Arts & Entertainment

Flights of
Furniture Fancy

Imagination runs wild in utilitarian sculpture exhibit
at Janice Charach Epstein Gallery.

Suzanne Chessler
Special to the Jewish News

graduated from the col-
lege. Carbone works full
time as a drafting
design supervisor at
chair made of glass and a lamp
Chrysler.
made of plastic chain and foam
"Studio furniture is a
are among the works in
very
unique field," says
"HMFRNSHNGS," an exhibit of utilitarian
Carbone, who visited a
household sculpture.
The invitational show, on view Dec. 8 to series of New York gal-
leries to scout compara-
Feb. 9 at the Janice Charach Epstein
ble work but could not
Gallery in West Bloomfield, features
find any space devoted
pieces designed and built by instructors,
to
this type of creativity.
students and alumni of the College for
"It
sprung up only a few
Creative Studies (CCS). The opening
years
back. For crafts- •
reception starts at 6:30 p.m. Thursday,
people,
making sculp-
Dec. 8. -
ture
just
doesn't make
Curators Maxwell Davis and Tom
enough
sense,-but
mak-
Carbone, whose projects also are part of
ing
something
func-
the'exhibit, have been
tional makes a great deal of sense."
working with a group of
Carbone is showing a bench with the
furniture artists since 1999
theme
of balance. Made of long planks, it
to establish annual shows
"HMFRNSHNGS" will be on view
has
a
moving
coil spring on one end, a
in new spaces.
Dec. 8-Feb. 9 at the Janice
solid cement structure on the opposite
"We should have more
Charach Epstein Gallery in the
end and a pivotal metal formation in the
than 50 pieces this time
Jewish Community Center in West
middle.
says Carbone; whose own
Bloomfield. Gallery hours are 10
"This form of art connects artists with
artistry addresses a variety
a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays
both modern technology and handmade
of uses. • .
and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sundays. (248)
goods:' says Carbone, emphasizing that
"Studio furniture (one-.
432-5449.
the challenge of combining artistry and
of-a-kind items created in
an artist's studio) is indeed function draws him to studio furniture.
functional, and visitors will "Being a conversation piece in a home is a
major function
see chairs, tables and
for each of these
shelving. .
•
works.
"People
• "I think of studio furni-
usually
have an
ture as having five dimen-
immediate
sions. The fourth dimen-
sion is the message or story response and
then an intellec-
that is told. The fifth dimension is the
tual
response to
functionality."
.
art.
I
love to hear
Although the Janice Charach Epstein
the
first
respons-
Gallery usually features works calling
es
to
works
of
attention to Jewish themes or Jewish
art,
and
then
I
artists, this is not the case with "HMFRN-
like
to
talk
about
SHNGS." Instead, the show pays tribute to
the works. The
the school attended by the artist whose
quicker I under-
memory is honored through the West
stand a piece of
Bloomfield gallery.
Table in willow, walnut, steel by Gary Murphy
art, the quicker I
Davis. heads up the Interdisciplinary
lose interest in it:"
Crafts Department at CCS, while Carbone

A

Space Chair of.steel tubing,
molded plywood and leather
by Tom Carbone

52

December 8 • 2005