PORTLAND – “Getting Personal: Maine Architects Design Furniture,” which explores the relationship between craft and design by pairing Maine architects with furniture-makers, is on view at the Portland Museum of Art through Aug. 26.
Twelve individuals or teams of architects contributed 15 pieces, along with preliminary sketches.The exhibition is being shown in conjunction with the museum’s major summer exhibition, “Frank Lloyd Wright and the House Beautiful,” which opens June 28 and runs through Oct. 8.
During the 20th century, such notable architects as Frank Lloyd Wright, Mies van der Rohe and Eero Saarinen turned their hand to designing furniture. In “Getting Personal,” architects who either practice in Maine or have done significant projects in Maine were asked to create furniture that expresses their personal design visions. There were no limits placed on materials or degree of functionality.
Architects presented “napkin” sketches of their designs and, when possible, commissioned Maine artisans to build their pieces. In many cases, the projects became journeys of collaboration between architect and artisan as each explored the conflicts and synergies among design, materials and craftsmanship. The original sketches will be presented along with the final executed designs to map the path from idea to object in a variety of materials including wood, concrete and steel.
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