Award of Distinction

The Award of Distinction is conferred annually by The Furniture Society [1] (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.

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.

2001
Arthur Espenet Carpenter (1920 - 2006)
Wendell Castle (1932 - )
Tage Frid (1915 - 2004)
James Krenov (1920 - 2009)
Sam Maloof (1916 - 2009)

2002
John Makepeace (1939 - )
Jere Osgood (1936 - )
Alan Peters (1933 - 2009)

2003
Jonathan Leo Fairbanks (1933 - )
William Keyser (1936 - )

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