Press Release

May, 2012

Furniture with Soul

Presented in conjunction with the book Furniture with Soul by David Savage

June 1 – July 13 at Gallery NAGA

Continuing its exploration of studio furniture, Gallery NAGA assembles an all-star cast of furnituremakers from throughout the country and across the Atlantic.  Eighteen outstanding examples from the pantheon of living furnituremakers will be on exhibit.

Furniture with Soul will run from June 1 to July 13 at Gallery NAGA.  A book signing, cosponsored by Porter Square Books, with the author and furnituremaker, David Savage, will be held at the gallery on Friday, June 1 at 5 pm.  A reception for the makers and the public will be held on Friday, June 1 from 6 to 8 pm.

The furnituremakers are

Garry Knox Bennett           Jack Larimore

John Cederquist                John Makepeace

Peter Danko                      Judy Kensley McKie

Thomas Hucker                David Savage

Michael Hurwitz

Furniture with Soul: Master Woodworkers and Their Craft, written by David Savage and published by Kodansha International (2011), is a book divided into two parts.  Part I explores the work of ten highly regarded and talented furnituremakers and Part II features ten budding furnituremakers.  In June, Gallery NAGA will be showing the work of nine of the ten in Part I; next June, 2013, Gallery NAGA will be showing the work by the makers in Part II.

The English furnituremaker John Makepeace is a premiere figure in the field and has worked principally on private commissions, rarely showing in galleries.  His Zebra Cabinets are feats of the imagination with alternating black oak and holly marquetry stripes enveloping an interior of crimson burnished lacquer. 

David Savage, also an English furnituremaker, exhibits a sycamore chair whose sexy curves mimic that of a woman.  The back support resembles a braid with ribbons of wood meeting a seat fit for a king.

Based in San Juan Capistrano, California, John Cederquist is known for traditional forms onto which he applies paint to create illusionistic effects.  His piece Big Kanji, emerged out of a series of kimono-inspired cabinets with surfaces picking up on the themes of 30’s and 40’s Japanese propaganda.

Images of the furniture on exhibition should be found at gallerynaga.com.  Gallery NAGA’s June hours are Tuesday through Saturday 10 to 5; in July, Tuesday through Friday 10 to 5.