Award of Distinction

The Award of Distinction is conferred annually by The Furniture Society (est. 1996) upon one or more living individuals who are recognized as having had a profound impact on the field of Studio Furniture. The honorees exemplify lives devoted to study, work, and craft, as well as the education of others in the field.

2001

The first Awards were presented in 2001, at the annual Furniture Society conference held that year in Tempe, Arizona. Five craftsmen were honored simultaneously in the first presentation, in order to make up for time lost in planning and funding the awards and to insure that these five iconic figures in furniture making and education were properly recognized in their lifetimes. One of the initial honorees, Tage Frid, was unable to attend the ceremony due to health issues and died several months later. Three of the other initial honorees—Art Carpenter, Sam Maloof and James Krenov are now deceased.

Although the Award of Distinction has most often been presented to furniture makers and educators, anyone who has made significant contributions to the field of studio furniture can be considered. In 2003, for example, one of the honorees was furniture historian and curator Jonathan Fairbanks.

Recipients
YearName
2001Arthur Espenet Carpenter (1920 - 2006)
Wendell Castle (1932 - 2018)
Tage Frid (1915 - 2004)
James Krenov (1920 - 2009)
Sam Maloof (1916 - 2009)
2002John Makepeace (1939 - )[1]
Jere Osgood (1936 - )
Alan Peters(1933 - 2009)[2]
2003Jonathan Leo Fairbanks (1933 - )
William Keyser (1936 - )[3]
2004Garry Knox Bennett (1934 - )
2005Judy Kensley McKie[4] (1944 - )
2006Tommy Simpson (1939 - )[5]
2007Michael Fortune (1951 - )[6]
2008Wendy Maruyama (1952 - )
Walker Weed (1919 - 2014)
2009Vladimir Kagan (1927-2016)
2010John Cederquist (1946 - )
2012Rosanne Somerson (1954 - )[7]
2014Bebe Johnson (1940 - )
Warren Johnson (1940 - )
(awarded jointly as Pritam & Eames)[8]
2015Thomas Hucker (1955 - )
2016Edward S. Cooke (1954 - )
2018Craig Nutt[9]
2019Tom Loeser[10]
2020Kristina Madsen [11]

References
  1. My Secret Life, John Makepeace, 71
  2. "Alan Peters Obituary".
  3. John L. Jacobus (1 December 2011). Inside the Fisher Body Craftsman's Guild: Contestants Recall the Great General Motors Talent Search. McFarland. ISBN 9780786487950.
  4. "Judy Kensley McKie".
  5. "Furniture Society presents Award of Distinction to Simpson". Furnituretoday.com. 6 November 2006. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  6. Steve Scott (March 2007). "Canadian studio furniture maker wins Award of Distinction from The Furniture Society for his body of work and contributions to the craft". Finewoodworking.com. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  7. The Furniture Society (19 April 2012). "Somerson to Receive Furniture Society Award of Distinction". Woodworkingnetwork.com (press release). Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  8. "Furniture Society honors Pritam & Eames founders".
  9. Robert O'Connell (21 June 2018). "Five Highlights: 2018 Furniture Society Conference". Craftcouncil.org. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  10. "UW-Madison's Loeser to receive 2019 Award of Distinction from the Furniture Society". Wisc.edu. 22 March 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  11. "Kristina Madsen to receive Furniture Society Award of Distinction".
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