Laura Kishimoto
Furniture & Object Design
I am a designer/maker living in Denver and a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. I was initially drawn to furniture design because it occupies a unique position between the fields of fine art and design. Furniture can both exist as a product, addressing a specific need, or as a stand alone sculptural object. And in both cases, a user/viewer is necessary to complete the piece of furniture: whether to give it function by physically engaging with it or to give it meaning by imbuing it with their emotional narrative.
My creative process is defined by a constant balancing act between my intentions as a designer and the will of my material. With each piece, I strive to create a spatially complex, cohesive object that appears to have formed organically without human intervention.
EXHIBITIONS
CRAFT IN THE LABORATORY: The Science of Making Things| 2022 - PRESENT
Permanent Collection. Mint Museum Uptown. Charlotte, NC.
BY DESIGN: Stories and Ideas Behind Objects | 2021 - PRESENT
Permanent Collection. Lanny & Sharon Martin Building. Denver Art Museum. Denver, CO.
MAKING A SEAT AT THE TABLE: Women Transform Woodworking | 2019 - 2020
The Center for Art in Wood. Philadelphia, PA.
SIT BY ME: Chairs by Sam Maloof, Mike Johnson, Geoffrey Keating, Laura Kishimoto, Laura Mays, Brandon Morrison, and Reed Hansuld | 2016 - 2017
Riverside Art Museum. Riverside, CA.
LAUNCH PAD | 2016
Wanted Design Manhattan. New York, NY.
MONTH OF MODERN | 2015
Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art. Boulder, CO.
DESIGN AFTER DARK | 2015
Denver Art Museum. Denver, CO.
THE WEXLER GALLERY | 2015
Collective Design Fair. New York, NY.
LIVING WITH CRAFT | 2014 - 2015
20th Anniversary Craft Forms 2014. Wayne Art Center. Wayne, PA.
SUPER DESIGN GALLERY | 2013
Tent London and Super Brands. The London Design Festival. London, England.
DWELL ON DESIGN: Faculty Selects | 2013
Furniture Society LA Symposium. Los Angeles, CA.
17th ANNUAL FINE FURNISHINGS SHOW | 2012
Pawtucket Armory Arts Center. Pawtucket, RI.
PRESS
Periodicals:
WESTWORD | April 2022
5280 HOME | December 2021
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL | October 2021
POPULAR WOODWORKING | December 2019
COLORADO HOMES & LIFESTYLES | June 2016
DESIGN MILK | May 2016
LUXE INTERIORS + DESIGN | September 2015
TARRA | May 2015
MODERN IN DENVER | January 2015
AMERICAN CRAFT COUNCIL | 2014
ELLE DECOR (Spain) | 2014
MARIE CLAIRE | 2014
AD ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST | 2013
SURFACE ASIA/ DWELL ASIA MAGAZINE | 2013
MOCOLOCO | July 2013
DESIGN MILK | June 2013
CORE 77 | March 2013
NOTCOT | May 2012
Books:
THE ART OF SEATING: 200 Years of American Design | 2022
Written by Brian Joseph Lang. Giles Ltd, London.
JOINERY, JOISTS, AND GENDER: A History of Woodworking for the 21st Century | 2022
Written by Deidre Visser. Routledge, NY.
THE ART OF CRITICAL MAKING | 2013
Edited by Rosanne Somerson and Mara L. Hermano. John Wiley & Sons Inc, NJ.
Podcasts:
MODERN WOODWORKERS ASSOCIATION | May 2024
MWA Podcast: Woodworking Conversations. Hosted by Kyle Barton, Brian Obst, Sean Wisniewski, and Mark Hicks. Episodes 506, 507.
CRAFTING A REVOLUTION: The Podcast | July 2023
Interviews with Females & Non-Binary Makers. Hosted by Katie Freeman. Episode 285.
THE WISE FOOL | March 2021
Art Podcast. Hosted by Matthew Dols. Episode 152.