FS19: Groundwork

the Inspiration, Intersections and Experimentation of Furniture Practice

The Furniture Society is proud to present GROUNDWORK, the Society’s annual conference, The conference will be held in partnership with The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) from June 19-22, 2019 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The idea of 'research' or 'where inspiration is drawn for practice' is a topic of interest to a wide range of furniture makers. In the broadest sense, research is a practice that looks backwards, forward, as well as-side-to-side. It relates to the creation of historic context as well as to engagement around processes and behaviors that impact the future. In the education segment of the field, professors encourage their students to think through and work expansively, to go beyond the mere cursory explorations of a convenient google search, to dig deeper and slow down. In the field of marketing, research into customer behavior and desires is necessary to avoid potentially catastrophic business decisions.

How can we ask the necessary questions that shore up our history? How can we use research as an important tool to help secure our future and thereby our livelihood? Questions around sustainability of various woods and materials and the negative environmental impacts driven by market needs is an ongoing concern that demand continued exploration. Research ultimately also influences and impacts the future of design: How do we ask questions that inform a practice based in research so that we receive long-term value in the creation of furniture beyond them just being beautiful objects?

In addition to the main stage programming, workshops, and demonstrations, GROUNDWORK will feature happenings like