Annie Evelyn
Annie Evelyn is a furniture designer and artist known for works that combine an innovative use of materials with humor.[1] She is co-founder of Table Fights.[2]
Biography[edit]
Evelyn received her BFA (1999) and MFA (2007) in furniture design from Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in Providence, Rhode Island.[3]
Evelyn resides in Penland, North Carolina.[citation needed]
Work[edit]
"Creating conceptual dimension through performance"[4]
Evelyn's furniture art looks beyond the functional aspect of furniture furniture maker who is known for her unique sculptural chairs, seating, and objects that act as extensions of the body. She utilizes unexpected materials on the surfaces of her furniture, such as artificial flowers, ceramic tile, cement, graphite, and metal.[citation needed]
“Joy, laughter, and the unexpected have always been at the heart of my work,” said Evelyn in an interview with the American Craft Council.[1]
Squishy chairs[edit]
Evelyn's early work was a series of more traditional wood chairs with geometric patterned seats made from seemingly hard materials. Informally known as the "Squishy" chairs, the seats of the chairs appear to be rigid, but are actually backed with foam so that they respond to pressure like upholstery, by flexing to fit the body. The seats are made out of materials such as cracked concrete, faceted pieces of hardwood, and sticks on end. Chairs from this series received attention after they were shown at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York in 2015.[5] Many of the chair seats were created in collaboration with other artists, such as with the chairs and benches with patterned ceramic tile seats created by Shay Bishop.[6]
Static Adornment[edit]
Breaking away from traditional furniture forms, Evelyn created a series of work titled "Static Adornment", wall mounted structures decorated with ornamented materials such as fake roses, metal scales, and beads, would appear as extensions of the body when people physically engage with the artworks.[7]
Other public work[edit]
Table Fights[edit]
Between 2008 and 2012, Evelyn, in collaboration with Shaun Bullens, organized a number of furniture performance public events in which artist-built robotic, automated, and remote controlled tables were set to fight in a ring in front of a live audience. Events were held in New York, Boston, and Providence, Rhode Island.[2]
Beasts of the Southern Wild[edit]
Evelyn received Associate Producer credit for her work on the 2012 film Beasts of the Southern Wild filmed in Louisiana. She worked in casting and in the art department as an on-site dresser.[8]
Awards and honors[edit]
- Distinguished Artist Series, James Renwick Alliance (2020)[9]
- The Furniture Society's EFASO Grant awarded (2020)[10]
- Wornick Distinguished Visiting Professor California College of the Arts (2019)[11]
- Finalist, Burke Prize for American studio crafts from the Museum of Arts and Design (2018)[4]
- Windgate Fellowship Artist in residence at University of Wisconsin-Madison (2018)[12]
- John D. Mineck Furniture Fellowship (2016)[3]
- Artist in Residence at Penland School of Crafts[13] (2014–2017)
Exhibitions[edit]
Evelyn's solo exhibitions include:
- Annie Evelyn: Multiple Impressions, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Houston, TX (2017)[14][15]
Selected group exhibitions include:
- Making a Seat at the Table: Women Transform Woodworking, The Center for Art in Wood, Philadelphia, PA (2019)[16]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Elements of Surprise: 15 fresh pieces by furniture innovators from coast to coast". American Craft. Jun/Jul2014 Vol. 74 (3): 46–61.
- ^ a b Carter, Beth. "Table Fighting Is Exactly What It Sounds Like: Tables, Fighting". Wired. Condé Nast. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
- ^ a b "ANNIE EVELYN: MULTIPLE IMPRESSIONS | Houston Center for Contemporary Craft". www.crafthouston.org. Retrieved 2020-04-03.
- ^ a b "The Burke Prize 2018: The Future of Craft Part 2". madmuseum.org. Retrieved 2020-04-27.
- ^ Werbler, Annie. "New Colony Furniture by Annie Evelyn". Design*Sponge LLC. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
- ^ Charnov, Diane J. (Fall 2017). "Collaboration in Craft: Spotlight on Annie Evelyn and Shae Bishop". James Renwick Alliance Craft Quarterly: 8–10.
- ^ Helen (14 November 2019). "Lavishly Adorned Chairs by Annie Evelyn Reimagine the Functional Role of Furniture | USA Art News". Retrieved 2020-04-03.
- ^ "Annie Evelyn". IMDb. Retrieved 2020-04-27.
- ^ "Distinguished Artist Series 2019-20". www.jra.org. Retrieved 2020-04-27.
- ^ "2020 Exhibiting Furniture and Sculptural Objects". The Furniture Society. Retrieved 2020-04-27.
- ^ "Annie Evelyn: Throwing a Party and Making the Furniture That Goes With It". California College of the Arts. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- ^ "Artist in Residence". FURNITURE DESIGN AND WOODWORKING: UW-Madison. Retrieved 2020-04-27.
- ^ "Former Resident Artists". Penland School of Craft. 2017-12-17. Retrieved 2020-04-03.
- ^ Sinner, Lauren (August 23, 2017). "Future Fabrication". Surface Design. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- ^ "Architecture & Design: Annie Evelyn". Wall Street International Magazine. August 16, 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- ^ "Lavishly Adorned Chairs by Annie Evelyn Reimagine the Functional Role of Furniture". Colossal. 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2020-04-27.