The Furniture Society

10/10/2026

FS27 THE ORIGINAL DIGITal:
The Handmade in a Rapidly Changing Environment
Conference Call For Proposals
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The Furniture Society invites you to submit proposals for FS27: THE ORIGINAL DIGITal: the Handmade in a Rapidly Changing Environment.
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We are accepting proposals for the following programs:
* Pre-conference workshops
* Artist talks
* Panel discussions
* Demonstrations
* Other - What would you like to see/do at the conference to engage attendees?
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Find out more details in our bio!
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FS27 Conference Call for ProposalsJune 10 – 12, 2026Houston, TX THE ORIGINAL DIGITal: The Handmade in a Rapidly Changing Environment Confer­ence OverviewWe live in a time in which we’re constantly reminded of the economic and cultural primacy of digital and AI tech­nolo­gies. In this co...

10/06/2026

Online Member Showcase Series featuring Olivia Van Oot Olivia 10/13 8 pm est
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The Online Member Showcase Series is a casual, community-focused, free virtual program designed to help Furniture Society members connect through the sharing of work, ideas, and experiences.
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Sign up at the link in our bio!
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09/27/2026

The Furniture Society Is Thrilled To Announce Laura Mays (Laura Mays) as the 2026 John D. Mineck Fellow
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Laura Mays is a furni­ture maker and educa­tor based in Fort Bragg, Cali­for­nia, where she has been the direc­tor and lead instruc­tor at the Krenov School (The Krenov School) at Mendo­cino College since 2011. Orig­i­nally from Ireland, she has devel­oped a profound connec­tion to the redwood forests of North­ern Cali­for­nia and to the compli­cated history held within the material.
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The $25,000 unre­stricted fellow­ship, funded by the John D. Mineck Foun­da­tion and stew­arded by The Furni­ture Society, supports early- to mid-career furni­ture makers at pivotal moments in the devel­op­ment of their practices.
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09/23/2026

John Dunnigan: In Conversation w/ Amy Devers
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Saturday, October 17, 2026, 4:00 – 6:30 pm ET
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The Furni­ture Society and the Rhode Island School of Design invite the RISDcommu­nity and the broader design and furni­ture commu­nity to cele­brate John Dunni­gan, recip­i­ent of the Furni­ture Society’s 2026 – 2027 Award of Distinc­tion.
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09/22/2026

2026-27 Award of distinction
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The Furni­ture Society is excited to announce John Dunni­gan as a 2026/2027 Award of Distinction honoree.
John’s award will be presented to him at a cere­mony during The Furni­ture Soci­ety’s confer­ence in Houston in June 2027.
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John Dunni­gan is a designer, maker, author, and educa­tor. His studio work span­ning fifty years has been shown in more than one hundred exhi­bi­tions, includ­ing ten solo exhi­bi­tions, and is included in private and public collec­tions such as the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the RISD Museum in Prov­i­dence and the Smith­son­ian Amer­i­can Art Museum in Wash­ing­ton, DC. 
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09/15/2026

Introducing Heartwood + Sapwood Grants - A new way TFS is fueling makers at every stage of their career.
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Sapwood Grants for student makers
3 students × $250/cycle. Materials, workshops, travel — whatever gets your practice moving.
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Heartwood Grants for professional makers & designers - 2 professionals × $1,000/cycle. Fuel for the next stage of your practice.
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Check out our website for more information!
Link in bio
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09/12/2026

From students to seasoned makers, curators to collectors, The Furniture Society membership puts you in the room with the people and opportunities that move the field forward. Explore membership tiers designed by industry peers to equip you with access to grants, mentorship, resources, and a community that shows up for you. Join us. Learn more at furnsoc.org
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09/09/2026

Furniture making can be a solitary practice. The Furniture Society exists so it doesn’t have to be — we’re a connective hub for makers, designers, collectors, curators, historians, educators, and manufacturers providing real access to opportunity: grants, mentorship, exhibitions, and the people who collect, hire, and fund your work. Learn more at furnsoc.org
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09/06/2026

Featured Member: John Spivey
John Spivey
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Do you have a specific joinery technique, favorite tool, or favorite wood that you like to use?
Why is it your favorite?

My work is a hybrid of both hand and machine techniques. I will hand cut some
dovetails, but the large dovetails on my cloud series are done on a bandsaw. My favorite tool is
the spokeshave. When I break out the spokeshave, the work begins to take on life. It is the means
by which I draw in the detail that identifies my work. Apart from square edges, none of my edges
are machine made. Rounded edges fade in radius and surfaces swell and belly, all shaped by
hand. These details are difficult to photograph, so people are always surprised and pleased by the
varying shapes and counterpoints when they see it in person.
Most of my work is done in domestic maple, walnut, or cherry. Not only are the woods
pleasing to see and work with, they are far more sustainable and available than exotic species.
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09/06/2026

Featured Member: John Spivey
John Spivey
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What does being a member of the furniture community, and specifically The Furniture
Society, mean to you?

Being a member means being a part of a larger community, especially one in which I
might be able to gain a voice for the path I follow in this art.

Tell us about your preferred way of connecting with clients and customers. Do you sell
online, attend shows, fairs, or markets, or primarily accept custom work? Please share any
particular events you participate in.

I have a mixture of approaches. I have an online presence, but also have appeared in
national craft shows like the ACC shows, the Smithsonian Craft Show, and the Philadelphia
Museum of Art Craft Show. Sadly, I have had to curtail exhibiting on the East Coast due to the
extreme cost of shipping my work. I also have had a lot of custom work for clients around the
country who find me in various ways.
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