Thirty benches, tables, chairs and clocks by 21 artists—all with Indiana connections—will be presented in Fearless Furniture, the first exhibition of its kind opening to the public on Saturday, Oct. 5, at the Indiana State Museum.

“The show illustrates not only the immensely diverse talent associated with our state, but also the artists’ fearless approaches to making a living from something they love doing,” said Indiana State Museum Decorative Arts and Furniture Curator David Buchanan.

Phillip Tennant's Ipe' Bench

The artists participating in the exhibition include Ron Schouten, Phillip Tennant, Hongtao Zhou, Jim Rose, Alex Dorfman, Dale Barnard, Reagan Furqueron, Vincent Leman, Steven Sander, Colin Tury, James Lee, Dustin Headly, Kenton Hall, Glen Fuller, Jeffrey Fleming, Nancy Hiller, Ray Duffey, Rob Millard-Mendez, Matt Hutton, Erin Behling, Robert Sibley, Cory Robinson, Laura Drake and Randall O’Donnell.

Forever after She is Gone table

Wendy Maruyama, an internationally renowned artist whose works are found in the collections of public institutions worldwide, chose the artists.

“I was impressed by the quality and diversity of the works submitted, and attributed part of this to Indiana’s strong furniture design programs which encourage exploration and experimentation,” she said. “I also sensed the state’s well-established traditions of woodworking.”

Table by Matt Hutton

Fearless Furniture will feature several designs that will excite the imagination, including a very modern red aluminum concept chair titled Star Chair, designed by Indianapolis-based furniture maker Glen Fuller, and Fluxus, a poplar, glass and steel table inspired by the ebb and flow of the White River by Ball State University Assistant Professor Dustin Headley.

All artists are either a native or current resident of the state or trained at one of Indiana’s well-known design programs. Applications were submitted from across the country with the final selection including artists from as far away as Hawaii and Maine.

Maruyama will present a lecture at the museum on Friday, Oct. 11 at 4:00 p.m., followed by a reception celebrating the opening of the exhibition. Both events are free and open to the public; due to limited seating, RSVP to the museum at 317.232.1637.