volunteers in the West African country of Ghana. More recently Chris was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship, spending five months in India working with traditional artisans and modern craftspeople to develop a series of contemporary furniture pieces that pay reverence to the richness of India’s traditional craft culture.
Find Chris on the web: http://chrismartinfurniture.co…
Bruce Bradford
Based in Winston-Salem, NC, Bruce Bradford is a furniture designer who is crafting unique works with an artistic and functional significance. Inspired by mid-century Danish furniture, he likes to incorporate sculptural elements into each piece, with the intention of making them“functional works of art”. Born in 1960 in Western Michigan, he obtained a BS in Packaging Engineering from Michigan State University in 1982. He then moved to Winston Salem, NC in 1983 to work at RJ Reynolds Tobacco International. He began his professional woodworking career in 1999 when he received his first commission, a free standing wooden spiral staircase. In 2000 and 2001 he traveled to Anderson Ranch Art Center in Colorado to attend classes led by Sam Maloof sparking his passion for chair making. In 2002 he left RJ Reynolds Tobacco International and concentrated full time on making and designing furniture. Over his career he has created over 225 pieces.
Find Bruce on the web: http://www.bradfordcustomfurni…
Rachel David
Rachel David is a Waynesville, NC based blacksmith, sculptor, designer, and maker. Her metalwork practice is holistic; encompassing art, furniture, architectural elements, activism, collaborations, and gardening. The work focuses on social and environmental justice, community, and communication; analyzing the many layers of colonization, restraints, and expectations across bodies and landscapes. She has exhibited work nationally and internationally in solo and group exhibitions. Her work has been published in numerous books and magazines and is included in the collections of the City of New Orleans, the Simone Benetton Foundation, and numerous private individuals.
Find Rachel on the web: http://www.redmetal.net/
Featured Members
So many great members, so much great work!
Our members are the reason The Furniture Society has thrived for 24 years and counting. We feel it’s important to spotlight those that have taken the time to fill out their profile pages and share their work with the community.
Alan Harp
Based in Lilburn, GA, furniture maker Alan Harp was educated in Industrial Design at Georgia Tech and has been creating custom pieces for over 20 years. Alan Harp Design strives to create that special piece based on the customer’s thoughts, ideas, and needs.
Find Alan on the web: http://www.alanharpdesign.com/
Karen Ernst
Originally from East Aurora, NY, Karen Ernst is a Professor of Woodworking / Furniture Design in the Art Department at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. She received a BA in Studio Art from SUNY Geneseo and an MFA in Furniture Design from the Rhode Island School of Design and has over twenty years of woodworking and design experience. The furniture and sculptural objects she designs and builds have been exhibited in numerous museums and galleries across the US and are included in many private collections. Her work is featured in the Lark Books publications 500 Chairs, 500 Tables and 500 Cabinets.
Karen has been a member of the Furniture Society’s Board of Trustees since 2018 and currently serves as its Vice President.
The furniture and sculptural objects Karen Ernst designs and builds draw inspiration from natural shapes, textures, and landscapes she has observed in her travels to many of the National Parks across the US. Whether it is the silhouette of a tree branch, an impression left by a rock in the sand, or the surface of the ocean, she seeks to capture a bit of the beauty and magic present in our most unspoiled natural places.
Find Karen on the web: https://www.karenernstdesign.com
Joshua Enck
Joshua Enck is a sculptor, designer, draftsman, and illustrator who teaches and maintains an active studio practice in Rochester, New York. He trained as an architect and a furniture designer, receiving his MFA in furniture design from the Rhode Island School of Design and his BSAS from the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois. He taught for ten years at RISD: drawing, three-dimensional design, technical drawing, woodworking, and metalworking. He has also taught woodworking at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center, sculpture at Williams College, and drawing at the University of Illinois and the University of Rochester. Joshua has exhibited his artwork in solo shows at Simon Gallery and at the University of Maine Museum of Art. His work is currently represented by Space Gallery in Denver, Colorado and Jeff Soderbergh Gallery in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. He has been invited to participate as a woodworking and metalworking artist in the Emma International Collaboration and the Echo Lake Collaboration. The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, the Society of Arts and Crafts in Boston, and the Center for Art in Wood in Philadelphia (Windgate ITE Residency) have honored his work. Joshua recently spent five months in India as a Fulbright Nehru Scholar, researching traditional metalsmithing and teaching at the Sushant School of Design.
Find Joshua on the web: https://www.joshuaenck.com/
Meg Bye
Meg Bye is a sculptor based in Seattle, WA. Her company, Knot & Burl Studios creates one of a kind, custom installations that interact and enliven architectural spaces including but not limited to restaurants, professional buildings, and homes.
Knot & Burl has an ongoing collection of ethically sourced and expertly created home objects.
Knot & Burl additionally has a network of artists capable of creating working in a plurality of disciplines which is why much of Bye’s work features multi-media components.
Find Meg on the web: http://knotandburlstudios.com/
Arthur Reitmeyer
Artie Reitmeyer is a Pittsburgh native and currently lives in Sewickley, PA, where he maintains a studio full time. He attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania and received a B.F.A. Sculpture/Furniture Design in 1989. He has been an active member of the Craftsmen’s Guild of Pittsburgh since 1992.
“I choose to make furniture because of its interactive quality. It is not meant solely for observation as in a museum; rather, it is meant for the home, fitting into the lives of the people who use them. It is sculpture but it is sculpture we live with. I make furniture that is meant to be touched and used every day and by those means enhances our lives.”
Vivian Chiu
Vivian Chiu is artist and designer working primarily in wood. She is a graduate of Columbia University’s MFA program and the Rhode Island School of Design’s BFA program. An individual that likes to push herself mentally and physically, she believes in the value of hard work, a philosophy that drives many of her designs. Much of her work is a mixture of sculptural and functional, and shows her interest in the materiality of wood.
Daniel Pittsford
Daniel Pittsford is a craftsman and artist based in Everett, WA. He has specialized in writing instruments and fine desk accessories since 1996. Daniel received his training from Dick Sing, Frank Klausz, Garrett Hack, David Marks, Kelly Mehler, and Yeung Chan. He works in domestic and exotic hardwoods and enjoys making intricate and finely detailed pieces that provide a quiet elegance. His work exhibits many style influences and there is a constant search for design solutions to meet client commissions.
Sophie Glenn
Born and raised in New York City, Sophie received her BFA in Sculpture from SUNY Purchase College, and her MFA in Furniture Design and Woodworking from San Diego State University. She has worked extensively as a metal fabricator and welder for independent makers and businesses across the country. Sophie completed a three-year residency at the Appalachian Center for Craft and is currently the Visiting Assistant Professor of Sculpture at Mississippi State University.
Find Sophie on the web: https://sophieglenn.com/
Charles Gudaitis
“I am a contemporary“functional art” artist who expresses his love of art through real-world objects. I concentrate on furniture, lighting and“Nixie” tube clocks but have worked with sculpture as well. My designs most often are geometric in nature where complimenting geometric elements and forms provide interest and artistic merit. I accentuate the forms using different materials, textures, and colors. My goal in everything I create is to give the work the highest degree of artistic merit that I can. It is about the creation of beauty.”
Find Charles on the web: http://www.vachead.com/
Katie Hudnall
I am an artist, woodworker, and educator living in Madison, WI, where I run the Wood Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I studied woodworking & furniture design at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA. Found materials, drawn and painted patterns, mechanisms, hardware, and cabinets are my jam. I collect jars of old fasteners. I am always up for talking about wood nerd stuff!
Find Katie on the web: http://www.katiehudnall.com/
Conor Keeling
Conor Keeling is a Chicago based artist, designer, and maker. He creates sculptural objects and furniture that encourage curiosity and care. His pieces are often experimental and incorporate bent-wood and stack lamination to produce organic forms.
Conor received a BFA in product design from Columbia College Chicago in 2017. After a few years working as a fabricator, he started working independently out of a shared studio space in 2019, where he develops custom furniture and objects. Recently, Conor began teaching woodworking classes at CIADC.
“My work is informed by a passion for understanding the natural world and our connection with it. I strive to make things that feel as if they continue to live and grow; as if they spontaneously came into existence through a will of their own. I think this impulse is why I was drawn to woodworking because wood itself is a natural material that truly never ceases to be alive. In a subtle way, it is always in motion. I always try to capture this dynamic quality.”
Find Conor on the web: http://www.conorkeeling.com/
Sarah Marriage
Sarah Marriage lives and works in Baltimore, MD, where she is the founder and director of A Workshop of Our Own, a non-profit educational woodshop created by and for women and gender non-conforming individuals, with a mission to provide training, advocacy and opportunity for people underrepresented by gender in the field of furniture making and woodworking. Sarah studied architecture at Princeton University and fine woodworking at The College of the Redwoods (now The Krenov School). She is a member of the board of trustees of The Furniture Society. She has been a visiting artist at Herron School of Art & Design, a studio fellow at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, and a John D Mineck furniture fellow. She has taught at The Krenov School, Penland School of Craft, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, and Anderson Ranch Arts Center. Sarah’s work has shown at galleries and trade shows across the US, including Dwell on Design (CA), ICFF (NY), the American Craft Council Show (MD), and Pritam & Eames Gallery (NY).
Find Sarah on the web: http://sarahmarriage.com/
David Fleming
David Fleming was a subsistence hunter living in the Alaskan wilderness 300 miles from the nearest road when he was offered the opportunity to study with James Krenov (1984 – 86) at the College of the Redwoods in California. He relocated to Arizona in 1993, where he set up shop making furniture and teaching hand tool woodworking skills. He currently teaches at the Southwest School of Woodworking in addition to offering private instruction. He joined The Furniture Society in 2000, served on the Board of Trustees from 2003 – 2006, and continues to volunteer on the Communications Committee.
Find David on the web: http://www.dfcabinetmaker.com/
LiLi Jackson
Inspired by nature and the environment, LiLi Jackson makes sustainable work, frequently utilizing wood, clay and mycelium. Respectful of the artisan traditions she has inherited, she innovates within them, turning methods and materials to new uses. With a bachelor degree in global environmental policy and a Master’s of industrial design, she works in the area in-between function and use, with an eye to nature, space and context. Her fundamental principle is“make the world a better place.”
Find LiLi on the web: www.LiLiJackson.com
Norman Pirollo
Norman Pirollo is a furniture designer, maker, and educator based in Ottawa, Ontario. He designs and makes contemporary furniture and sculpture using traditional techniques. He has authored several books, and his work has been featured in books and magazines in North America and internationally. He is currently developing a series of online woodworking courses.
Find Norman on the web: www.refinededge.com and www.woodskills.com
Janice Smith
Janice Smith has been designing and building unique wood furniture for over 40 years. Based now in Philadelphia, PA, her interest in furniture began when “Shop for Girls” was offered for the first time in high school. “I still love turning ideas into reality. I especially enjoy playing with balance and asymmetry to create a sense of movement in my designs.”
Find Janice on the web: https://www.janicesmithfurniture.com/
Joshua Torbick
Joshua Torbick is a furniture artist and educator in his final year as an MFA student at San Diego State University in the Furniture Design program. He has a degree in Architecture from the University of Virginia and a BFA in Woodworking and Sculpture from the University of New Hampshire.
Joshua’s furniture forms utilize curved elements of wood, steel and fabric, creating unique pieces to explore the boundaries of function. His pieces range from organic to architectural and provide comfortable seating and semi-private spaces while challenging our expectations of body position.
Find Joshua on the web: http://joshuatorbickfurniture.…
Kelly Parker
Designer-maker Kelly Parker is is based in Parkville, Missouri, where she creates contemporary studio furniture and sculpture. Formerly a biochemist, in 2009 she traded her corporate hat for a woodworker’s chapeau. She has taken numerous design and technique classes at Anderson Ranch Arts Center and the Marc Adams School of Woodworking.
Kelly specializes in using reclaimed, gifted or site-harvested lumber. She designs and creates one-of-a-kind and limited production pieces in her studio, often incorporating other materials such as metal and glass. She also writes and teaches internationally.
Find Kelly on the web: https://www.woodsongstudio.com/
Jonathan Parris
Davis, CA-based designer/maker Jonathan Parris studied at The Krenov School for two years before opening his own studio, called Full Tables Full Chairs, and more recently earning an MFA in Design from the University of California, Davis. Analyzing furniture as a social and structural object set him on a path to researching and building furniture in socially and relationally-oriented ways.
Find Jonathan on the web: http://ft-fc.com/
Teresa Audet
Teresa Audet is an artist and furniture maker based in Northeast Minneapolis. Audet holds a BFA in Furniture Design from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and has studied at the Mount Fuji School of Fine Woodworking in Yamanashi, Japan. She has been awarded several grants including two Artist Initiative Grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board and an EFASO grant from the Furniture Society. She participates in artist residencies and teaches at craft schools nationwide. Audet will be an MFA candidate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison starting Fall of 2020.
Find Teresa on the web: https://www.teresaaudet.com/
Chuck Sharbaugh
Holly, Michigan-based designer/maker and long-time Furniture Society member Chuck Sharbaugh earned a BFA from the Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, MI, in 1975.
“My work has used the traditional furniture form“Cabinet on Stand” and more recently“Game Table” as a vehicles to express the dissimilarity that exists between the prominent exterior architectural features of the furniture forms when first encountered and the vibrant engaging images of the interior façade found after opening the tops or doors.
The shapes and symbols used to embellish the exterior of the furniture forms have been inspired by the architectural landscape I’ve found along many of our highways…..industrial sites, wooden utility poles, electrical towers and bridges are but a few. The parquetry images found on the doors serves to create a visual interest that will entice the viewer to move closer and open the doors to discover what’s inside.”
Find Chuck on the web: https://www.chucksharbaugh.com/
BA Harrington
Indiana, PA-based maker and educator BA Harrington received her traditional training in the Cabinet and Furnituremaking Program at the North Bennet Street School in Boston. After a decade of building custom furniture, she returned to academia and her studio art background, graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with an MFA in wood and a Master’s Degree in Art History. She is currently Assistant Professor of Woodworking, and Co-director of the Wood Center at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP).
Find BA on the web: http://www.baharrington.com/
Ted Blachly
Ted Blachly has been a woodworker / furniture maker for over forty years. He became a juried member of The League of New Hampshire Craftsman in 1989, and was also involved in the formation of the Guild of NH Woodworkers. He is a longtime Furniture Society member. In 1995 he was an invited artist in the inaugural exhibition of the NH Furniture Masters Association and has been an active member since the groups inception. He works out of his studio in Warner, New Hampshire.
Find Ted on the web: http://www.tedblachly.com/
Soo Joo
Soo Joo is an artist from Seoul and Providence with a background in furniture, fine art, and biology. She creates applicable methods to re-design our built environment. The goal of her practice is to satisfy biophilia, the innate human need to feel visually connected to the natural world. Soo recently completed her BFA in furniture design at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).
Find Soo Joo on the web: http://www.soojoo-studio.com/
Todd Ouwehand
Los Angeles-based deisigner-maker Todd Ouwehand finds inspiration for his designs in architecture, and is particularly intrigued by the arch and cantilever principles as applied to furniture forms. He enjoys the challenge of combining veneer with solid wood to produce contrasting patterns while maintaining a consistent look.
Find Todd on the web: http://www.toddouwehand.com/
Libby Schrum
Libby Schrum is a designer-maker based in Camden, Maine. She studied at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship and earned an MFA in furniture design from RISD. Her furniture designs are inspired by the simplicity and function of both the Early American antique furniture she grew up with and the Mid-Century Modern aesthetic she has come to appreciate. Libby develops unique and artful design solutions that address functional requests; quiet and sophisticated objects that represent the sensibilities and soul of the designer and equally satisfy the dreams and vision of the client.
Find Libby on the web: http://www.libbyschrum.com/
Paul Tanaka
Paul Tanaka is a self-taught designer-maker working and living in Ames, Iowa. After thirty-two years of practicing law he retired in 2016 to expand his skills in designing and crafting furniture.
Paul’s design sensibility derives from family and history — a combination of mid-century modern, Pacific Northwest craft furniture, and the Japanese aesthetic.
Mid-century modern principles of rationality, utility and function remain core values. However, in the past several years recent interests in carving, bending and lighting design have resulted in greater freedom of form and a migration to a broader sense of function.
Find Paul on the web: https://www.flickr.com/photos/…
Chelsea Witt
Chelsea Witt is an artist living and working out of mid-coast Maine. Chelsea is a woodworker, furniture maker, and illustrator.After graduating from the University of South Florida with a BFA they have worked and taken opportunities up and down the east coast seeking growth in furniture making specifically. Chelsea has worked for and or studied under artists such as Alexis Dold, Tyler Hays (BDDW), Christina Boy, Aaron Fedarko, and David Upfill-Brown. When it comes to woodworking Chelsea focuses on bringing 2 dimensional shapes into the 3 dimension, all the while putting the importance onto the process and details.
Currently Chelsea is working for the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship and will be teaching or assisting classes coming up there, as well as at Penland School of Crafts and Haystack Mountain school of Crafts.
Find Chelsea on the Web: http://www.chelseacarinawitt.com
Scott McGlasson
Founded in 2000, Scott McGlasson’s studio, Woodsport, has been creating fine furniture and lighting pieces for residential, corporate, and hospitality clients, mixing traditional techniques with an experimental approach. His work has been exhibited at trade shows such as the Architectural Digest Design Show and ICFF, and top flight craft fairs such as the Smithsonian Craft Show and American Craft Council Shows.
Find Scott on Instagram: @woodsport
Find Scott on the Web: https://woodsport.net/
Jordan Poirier
Jordan Poirier is a designer and maker studying for his Bachelors of Craft and Design — furniture design, at Sheridan College, in Oakville Ontario. Prior to attending Sheridan, Jordan worked as a luthier, building and repairing electric and acoustic guitars for multiple years. Jordan’s work primarily focuses on creating lasting objects inspired by the natural materials they are created from.
Find Jordan on Instagram: @jordanpoirierfurniture
Find Jordan on the Web: http://www.jordanpoirierfurniture.com
Audrey Assad
Audrey Assad is a designer currently studying furniture in the Craft & Design program at Sheridan College. Before pursuing an education in design, Audrey completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting. Her background as a painter contributes to her interest in exploring unconventional furniture forms. Audrey is drawn to shapes, techniques and materials that she feels relate to her body and is interested in designing objects that reflect her physicality.
Find Audrey on Instagram: @audreyeassad
Find Audrey on the Web: http://audreyeassad.com/
David Lewis
David Lewis is a designer and maker currently studying at the Sheridan College Craft & Design program outside of Toronto. His work is informed by studies in architecture and music and focuses on creating bold forms with technical and gestural qualities. David hopes to start his own business to create small lines of furniture and also apply his skills to larger works such as public installation and sculpture.
Gwynne Allanford
Gwynne Allanford a designer and maker from Toronto, currently enrolled in the Craft and Design program at Sheridan College. Her work is influenced by nostalgia and merging traditionally opposing concepts and visual forms. She is interested in experimenting with materials and design processes that aren’t commonly represented in furniture.
Find Gwynne on Instagram: @gcobjects
Sam Ladwig
Sam Ladwig was a professional musician, video producer, hi-tech project manager, graphic designer and even an ice sculptor before receiving an MFA in furniture design from the Herron School of Art and Design. Currently teaching and making work in Oklahoma, he continues to be focused on the design and fabrication of affordable furniture. Learn more about Sam at samladwig.com
Julie Morringello
Julie Morringello is and independent designer and maker. In 2011, she founded Modernmaine,a company focused on the creation of contemporary artist-made lighting. Julie’s work blends her knowledge of functional design and manufacturing processes with a love of materials, self-expression and expert craftmanship. Everything at Modernmaine is created in her studio on Deer Isle and necessary components are sourced as close to home as possible. Learn more about Julie at modernmaine.com