Take A Seat: Texas Chair Project at AMOA [Art Review]

Sculpture artist Damian Priour has been collecting chairs for a few decades now. Although he usually works in large scale limestone and glass installations, he was inspired to create 100 miniature chairs with the same materials and tools he uses to make his larger pieces. To further his creative project, Priour sent eighty-eight of the chairs in eight inch square boxes to artists all over the state. The small chairs were accompanied with a letter explaining that the chair was a gift, but that if the recipient so desired, they could create their own chair, pack it back in the same box, and send it off to Priour. And so The Texas Chair Project was born. The diverse collection of miniature chairs that resulted from this artistic exchange is currently on display at the Austin Museum of Art.

The Texas Chair Project exhibit is more than a celebration of the chair itself, a form that artists and designers have long tried to perfect. The collection as a whole emphasizes the wide range of materials, styles, and craftsmanship used by a diverse group of individuals to make what we ultimately consider to be art. Although the exhibit does feature some fairly simple, classic renditions of the chair's form we were particularly fond of the more playful pieces. Eric McGerhearty's "Sitting Pretty" is a naughty twist on the classic student's chair and desktop made out of steel and bright pink auto paint. Jimmy Kuehnle's piece, "Chair I Stole from a Bum in Japan" is a found (or stolen?) object that only really fits the theme of the show when you read its title. Other notable pieces include David Hessner's "Attack Chair", which is much more of a weapon than something we'd rest our butts on and the extremely intricate "Tuft" created by Beverly Penn out of bronze-cast thistle. The collection also features pieces by Texas musicians including Sara Hickman and Bob Schnieder whose contributions to the project show off their talents for visual art.

Tonight, AMOA Executive Director and Chief Curator, Dana Friis-Hansen, will interview Damian Priour about The Texas Chair Project and the pieces in the collection. Priour knows more about each chair than any of the gallery cards discuss and his passion for the project is inspiring. He will share anecdotes about the creation and collection of the exhibit tonight at 7pm at the Austin Museum of Art's downtown location.