Tom Haney is moved by motion. Whether creating an automated museum installation or a flashing retail display, the Black Mountain, North Carolina–based artist draws inspiration from animated graphics. “I’ve always been fascinated by artwork that moves,” he tells Business of Home.
Growing up in Cincinnati, Haney began experimenting with art at a young age. In college, he studied industrial design at the University of Cincinnati before moving to Atlanta and taking odd jobs making props, models and miniatures for television shows, films and commercials. “After I moved south, I really became interested in whirligigs that Southern folk artists make,” he says.
Haney started crafting his own motion-enabled pieces, such as marionettes, in his free time, and decided to become a full-time artist in 2000. “My ideas come from a mechanical challenge I’ve given myself: ‘How do I make a figure move naturally, and what mechanical device can I make that will make that happen?’”
All of his designs are hand-carved from basswood, sometimes with polymer clay details for added authenticity. Once he has settled on a form, he makes his automated mechanisms from scratch, using everything from tiny springs to electric motors. “My work is technically termed automata, or singly, an automaton,” he says. “It’s a lot of trial and error, and always a learning process.”
Last year, he was approached by Made Goods founders Chris DeWitt and Oscar Yague to create an assortment of custom pieces for the company’s High Point showroom. Haney spent months consulting with Jenny Czerwien, vice president of brands for Made Goods parent company Ardmore Home Design, and opted to create motion-activated miniature worlds complete with automated figurines and lifelike furnishings. “I wanted to include kinetic figures of Oscar, Chris and Jenny—each interacting with their environment,” he says.
The end result, called “Creative Spaces,” debuted at 2025 Fall High Point Market with a quartet of automata shadow boxes inspired by Made Goods and its latest collection. One, called “The Design Studio,” featured a kinetic figure of Yague studying samples alongside intros such as the faux shagreen–wrapped Harlow nightstand and the leather-trimmed raffia Quinn stool. Another, named “The Presentation,” included a miniature mobile Czerwien in an outdoor scene outfitted with the tree branch–like Duke console and ceramic Binx stools. “I incorporated many of their products, logos, and what I felt were inspirational items, like artwork, books, antiques, fabrics, even bric-a-brac,” says Haney.
The artist’s personal favorite, “Wheel of Goods,” was a big hit with the crowd—it showcased a fully functional Ferris wheel filled with eight noteworthy debuts, including the asymmetrical Joss mirror and the sculptural Genevier side table. “It was a bit of a challenge to get it to operate smoothly and slowly, but in the end, it really worked out well,” he says. “Every piece could stand on its own as a unique work of art.”
Though it was his first time creating exact replicas of furniture pieces, Haney hopes to collaborate with other brands on similar designs in the future. “I always love a challenge, and this was a wonderful project to be involved with,” he says. “I couldn’t be happier with the results.”
