Furniture Designer, Chris Martin visited MCAD at the beginning of October to speak about his influences, approach to design, and his trip to Ghana as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer. Martin’s recent passion and research has been directed towards “collaboration with traditional artisans, particularly in Ghana and India.” After the public lecture on MCAD’s main campus, Martin visited with MFA students Heather Lamanno, David Ruhlman, Hallie Bahn, and Donna Meyer.

“Chris Martin received a BFA in craft design from Iowa State University in 1990 and an MFA in furniture design from Rhode Island School of Design in 1994. Since then, he has designed and produced furniture pieces for both commission and gallery exhibitions. He has taught furniture design in the Department of Art and Visual Culture at Iowa State University since 1999 and is currently a professor. In 2008 Martin took leave from his teaching position for a two-year stint alongside his wife as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in Ghana. He was deeply influenced by his experiences there and his research and creative outputs show this. More recently Martin was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship where he spent five months in India working with both traditional artisans and modern craftsmen and technicians to develop a series of contemporary furniture pieces that pay reverence to the richness of India’s traditional craft culture. Collaboration with traditional artisans, particularly in Ghana and India, has become his passion and where his research focus has been directed.”

Thanks for visiting, Chris!

Photography by Yi Wan and Shirin Ghoraishi.

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For more information:

Chris Martin
Heather Lamanno
David Ruhlman
Hallie Bahn
Donna Meyer