Professor
Chris Martin
Professor, Art and Visual Culture (Furniture)
Mailing Address
Art and Visual Culture Department
158 College of Design
Ames, IA, 50011
Contact Information
Phone: (515) 294-1639
Email: chmartin@iastate.edu
Office: 089 Design
Education
1994 - MFA, Rhode Island School of Design
1990 - BFA, Iowa State University
On the Web
http://chrismartinfurniture.com
Supporting Files
Research Interests
Although my drive for creative expression through the design and production of furniture forms continues, my research focus has changed and expanded.
From June 2008- July 2010 my wife and I served as US Peace Corps volunteers, teaching arts in a rural village in Ghana, West Africa. This proved to be a life changing experience. After encountering seemingly infinite variations of development models and seeing which worked & which ones did not, I have gained an interest in issues of sustainable development. More specifically, I am interested in what artists and designers roles can be in sustainable development and how cross-disciplinary collaborations can serve to advance honest and effective sustainable development.
I also hope to continue to investigate Ghanaian indigenous arts & crafts, and the craft village tradition there. I want to focus on the history and specifically current and past production processes. My goal is to understand and document these various unique techniques. In regards to sustainable development, I hope that this will Ghanaian artisans in promoting their craft as well as preserving these unique arts for posterity.
Current Projects
Working on a manufacturing process to produce furniture forms, primarily schools desks, from waste plastic & agricultural byproducts.
Producing furniture prototypes that incorporate elements produced by artisans in Ghana & India. Developing a business of limited production furniture working with these artisans.
Continue developing study abroad program in Ghana & an exchange program with KNUST in Ghana.
