Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
kim@kimschmahmann.com		 ARTIST STATEMENT
In my work, I create conceptual art in the form of fine art. Presently, I am using the media of furniture and documents to explore the role of everyday objects in shaping how we live and work. This influence is typically unrecognized, and by juxtaposing these two media of furniture and documents, I hope to challenge conventional assumptions about how such taken-for-granted objects affect our lives.

In my pieces — such as the Bureau of Bureaucracy, Deconstructing Colonialism, and my current piece, Apart-Hate: A People Divider — I explore a variety of interactions between individuals and society, classification and control, and space and time. Each piece is constructed as an object of fine furniture that contains personal and institutional documents that are revealed to the viewers as they interact with the piece.

My work is inspired by the European Cabinets of Curiosity of the late sixteenth and seventeenth century, and the intarsia work of the Gubbio Studiola of fifteenth century Italy. My work is also influenced by my training as an architect and furniture maker, as well as my lifelong and ongoing interactions with social institutions, both local and global.



RESUME

Museums
Bureau of Bureaucracy, Permanent Collection, Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C.
Selected Exhibitions
2004 Right at Home: American Studio Furniture exhibition at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C.
1997 Selected Works exhibition at the Stratton Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA.
1991 Artisans of the 90s exhibition at the Lexington Arts & Crafts Society, Lexington, MA.

Publications
“Sketchbooks: Bureau of Bureaucracy,” in Collections of the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
“Bureau of Bureaucracy,” featured on book jacket of Turning Words, Spinning Worlds by Michael Rosen, Harwood Press: Cambridge, UK., 2000.
“Bureau of Bureaucracy: Political Pieces,” Art & Antiques, volume XXIII, September, 2000.
“Opposite but not Equal,” Fine Woodworking: Design Book Seven, Taunton: Newton, CT., 1996.
“Grand-Parent Clock,” Fine Woodworking: Design Book Seven, Taunton: Newton, CT., 1996.
“Manhattan Coffee Table,” Fine Woodworking: Design Book Six, Taunton: Newton, CT., 1992.
“Building Buildings and Living Lives,” in P. Gagliardi (ed.) Symbols and Artifacts, W. de Gruyter: New York, 1989 [with M.Rosen & W. Orlikowski].

Honors and Awards
Distinguished Artist Lecture, Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C., June 2004.
Gruss Remainder Trust, Grant for Work-in-Progress.
The Peace Garden Project, Washington, D.C., Honorable Mention [with J. Hirsty].
International Cities Design Competition, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Honorable Mention.
Stawon International Housing Competition, Amsterdam, Holland, Award, First Stage.

Work In Progress
Apart-Hate: A People Divider.

Education
French Polishing Program, Barstow & Waterhouse, Manchester, UK.
Diploma in Furniture and Cabinetmaking, North Bennet Street School, Boston, MA.
Bachelor of Architecture, University of Natal, Durban, South Africa.