06/12/2020
This chair was not made by us. It was made by the incredibly talented Michael Puryear, who has been telling the story of Black lives through his furniture for years. I recently found the article (link in bio) on the craft council website about this chair and was both inspired and heartbroken (two feelings I’ve been having a lot lately). If you’re interested in woodworking or African American history I highly recommend giving this a read. As a woodworker it’s been hard to find meaning in this field during this time, but the way Michael is able to use his incredible talent to tell such an important story gives me hope. That said... more important than my ability to find meaning in the work we do, is to fight for the equality and safety of all of our BIPOC brothers and sisters. As a mixed race american in the woodworking community I’ve often noticed the lack of diversity in our spaces. I can’t begin to comment on why that is, but as someone who loves this craft deeply I hope in the coming months and years to see and facilitate a broadening of the spotlight and scope of voices in the woodworking scene.
