Bienenstock Furniture Library
Announces 2015 Furniture Design Competition Winners
Furniture World News Desk on
3/27/2015
Earlier this month the Bernice Bienenstock Furniture Library Board of Directors announced the winners of Furniture Design Competition. First place was awarded to Eny Lee Parker of Savannah College of Art and Design who will receive a $5,000 scholarship to continue her studies in furniture design. The second place winner, Catherine Cheek of Virginia Tech, will receive a $1,500 scholarship. In addition to the awards, each has been given memberships in the ASFD and ASID professional associations and their schools will receive $1,000 to use in their academic programs.
There are two competitions. On for interior design and one for furniture design. The Bienenstock scholarships are open to any junior, senior or graduate student enrolled in an accredited college design program. The interior design winners were announced earlier this month. http://www.furniturelibrary.com/scholarships/
Eny Lee Parker, Savannah College of Art and Design. Wins $5,000 First Place Award for Furniture Design of "The Honest Chair"
Finalists in the furniture category included: Deanna Smith, High Point University; Rebecca Goddard, Appalachian State University; Christian Dunbar, Savannah College of Art and Design and Heather Seto, Kendall College of Art and Design.
"Our founder, Sandy Bienenstock, advanced his long-standing desire to invest in the education and future of the furniture industry by establishing the Library itself and by initiating the Bienenstock Scholarships," said Russell Bienenstock, president of the Library Board. "The intention of these scholarships is to encourage and inspire the best and most creative minds and help them to develop their talents. To that end, this is the third year we added a scholarship for interior design to our long-standing award in furniture design, creating two substantial national scholarships."
These competitions are a collaborative effort between the ASFD (American Society of Furniture Designers) and the Furniture Library. The ASFD sponsors the furniture design completion by providing actual projects, and is judged by a jury of design professionals in the home furnishings industry. The library hosts the competition and funds the scholarships. This is an annual competition and a new contest will be announced in May of 2015.
FURNITURE DESIGN COMPETITION
Entrants were asked to design an aesthetically pleasing chair of original design from any material. Instructions were "The chair should be visually stunning, appropriate for manufacturing, fiscally feasible and suitable within the constraints of mass production." There were 42 entries from 13 different colleges.
Judges in the furniture design category included Dudley Moore, Jr., Otto & Moore; Rick Schroeder, Stanley Furniture; Danny Davis, Davis Furniture Industries; Royale Wiggin, Thayer Coggin, Inc.; Richard Frinier, Frinier Design Studio.
Dudley Moore, President of the ASFD and Chairman of the Furniture Design Committee noted, "This chair has a beautiful, sculptural quality." Danny Davis added "this designer showed understanding of manufacturing processes by being able to prototype the process of bending the wood."
Parker, is a student at Savannah College of Art and Design. When asked about her inspiration, said she commented: "The Honest Chair originated from an exploration into the fundamentals of bending wood. Though the design development was inspired on Frank Ghery's curvaceous architecture, the outcome resembles more Sori Yanagi's work."
She added; "The chair's intention is to communicate how unlimited we are, through process and form. As designers, we should not only appreciate materials, but push their natural characteristics to become something unimaginable."
Regarding the manufacturing method, she commented: "The process of bending wood is definitely a challenge. I found myself pushing the limits of this beautiful resource. The result was what I am calling 'The Honest chair:' A chair that expresses warmth and invites you to sit and be embraced by it."
George Perez, Professor of Furniture Design at the Savannah College of Art and Design, and Parker's studio professor noted: "Eny is not only a creative student but is a thoughtful designer. She pays attention to the details and has tackled some challenging projects from concept to execution including the chair that won this year's Bienenstock Furniture Design Award. She embraces the entirety of the design process and loves working with different materials and processes and I have seen her fearless attitude in the discipline bear fruit. She is a joy to work with and we are extremely proud of her."
ABOUT THE BIENENSTOCK SCHOLARSHIPS
Students from 18 colleges and universities submitted qualifying entries to the Library's 2015 design scholarship competition. All judging was unbiased-with no name or college shown with the submission. A distinguished panel of industry experts juried each competition.
The 2015 winners will be awarded their $5,000 scholarships, along with respective one-year student membership in ASFD or ASID, during High Point Market in April. Second place winners each receive a $1500 scholarship and the colleges representing the first place winners each get $1,000 towards their programs.
The annual Bienenstock Scholarship competitions are open to any junior, senior or graduate student enrolled in an accredited college program of furniture design or interior design. Since 1984, the Library has awarded more than $390,000 in scholarships to students in hundreds of colleges and universities.
About Bernice Bienenstock Furniture Library
The Bernice Bienenstock Furniture Library is a worldwide center for research, design, and collaboration. It holds the world's largest collection of rare and significant books on the history and design of furniture. It is open and free to the public. Founded in 1970 and endowed by the Bienenstock family, and supported by a board of directors from nearly every facet of the home furnishings industry, the Library is devoted the advancement of knowledge about design, furniture, interiors, architecture, textiles, finishes, and constructions.
The rare book collection contains volumes published since 1640. With the exception of Yale, it is the only library in America that houses the original works of 18th century furniture masters Chippendale, Sheraton and Hepplewhite, as well as a complete set of Diderot's Encyclopedia. (26 volumes published in the 18th Century.) Unlike Yale, the Bienenstock Furniture Library is open to the public. A special climate controlled room houses these rare volumes. An appointment with the curator is required to examine these books, and you must wear white gloves, but they are available to the public. The library also contains rare drawings and furniture details. It is a treasure trove of inspiration for anyone interested in design.
The Library operates a specialty bookstore selling significant contemporary works, out-of-print, and hard-to-find volumes. Most Library services are free. Bienenstock Furniture Library, located in High Point NC, is open to the public and welcomes professionals and scholars for research, collaboration, meetings, seminars, lectures, and events. Visit
www.furniturelibrary.com.
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About ASFD
Founded in 1981, ASFD is the only international non-profit professional organization dedicated to advancing, improving and supporting the profession of furniture design and its positive impact in the marketplace.
Professional Members specialize in the design of both residential and contract furnishings and accessories. Membership includes both American and International professional designers, industry affiliates and associates, design schoolteachers and students. Corporate Members include suppliers of products and services to the industry and furniture manufacturing companies who wish to support the goals and objectives of the Society.
http://www.asfd.com.