Neuberger Museum of Art Spotlights Furniture Prototypes

Three winning finalists will be recognized at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair.

by Nicholas Tamarin -- Interior Design, 5/12/2008

Whether it's a custom-built bed in a designer showroom or a mass-produced table in a chain store, all furniture begins with a prototype. This unsung art form is celebrated in "Multiplicity, the Art of the Furniture Prototype," running June 15-August 10 at the Neuberger Museum of Art at the State University of New York's Purchase College.

Co-presented by The Furniture Society, the exhibition features 22 designs drawn from an international talent pool and selected through a competition open to studio furniture makers, artists, architects, and industrial designers

After winnowing down 300 submissions from 11 countries, event organizers selected three finalists to vie for awards of $3,500, $1,000, and $500: Planet 3 Studios, Leslie Webb, and Brent White. The final winning order will be announced at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, taking place at New York's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center from May 17-20, where the finalist's designs will also be exhibited at The Furniture Society’s booth.

Judges for the competition included Thom Collins, director of the Neuberger Museum of Art, Michael Fortune, principal of his namesake furniture design studio, and furniture designer Dennis Miller.

"I was thrilled to see the diversity and creativity of what was sent in, and I know that the jurors have narrowed the submissions down to a fine show," says Christopher Poehlmann, chairman of The Furniture Society's exhibitions committee. "With "Multiplicity," we are attempting to show the first stage in the physical life of an idea intended for multiple production."

"Multiplicity" is presented in conjunction with the Furniture Society's 12th annual conference, taking place at SUNY Purchase from June 18-21. The conference will include a conversation with the jurors of the exhibition.

Brent White's work was chosen as one of three award-winning finalists.

Image courtesy of the Neuberger Museum of Art