CFDA Newsletter

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Program Schedules:

July 10 - Lisa Elkins: My Work.
Lisa is another nearly new member. She currently teaches at UIC as a day job, and as we all saw at the Form Follows Form show, she is an accomplished designer. Let's see more.

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CFDA Meeting Report:

CFDA Minutes - June 12th, 2007 held at URBAN FOREST PRODUCTS sawmill.

Members present: Matt Seiler, John Kriegshauser, Bruce Horigan, with Erica Horigan and Justin, Bill First, Tor Faegre, Jamie Stevens, Curt Vevang, Dan Kowalik.

The Deceptive Furniture show is slated for October through January of 2008/09. The CFDA still needs to do a final application process with the Cultural Center.

The IDSA is eager to be involved, but due to their lack of experience in this area they're looking to the CFDA for leadership and guidance.

The name "Deceptive Furniture" is ambigous, but may include a wide array of concepts. It may revolve around a piece that multi-tasks. It may involve alternative functions (such as a chair that can be flipped to become a stool). It could involve confusing mateials, playing one as another. It could imply mass and be really light or vice versa. The goal seems to be to lead the viewer's expectations down one path and to have the expectations change as they explore the piece further.

There's a possible size limitation or quantity cap on the pieces for this show. The CFDA is only being given two windowless galleries and so will only have approximately 2500 square feet in which to work.

The Morton Arboretum is looking for a plan from the CFDA for the Ash Borer show. Work is apparently proceeding in that arena right now, but the ball needs to be very much in motion given the short timeline.

Mark Yoenger is interested in having us up to Evanston for this show. Chicago is a possibility, with two different groups reportedly whispering simultaneously into the Mayor's ear on this right now. And the Morton Arboretum suggested that this show also travel to the South and Southwestern suburbs to increase the awareness of the problem.

The timeline for the Ash Borer show at the Arboretum needs to be locked in soon, but it seems that a kickoff on the Labor Day weekend of 2007 is viable and desirable. This would put the show into September and early October, with a possible huge amount of exposure from not only family trips but also school trips to the Arboretum.

And Senator Durbin's office has apparently become involved and is interested in this concept.

As a result of all of this activity and interest in the Ash Borer show, and the short timeline involved, the committee is being requested to step up to the plate soon.

Someone mentioned that the telephone number that's listed to reach the CFDA gets a ring-no-answer condition. Someone also remembered that this number was tied to a home line of a CFDA member who has moved semi-recently. As a result the open concept was to possibly convert the contact method to email only. This segued to the idea that the CFDA may want to establish two independent Hotmail accounts for email correspondence for both scheduled shows. Of course, this also implies that these accounts be checked regularly and that ownership needs to be established for this duty.

We then moved onto Bruce and Erica's presentation, demonstrating how viable it would be to have up to 30% of domestic wood consumption come from the Urban Forest.

Bruce toured us through his sawmill operation and kiln process. They timelined how wood gets from living tree to being cut down, transported to his mill, sliced, partially air dried and then kiln dried. The tour continued to Bruce's warehouse/showroom where he has approximately 35,000 board feet of lumber, from 20+ species, which is available for retail sale to the public.

(Our thanks to Matt Seiler for preparation of this report. Ed.)

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Member Profile:
Jamie Stevens: architect, glassblower, and sometimes furniture designer

I joined CFDA about two years, just before the 'Sustainable' show, to get more involved in my furniture I interests. Everyone seemed so stressed about the opening reception that was coming up in a week or two. So I volunteered to work with the reception committee and got sucked in from there. Actually I have enjoyed my involvement with the CFDA and its members.

So let's go back to the beginning. I have been interested in how things are built and fit together for most of my life. When I was about 8 years old, I was very disappointed to find out that "girls don't get erector sets for Christmas." It didn't matter that I thought that was totally wrong! My older cousin, a boy, wouldn't let me touch his set mostly because he was in that "no girls allowed" phase. When I was about ten, I built a crude airplane shaped swing out of scrap 2x wood leftover from remodeling work on our house. My "tool shop" consisted of a vice, a handsaw, hand drill, a hammer, and a screwdriver. I actually finished it and my dad hung it from one of our trees. I must admit that it was terribly uncomfortable to sit on especially for the boys!

My interest in furniture design began in my early teens from going to the Merchandise Mart with my mother. I admired the unique furniture that I saw there and often inspected the details. I believe I first became interested in architecture from looking at my mother's interior design magazines. I was totally fascinated by the floor plans and the photos of interesting modern houses. For college I went off to UIUC to study in their architecture program and some years later I received my M.Arch degree. At this point I should point out that in grad school my fascination for glass as a building material turned into taking glassblowing classes which led to a design thesis for a public access craft center, including glassblowing. After receiving my undergrad degree I began working in an architect's office. Over the following years I eventually worked in more than a few different architecture firms and gained a wide range of experience. The projects I have worked on include schools, hospitals, high-rises, multi-family, and single family residences. My interest in furniture grew with the hospital projects where I learned to detail custom cabinets and furniture for the specific needs of the various departments.

After many years working as an architect I lost my enthusiasm for architecture especially projects that continued on for a year or more --after the first year the project would become truly nauseating to look at. I took a six month sabbatical from the firm I had worked at over the last eight years. I needed time to explore my interests and possible options for my future. Four months into my six month sabbatical I met several guys who wanted to open a public access glassblowing studio. What a thrilling opportunity! Since my thesis design I had harbored a desire to be involved with just such a project. I worked with the guys to find a building for the new Chicago Hot Glass studio. Once we decided on a place I did the architectural drawings to get an interior build-out permit. Then the real work began.... It turned out that my four male partners were more interested in building the equipment and "playing" in the studio than running a business. So I enrolled in the School of Hard Knocks and took business and marketing 101. For the next three years I ran the business end of the studio learning as I went along. Then, three years ago, one of my partners decided he didn't like the way I was doing things so he resolved to free himself of my input and buy me out. He offered me a deal I could hardly refuse and I left the partnership. Since then I have been doing much of the same office work. There was an unbelievably huge difference in not being a stockholder responsible for the final decisions affecting the studio's success, and just doing my best job to get the work done. An enormous load of stress was lifted off me because now it didn't matter what decisions my former partners made even if I thought they weren't good ones. Also, I got to blow glass at least once a week where as business manager I was lucky if I got to blow glass twice a month! Anyway, this reduction in my studio involvement allowed me to once again explore other "career" avenues.

Over the last few years I have designed some furniture and cabinets for my home though not all of it has been built yet. I had a concept piece in the CFDA Form Follows Form exhibit and I am excited about submitting entries for the two upcoming shows. Unfortunately I haven't sold any furniture outside of the occasional designs I do as part of an architecture project. Gee, I wonder if that has anything to do with the competition for my time among various projects that I am working on which include: office work and glassblowing at the studio; learning metal smithing, editing a newsletter; self publishing two books (a collection of short dog stories written by various dog owners); seemingly futile attempts to get my website up and running, some event planning; and --among other things-- my architecture projects that I take on mostly because I need the money. Did I mention that I am also working on finishing up my house remodeling? Maybe the subtitle for this story should include "a scattered mind" with way to many interesting things to do.

Currently my main focus --on projects other than architecture --is increasingly back with the glassblowing studio. After six years of running as an 'S' corp. and not making any profit the owners are finally changing it to a 501(c)(3) not for profit. Yay! The non profit studio is called the Chicago Center for the Glass Arts and I am on the board of directors and writing the business plan, among other things. So much to do!

My goal for the future is to finish my website design and get it on line; settle into my mostly administrative role at the glass studio; blow glass and sell it; and make enough money to pay someone to build the furniture that I have designed. I know this will all happen in good time.

If you are reading this sentence it is likely that you have read my whole story and I thank you for your interest. Best. Jamie.