Indiana State Museum Has a New Show With Legs

Form + Function owner Helmut Fortense is no stranger to strange furniture; contemporary pieces crowd his northside boutique. But even he has to marvel at Fearless Furniture, an exhibit of locally made oddities that opened at the Indiana State Museum on Oct. 5. Here, he quantifies the fearlessness of a few works from the show (1 being tame, 5 being crazy).

FEARLESS FACTOR: 5
Star Chair
by Glen Fuller
Aluminum with high-build automotive paint and finish

“It’s a strikingly original, clean, sculptural object, which happens to be a chair—although it doesn’t look like one for long visits.”

FEARLESS FACTOR: 3
Galvanized Chest
by Jim Rose
Hot-rolled, galvanized, and found painted steel

“I prefer galvanized steel for industrial design, but at least you can count on the thing not rusting in your home.”

FEARLESS FACTOR: 1
Case Clock & Chairs
by Randall O’Donnell
Amazonian mahogany, brass, iron, poplar, and silk

“There’s no doubt about it—it’s a clock and two chairs. But the pieces honor long-gone ancestors.”

FEARLESS FACTOR: 2
Shell Stool
by Ray Duffy
Maple and steel

“This one is more like a little perch than a stool. But it looks ergonomic enough, and would fit into most environments.”

FEARLESS FACTOR: 4
Fluxus
by Dustin Headley
Poplar, glass, and steel

“As my grandmother used to say, ‘What for someone is a crow might be someone else’s nightingale.’ It’s a new idea for a coffee table, and it’s appropriately named, since it seems to undulate like a wave.” 

Photos courtesy the Indiana State Museum

This article originally appeared in the October 2013 issue.