Signs of the Times (semi-long)
Thomas Skaggs, Foothills of Mount Level
I have been woodworking for about 26 years now. I took it up in 1993 as a hobby and it became a creative outlet for me. My first college degree was in Art and Design. A few years into woodworking I began to study furniture from an art perspective and not long after was given a chance to sell work in an art gallery.
I remember the excitement I had when my first piece sold. I was over the moon. It lit a fire in me and I began to dream of making my way in the world of studio furniture/ functional art. My aspirations were fueled by the successes of Nakashima. Maloof, Krenov, Knox Bennet, Esherick and Castle, just to name a few.
Since day one, I have always tried to create my own design style. It's not easy since many of the design concepts have already been established. But I have done my best to push my work into new directions over the many years.
I have been fortunate over the years to get my work in some really good galleries. This Spring in fact, I have been delivering new work to a couple of my best galleries. But along the way, my aspirations caused me to wonder if I could get my work into even more prestigious galleries, the likes you would see in NYC, Boston or Philly. I sent them submittals but to no avail.
I admit, it was disappointing. It caused me to reflect and and ponder my own work. It could be that my work just didn't make the cut. I assumed that to be the case and accepted it.
That was a few years ago. While I tried to accept my place in the functional art world I realized that I could not put things into perspective unless I better understood that world. Thus I embarked on a personal quest to seek knowledge about the world of functional art, about galleries and about the business of studio furniture in today's market.
I spoke with peers who do similar work and I spoke with gallery owners. One valuable resource was Bebe Pritam Johnson. She and her husband owned Pritam and Eames Gallery in NY. It was a nationally known gallery and one of the more important galleries for artistic furniture. The gallery was created in 1974 but has been closed for a couple of years now. In talking with Bebe I learned that the studio furniture movement, while still alive today, is nowhere near as popular as it was in its hay day. The movement really emerged in the late 50's and slowed substantially by the late 80's/ early 90's. We spoke for quite a while and I realized that my aspirations were fighting a headwind of diminished market interest.
Then, just last year, I struck up a friendship with a distant relative name Tommy Simpson. Tommy was a pioneer in the art and functional art world after he graduated from Cranbrook Academy in the early 60's. Oddly enough, his work was sold through the very galleries I had attempted to get work into. His work is very whimsical and uniquely crafted. Now in his 80's he is no longer making furniture but continues to create art in other media. Tommy and I have spoken for hours about the art world and furniture. His view was very similar to Bebe's. He believes there has been a cultural shift in which there is a diminishing interest in buying high quality hand made craft. It's not entirely dead, but how people value things has changed over time.
Recently, I have been disappointed to learn that one of my galleries will be closing next week. Sawbridge Studios, in the Chicago area, will be closing the doors to its long time home in Winnetka. This will be the second setback for Sawbridge. They once had two locations. The one in Winnetka, and the other in Downtown Chicago in the River North Gallery District. The downtown gallery closed in 2009 due mostly to the recession. The recession was brutal for galleries as consumers stopped buying things like art in order to limit discretionary spending. Many galleries closed during that time.
Sawbridge's closure next week has more to do with a shift in the market. The fact is, the market is changing. Younger generations are less interested in purchasing quality items. They are shifting towards owning disposable things, including furniture and art. HGTV has been a dominant influence by steering interest into meaningless decor made in foreign factories. The other trend is not only what consumers buy, but how they buy. Galleries are fighting the same battles as other brick and mortar businesses. People today are more willing to buy things on sites like ETSY and Pinterest. It's hard for me to imagine buying a work of art without making a connection to it in person. However, that is much the trend these days.
So I am writing to report some of my findings from my journey for knowledge. I wish I could share good news, but I'm afraid it is more about offering a sobering reality check.
Perhaps in other times, my work still wouldn't have made the cut in any prestigious galleries. But I may never know, as those galleries have either closed or have shifted the focus of their curating away from furniture. Galleries must change with the times in order to stay afloat. As for Sawbridge, they are not dead and gone. They will move to a small, more affordable location. It will just be a small showroom but they are re-tooling for doing mostly e-commerce. Such is the sign of the times.
I do not wish to cast a pall on the world of finely crafted furniture or artistic design. That world still has life in it. I'm still doing well in my remaining galleries, albeit sales are slower these days. It has, however, caused me to contemplate some shifts in what I make. I can see a future where I may not be making as much full scale furniture. In fact, later this year I plan to take a temporary hiatus from furniture and get back to my art roots by exploring sculpture, wood of course.
For the younger folks who aspire to income success with woodworking, I would not discourage them. But I would advise them to explore the business end and cultural trends, as I have. By doing so, they will be better equipped to focus their work in areas that can be commercially viable. It's a challenging world for sure, and there is lots of competition. But it can be rewarding when you do succeed.
T.
. Here, hopefully, is a link to a recent article regarding millennials renting furniture (sometimes with option to buy). Depressing.