MANCHESTER.- During the summer of 2005 the Currier Museum of Art will host a special exhibition to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the New Hampshire Furniture Masters Association. For the past ten years, the Furniture Masters have been creating some of the most distinguished studio furniture in the United States. Works by this group of highly skilled craftsmen are nationally recognized for their quality woodworking and elegant design. The artists take inspiration from historical European and American furniture forms, contemporary art and furniture design, and the materials they work with – often wood from New Hampshire forests. The exhibition will include objects by well-know artists Jere Osgood, Terry Moore, David Lamb, Jon Brooks, Ted Blachly, Wayne Marcoux, Howard Hatch, and many others.

The New Hampshire Furniture Masters Association was formed in 1994 to support, promote, and exhibit the outstanding products of this group of dedicated craftsmen. The exhibition at the Currier will present exceptional examples from past decade, providing an overview of the group’s development. Several furniture masters are now represented in museum collections including the Renwick Gallery of the National Museum of American Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Currier Museum of Art. The exhibition will also present recently completed works that will be offered for sale at the Furniture Masters’ annual public auction. The eagerly anticipated auction serves as a retail opportunity for the artists and as a fundraiser for the organization. A full-color catalogue will accompany the exhibition. The publication will include information about the previous work of the Furniture Masters and will serve as the auction catalogue for the 2005 sale.

For the last seventy years, the Currier Museum of Art has had a strong commitment to collecting and exhibiting furniture made in New Hampshire and the surrounding region. From the earliest acquisitions in the 1930s through major gifts and purchases in the last several years, the museum has collected the best historic and contemporary furniture to spring from New Hampshire’s 300-year artisan tradition. The museum regularly exhibits these collections to celebrate and document the unsurpassed skills of the region’s craftsmen.