Santa Fe, NM – Sitting is a universal experience. Throughout the world, people settle into chairs, stretch out on benches, perch on stools, sink into sofas or cushion themselves with a pillow, marking the body’s state as being both stationary yet dynamic. A Chair for all Reasons at the Museum of International Folk Art will concentrate on materials and techniques in furniture craftsmanship, with the objects divided into five categories of daily life.
 
A Chair for all Reasons explores:
 
HOME; where sitting evokes the solitary pastime of reading a book as well as the gathering of friends and family. The classic wing and ladder back chairs are examples here.
 
WORK/SCHOOL; where sitting—increasingly accompanied by ergonomic concern—has become synonymous with the pressures of professional responsibility, while at school it promotes knowledge and the breeding of ideas. The functionally designed Mirra office chair by Herman Miller is represented here.
 
KIDS will feature an array of delightful designs on a small scale.
 
OUTDOORS; here you can be sitting as a spectator at a sporting event or enjoying nature from a park bench.
 
RITUAL; a seat can represent stature and power, nuptial revelry or a spot for meditation. An African throne and a pair of German wedding chairs are examples here.
 
A Chair for all Reasons celebrates the genius of Alexander Girard’s designs and the Girard Year at the museum.
 
Featuring 100 objects, A Chair for all Reasons will exhibit chairs, benches, and stools from around the world; two representing the New Mexican-Hispano tradition, three from Asia, five from Africa, five from Central America, eleven objects will be from Europe and seventy from the USA (with several extraordinary “Outsider” creations).The majority of chairs are Anglo-American, from New England vernacular to contemporary studio furniture.
 
The exhibition was co-curated with Alexandra Irving, Curatorial Assistant. On exhibition June 29, 2008 – early January, 2009.
 
The Museum of International Folk Art houses the world’s largest collection of international folk art, with permanent exhibitions Multiple Visions: A Common Bond in the Girard Wing and Familia y Fe in the Hispanic Heritage Wing. Changing and traveling exhibitions are offered in the Bartlett Wing and exhibitions highlighting textiles are featured the Neutrogena Wing.   Lloyd’s treasure chest offers visitors interactive displays about collections and how museums care for collections.  
 
Information  The Museum of International Folk Art is located on Museum Hill™, Camino Lejo off Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe, NM

Contact: 505-476-1200 or www.internationalfolkart.org .