Museum of Alabama - meeting yesterday.

Aug 29

We packed up our first set of three benches for the exciting new Museum of Alabama project in the back of the truck yesterday and carried them to Montgomery for inspection. Vicky Lewis, the project lead Architect with the supercool Museum design group, PRD out of DC flew in for a couple of days of fast paced inspection, design, and whatever else she does to ensure that the construction of this project flows right along.

Vicky had a couple of great suggestions of rounding the top inside edge of the back to be more comfortable. And round the outside edges of each section for comfort as well.

The Museum board of directions was meeting yesterday, walked thru this stage of the entire project, and seemed quite happy with their first viewing of the benches as well as the rest of the project.

I love this project, but it's certainly out of our norm of "one of a kind" pieces of furniture. Also the quantity of 35 benches and stools is just a bit daunting (at this time). Hopefully by this time next week, after we've had a chance to move through several existing large dining table projects, I'll have a better handle (and confidence) on this one.

The Museum (this phase II) should be open well before the end of the year. As you can see, there's more than a little work to be accomplished in the mean time.

Vicky Lewis (PRD Group - Washington DC) on site at Museum of Alabama project in Montgomery.

Museum of Alabama, in the History and Archives building in Montgomery walk thru of current progress of Phase II construction.

Robin Wade

Robin Wade Furniture is a celebration of nature—a melding of a forward thinking commitment to the environment and a quiet, harmonious design aesthetic. From his "slow studio" in North Alabama, award-winning wood artist Robin Wade designs and crafts one-of-a-kind handmade furniture. Years before a piece is ready to enter a client's home or a gallery, the process begins—naturally—with the tree. Sustainably harvested, each specimen of hardwood is flitch sawn into natural-edge wood slabs, debarked by hand with a draw knife, and stacked to dry, usually for years, before the final cure in the kiln. From here, Wade and his team use both hand and power tools to bring Wade's vision to life, and then finish each piece with a hand-rubbed oil blend. Each organic furniture creation by Robin Wade Furniture balances the raw, natural beauty of environmentally, locally sourced hardwoods with minimally invasive, clean lines—a juxtaposition Wade calls both rustic and modern. “I haven’t yet found a better artist than nature,” he says.

robinwadefurniture.com

Museum of Alabama - meeting yesterday.

First 25 (1980) Raft Race slide scans back from Walgreens.

A Tesla in Alabama! What's this world coming to???!