Donald Fortescue
"My original training in the arts was as a furniture designer and maker. For many years I pursued this career in Australia working to commission for private clients, collaborating with architects and producing my own product lines. Increasingly, my work tended towards the sculptural and abandoned traditional furniture forms. My Masters studies in Sculpture accelerated this trend. The work produced for my MFA thesis consisted of gallery-wide installation of 'furniture forms' produced in limited series and having a strong mutual resonance."

The Plimsoll Gallery Program 2001

6 July - 29 July International Artists-in Residency exhibitions Scottish Artist in Residence exhibition: Natalie de Briey
An exhibition highlighting works by the seventh recipient of the joint Scottish Arts Council/Tasmanian School of Art at Hobart and Canberra School of Art overseas artist-in-residence initiative. Between: Donald Fortesque August, 2001 Mirror Images: Self-portraiture and its contemporary context This exhibition will explore the work of several contemporary artists who investigate the domain of self-portraiture. The exhibition is planned to coincide with a weekend symposium on portraiture which will be presented by the University of Tasmania and the National Portrait Gallery, Canberra. It is likely that the National Portrait Gallery will sponsor the visit of an international artist investigating the theme of portraiture as part of the symposium. To be curated by Jonathan Holmes for the Plimsoll Gallery.
STEPHANIE ASHENFELDER
LALO CERVANTES
PIKI CHAPPELL
KIRSTEN COLE
MARILYN DONAHUE
DONALD FORTESCUE
STEPHANIE JOHNSON
JENNIFER KAUFMAN
TIMOTHY KELLY
ALISON KIBBEY
ANDREW LYNDON
RUTH MARBLESTONE
ERIK MORTENSEN
PETER PIEROBON
ILASAHAI PROUTY
MICHAEL RUTCHIK
JEFFREY SCANLAN
AMOS SCULLY
REX TAYLOR SMITH
KARA SPELLMAN
LAURENCIA STRAUSS
BANKER WHITE

haresbreath.com










HEART VESSEL ARTIST: DONALD FORTESCUE & PETER PIEROBON MEDIA: DOUGLAS FIR DIMENSIONS: 78" X 40" X 40"


EDUCATION

1993-95
Master of Creative Arts (Sculpture), University of Wollongong.
1986-87
Associate Diploma Visual Arts (Design in Wood), Canberra School of Art, Australian National University.
1975-79
Bachelor of Science (Honors in Botany), University of New South Wales, Sydney.
 
 
 

EMPLOYMENT

1997-2000
Associate Professor, Chair of Wood/Furniture program, California College of Arts and Crafts, San Francisco, USA.
1994-96
Head of Furniture Design, Jam Factory Craft and Design Centre, Adelaide, South Australia.
1994
Lecturer, Foundation Studies, Canberra School of Art, Australian National University.
1993
Lecturer, School of Industrial Design, Faculty of Environmental Design, University of Canberra.
1992
Lecturer, Foundation Studies, Canberra School of Art, Australian National University.
1988-94
Self-employed furniture designer-maker .
1988
Employee, Finedesign Furniture, Queanbeyan, NSW.
 
 
 

ASSOCIATED PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

1997
Emigrated to the USA.
1995-6
Study tour of USA (4 months) including Residency at the Australia Council's Studio in Greene St., Soho, New York.
1991
Churchill Fellowship - Study tour of Japan and the United Kingdom for 7 months.
Japan - studying traditional lacquer and woodworking with Prof. Makoto Fujisaki (Kyoto Univ. of Fine Arts) and Mr. Kenkichi Kuroda,
and papermaking with 'living national treasure' Mr. Minoru Fujimori.
UK - Studio assistant to Alan Peters OBE and Richard La Trobe-Bateman.
1990
Established the 'Decorative Arts Workshop' furniture design studio near Canberra, with Antoon Meerman and Diane Smith.
1982-83
19 months traveling and working in Japan.
 
 
 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

1999
Member of Advisory Board of the Furniture Society.
1998-9 Member of Board of Trustees of the Furniture Society. Co-chair of the conference committee.
1998
Co-ordinator of Furniture 98: East meets West, the 2nd National Conference of the Furniture Society, San Francisco.
International correspondent for OBJECT magazine, Australia.
1996
Peer of the Visual Arts and Craft Board of the Australia Council, the Australian Governmen's arts funding and policy advisory body.
State co-ordinator for Design Australia to be held at Westweek 1997. Pacific Design Centre, Los Angeles.
1995
Co-ordinator of 'Furniture Design Link'. A federally funded project to establish links between furniture designer-makers and the mainstream furniture manufacturing industry.
1992-3
Member of Visual Arts Committee of the ACT Cultural Council, the ACT State Government's arts policy advisory body.
 
 
 

HONORS AND AWARDS

1999
Professional Development Grant, Visual Arts and Crafts Fund of the Australia Council - towards a new body of work, catalogue and touring exhibition to be held in Sydney and San Francisco in 2001.
1998
Professional Development Grant, California College of Arts and Crafts.
1994
Professional Development Grant, ACT Arts and Special Events.
1993
Australia Council Residency, Greene Street Studio, New York.
1995-1996
Prototype Award, Australis Cognita, National Furniture Design Competition.
1992
Professional Development Grant, ACT Arts and Special Events.
1990
Traveling Grant, Commonwealth Dept. of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Churchill Fellowship, the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust.
Individual Grant, the Capital Arts Patrons Organisation (CAPO).
1989
Individual Grant, the Arts Development Board of the ACT Community Development Fund.
1987
Craft Training Grant, the Visual Arts and Craft Board of the Australia Council.
 
 
 

PUBLIC COLLECTIONS

Wollongong City Gallery, Wollongong.
Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide.
Powerhouse Museum, Sydney.
Library, AGSM, University of NSW, Sydney.
 
 
 

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2001
Empty Vessels, John Elders Gallery, New York.
1995
'AGROUND' at Jam Factory Craft and Design Centre, Adelaide. Canberra Contemporary Art Space, Canberra. Wollongong City Gallery, Wollongong.
1990
Distelfink Gallery, Melbourne.
1989
'Full Circle'. Narek Galleries, Cuppacumbalong, Tharwa, ACT.
 
 
 

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

United States
2000
'Form Follows'. University of California, Davis.
1999
'Add/Drop'. Oliver Arts Center, Oakland.
'The Measure of All Things'. The Great Hall. San Francisco.
1998
John Elders Gallery, New York.
SOFA (Sculpture, Objects and Functional Art), Navy Pier, Chicago.
Collectors of Contemporary Wooden Vessels, Sculpture and Furniture Conference. Parc 55 Hotel, San Francisco.
Furniture '98 - CCAC Student, Faculty and Alumni. Bruce Gallery ,CCAC, San Francisco.
Furniture '98 - Members Gallery. Bruce Gallery, CCAC, San Francisco.
1997
Design Australia. Westweek 1997. Pacific Design Centre, Los Angeles.
1996
SOFA (Sculpture, Objects and Functional Art), Navy Pier, Chicago.
1995
SOFA (Sculpture, Objects and Functional Art), Navy Pier, Chicago.
1994
SOFA (Sculpture, Objects and Functional Art), Navy Pier, Chicago.
 
International
1998
The Somatic Object. Dr. Earl Lu Gallery, Lasalle College of the Arts, Singapore.
1997
The Somatic Object. National Museum of History, Taipei, Taiwan.
1994
Art of the Object. Craft Australia touring exhibition of South America. Montevideo, Uruguay and Santiago, Brazil. Australia
1997
The Somatic Object. Ivan Dougherty Gallery, Sydney.
1996
New Furniture. Jam Factory Craft and Design Centre, Adelaide.
Detail Contemporary Furniture Gallery, Melbourne.
Design '96. Artists + Industry, Melbourne. South Australia.
Crucible of Design. Jam Factory Craft and Design Centre, Adelaide.
Re: Covering Manhattan. Correct Exposure, Adelaide.
1995
Beyond the Spiral Staircase. Jam Factory Craft and Design Centre, Adelaide.
Detail 6. Detail Contemporary Furniture Gallery, Melbourne.
Design '95. Artists + Industry, Melbourne.
Ektozone; Objects from the outer limits. Gallery on 7, David Jones, Sydney.
1994
Celebrate! the Jam Factory Craft and Design Centre. Twenty-one years. Jam Factory Craft and Design Centre, Adelaide.
ACT in the Rocks. Crafts Council Gallery, Canberra; Craftspace Gallery, The Rocks, Sydney.
1993
Executive Office Furniture Incorporating Merino Leather. Narek Galleries, Cuppacumbalong, Tharwa, ACT.
Crossing Over. Crafts Council of the ACT Gallery, Canberra. Alice Craft Acquisition 1993. Araluen Craft Centre, Alice Springs.
The Ethereal Edge. Jam Factory Craft and Design Centre, Adelaide.
1992
Addressing the Chair. Canberra Contemporary Art Space.
On Tray. Jam Factory, Adelaide.
Alice Craft Acquisition 1992. Araluen Craft Centre, Alice Springs.
Furniture of the Boudoir. David Jones, Canberra.
1991-92
The Light Fantastic. Canberra Contemporary Art Space; Distelfink Gallery, Melbourne; Sturt Craft Centre Gallery, Mittagong.
1990
2nd National Woodwork Exhibition. Royal Exhibition Buildings, Melbourne.
Annual Exhibition, Woodcraft Guild of the ACT. Crafts Council of the ACT Gallery, Canberra. Qdos Gallery, Lorne, Victoria.
1989
Craftsmanship in Wood. Crafts Council of the ACT Gallery, Canberra.
Woodworks. Blaxland Gallery, Sydney.
1988
Five Years On. Crafts Council Gallery, The Rocks, Sydney.
National Woodwork Exhibition. Royal Exhibition Buildings, Melbourne.
1987
Canberra School of Art Graduating Students Exhibition. CSA Gallery, Canberra.
Appreciating Wood. Melville Hall, ANU, Canberra. Held in conjunction with the Third National Wood Conference.
The Canberra Collection 2. Link Gallery, Canberra Theatre.
Designer Makers in Wood. Narek Galleries, Cuppacumbalong, Tharwa, ACT and Goulburn Regional Gallery.
Woodcraft Revisits the Opera. Exhibition Hall, Sydney Opera House.
1986
Beauty and Utility in Wood. Crafts Council of the ACT Gallery, Canberra.
The Canberra Collection. Meat Market Craft Centre, Melbourne.
 
 
 

MAJOR COMMISSIONS

In the United States
1998
Design Copyright consultant for Owen, Wickersham and Erickson, P.C. San Francisco.
 
At Jam Factory Craft and Design Centre
1994-6
Lectern for the Wollongong City Gallery, Wollongong.
Lounge furniture and low tables for Fauldings International Corporate Headquarters, Adelaide.
'Technology Hub' interactive display centre for Primary Industries South Australia.
Restaurant fit-out for Botanic Dining Room, Adelaide. Tables, chairs, waiter's stations and wine racks.
Design of public seating for Rundle Mall, Adelaide. Collaboration with Steve Greive and Assoc. Architects.
Reception area furniture for David Deakin Davies & Co., Solicitors, Adelaide.
Winner of Design Institute of Australia (SA Chapter), Design Award, 1995.
Development of the 'Greef' chair for 'Workspace' and 'Art Images' with Kestie Lane and Martin Murray.
 
At Decorative Arts Workshop
1990-4
Construction of Assembly Table and Speaker's Desk for the ACT Legislative Assembly.
Boardroom Tables for the Meat Research Corporation, Sydney. Including development of Merino leather and testing its potential applications in furniture.
Design of all furniture and fabrication of sanctuary pieces for St. Michael's Parish Church, Kaleen, ACT. DAW collaboration.
 
At Finedesign
1988
Involved in all aspects of the fabrication and installation of the Leader of the Opposition's and the President of the Senate's Suites for the New Parliament House, Canberra.
Refurbishment of the Canberra Theatre Foyer.
 
 
 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Publications
Kelsey, John & Mastelli, Rick. eds. Furniture Studio: The Heart of the Functional Arts. The Furniture Society. 1999. p.30.
Rowley, Sue. ed. Craft and Contemporary Theory. Allen and Unwin. 1997.
Ioannou, Norris. Master's of Their Craft. Craftsman House. 1997.
Zimmer, Jenny (Ed.). Contemporary Craft Review 1: Collected essays on issues and themes in contemporary craft. Craft Victoria. 1996. pp.21-3.
Cochrane, Grace. The Crafts Movement in Australia: A History. UNSW Press. 1992. pp.399-400.
Artfile, 1992. Craft Arts International. pp. 290-291.
 

Reviews and articles

'Australian furniture design; no pain, no gain'. Monument 13, July 1995. p.96.
Jinman, Richard. 'Home-made has wood on imports'. Weekend Australian, 21 October 1995. p 5.
Outlaw, Anne. 'Re: furnishing memory'. Broadsheet 24.3. Spring '95. p.23.
Fortescue, Christopher. 'Aground - a review'. Object 2.95. Object 1.95. p.2.
Hinchliffe, Meredith. 'Metal and sand mix in design challenges'. Canberra Times, 26 July 1995. p.C9.
Vogue Living. 4.1995. Aug.-Sept. 1995. p.28.
SA Crafts. 2:1995 Radok, Stephanie. 'Memory and the carnivore'. Adelaide Review, June 1995. pp.31-2.
Ioannou, Noris. 'Showing personal view with a room'. Adelaide Advertiser, 26 May 1995. p.21.
SA Crafts. 3; 1994. Hinchliffe, Meredith. 'Beauty and design in the boudoir'. Canberra Times, 11 March 1992. p.26.
'Light sauce', Object, Summer 1992. p.18.
Geissler, Marie. 'Club Fed'. Craft Arts 23, November 1991/ January 1992.
Geissler, Marie. 'Club Fed'. Design Ink 6 , September 1991.
Barron, Sonia. 'Pleasures of finely crafted furniture'. Canberra Times, 29 May 1991. p.25.
Uhlman, Amanda. 'Heavenly pieces of art by precision craftsmen'. Canberra Times, 16 May 1991. p.20.
Leveson, Kenneth. 'Wood works are exercises in pure design'. The Age (Melb.), 7 August 1990.
Collenette, Peter. 'Freedom and a living - the best of two worlds'. The Age (Melb.), 24 July 1990.
Raffan, Richard. 'Design for living'. Craft Arts 19, July/September 1990.
Wallace, Sue-Anne. 'Furniture with natural grace'. The Canberra Times, 27 March 1989.
Australian Woodworker, Nov./Dec. 1988. p.41.
Hinchliffe, Meredith. 'Work of a higher standard'. Canberra Times, 2 December 1987. p.27.
'The whole world in their hands'. Canberra Times, 15 November 1987.
 
Catalogues
'The Somatic Object'. UNSW Press. 1997.
'AGROUND'. 1995.
'Celebrate! Jam Factory Craft and Design Centre. Twenty-one years'. 1994.
'The Art of The Object', Craft Australia. 1994.
'The Light Fantastic'. 1991.
 
Non-print media
'Imagine', episode 26. SBS TV. 1994.
 
Published writing
'The Fire Within - a review'. Object 4.96.
'A Winter's Tale from New York'. Object 3.96.
'The Art of the Maker - a review'. Object 1.95.
''For Tomorrow' - seems like only yesterday'. Object 4.93.
'A fresh ride on the sheep's back'. Object 3.93.
'Group Mono Mono; a model for practice?'. Object 2.93.
'A Flowering of the Arts'. Craft Arts 27, 1993.
'Notes from the North: a short series of personal reflections on the current designer-making scene in the UK'. Woodworkers Association of NSW Newsletter, several editions 1992.
 
 
 

LECTURES AND WORKSHOPS

1999
University of Wisconsin, Madison Wisconsin. Visiting lecturer and critic.
University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia. Visting lecturer and doctoral thesis examiner.
Rhode Island School of Design. Visiting critic.
1998
'Breaking Barriers '98', Saskatchewan Crafts Council. Emma Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada. Invited artist.
San Diego State University. Visiting lecturer and critic.
1995
SOFA, Chicago. Lecture.
Rhode Island School of Design. Visiting lecturer and critic.
Philadelphia University of the Arts. Visiting lecturer.
1991
School for Craftsmen in Wood, Parnham House, UK. Visiting lecturer.
Royal College of Art, London. Visiting lecturer and critic.
 
 
 

CONFERENCES

2000
Furniture 2000. 4th National Conference of the Furniture Society, Toronto, Canada. Presenter.
1999
AICAD Symposium on Critique. Corcoran College of Art and Design, Washington D.C.
'Furniture 99: The Circle Unbroken'. The 3rd National Conference of the Furniture Society. Appalachian Center for the Arts. Smithville, Tenessee.
1998
'The 2nd Annual Conference for Collectors of Contemporary Wooden Vessels, Sculpture and Furniture'. San Francisco. Speaker.
'Breaking Barriers 98', Saskatchewan Crafts Council. Emma Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada. Invited artist..
'Furniture 98: East meets West'. 2nd National Conference of the Furniture Society. CCAC, San Francisco and the Oakland Museum of California. Co-ordinator.
1997
'Furniture 97'. 1st National Conference of the Furniture Society. Puchase College, SUNY, New York.
'Beyond Function'. CCAC, San Francisco, California. Convenor. 1996
'Intersections'. National Conference of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (RAIA), Adelaide.
1995
'Making Culture'. 2nd National Crafts Conference, Melbourne. Panelist.
1994
'Surround' Conference, Dept. of Interior Design, RMIT, Melbourne.
1992
'Craft 2000', the First National Crafts Conference, Perth.
'Interventions' Conference, University of Wollongong, Wollongong.
1987
2nd National Wood Conference, Canberra.
 

Papers by Donald Fortescue

THE WELL SPRING
aspects of the creative process

MATERIAL AND MEMORY
the construction of aesthetics in contemporary sculpture and craft

TOWARDS A PICTOGRAPHY OF DESIGN
analysis of the meaning inherent in the designed and made object

AGROUND
a review of the exhibition by Chris Fortescue first published in Object 2.95. pp. 17-18.

RE:FURNISHING MEMORY
a review of the exhibition Aground by Anne Outlaw first published in Broadsheet 24.3. Spring '95. p.23.

Cath Kenneally
a commissioned essay for the Aground catalogue, 1995.

PORTFOLIO
EARLY WORK
. .. .
grid - fatmen - fathy - between the lines

.
grid bedside - zafu - zephyr


'AGROUND' 1995
. .
installation view - installation view - crossing - assay

. .
bask - buoy - scorch


EMPTY VESSELS, JOHN ELDER GALLERY, 2001

. . .
pike 1 & 2 - pike (basking) - pip - plumb - self-contained






ARTISTS REPRESENTED
updated 1/26/01
 Contemporary Studio Furniture: 
 TO CONTACT THE GALLERY 
email us at mail@johnelder.com
or call (212) 462-2600. 

"Art, Exceptionally Crafted"

The John Elder Gallery showcases museum-quality contemporary decorative art -- works that combine artistic vision with the artisan’s joy of making.

The Gallery, which opened in November 1997, represents artists who create contemporary studio furniture, ceramics, and glass.  These artists share the conviction that art should be inspired, finely executed -- and an everyday affair.   Not only do their works bridge the gap between art and artisanry, they bring art home -- literally. Though many of the artists have pieces in the permanent collections of the world’s premier art museums, their work is, first and foremost, intended to be contemplated, touched, used -- incorporated into everyday life.  The Gallery exhibits works including studio furniture by ............., Donald Fortescue, ..........

The Gallery is dedicated to assisting these artists in bringing their individual messages and art to others’ homes. The John Elder Gallery plans both solo exhibits and additional group shows; will  sponsor ongoing lecture series, and host an annual exhibit of work by emerging artists. The John Elder Gallery is located at 529 West 20th Street, seventh floor west, New York, NY 10011.  Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11am - 6pm.      Tel.:  212.462.2600  Fax:  212.462.2510 
.....

Empty Vessels

Donald Fortescue has a long career in the art/furniture field.  Trained in Australia as a fine furniture maker and designer, over the last few years his work has veered away from the strictly functional.  In spite of this move to more purely sculptural work he continues to draw heavily from traditional design and (ooh, dare we say it) craft.
The show will have two distinct components.  Entitled “Empty Vessels”,  a small group of large laminated Finish birch plywood hollow forms will dominate one area.  These are human-scaled or larger, meticulously made stacked plywood vessels.  They are fabricated with traditional and largely outdated techniques:  coopering (used in barrel-making), pattern-making techniques in stack laminations, and segmented turning. 

There is a clear connection with the process and an attention to the impact of the finished object that ties this work firmly to the traditional world of design and craft.  These over-scaled forms have a strangely overpowering but friendly presence.  While each resembles a traditional closed vessel like a seedpod, their scale pushes the objects into a curious zone.

The centerpiece of the other installation, called “Self-Contained”, is a Pod that is over six feet tall and resembles a highly abstracted human from.  The surface is compulsively covered with burned-in tally marks.  One stroke for each hour of the average life – over 600,000 marks!  Numerous smaller  bowl forms, called “Hulls”, which are both functional and conceptual, surround this central “figure”. 
Fortescue is very interested in the “utility” of his pieces but the utility is intentionally vestigial.  He feels the potential for a work to carry meaning is enhanced by physical interaction with the work.  The pieces make reference to traditional vessel forms but their scale confounds easy associations. The attention to process, materials, and surface encourage touch and a subtle haptic appreciation of form.