UW-Madison’s Tom Loeser will receive the 2019 Award of Distinction from the Furniture Society.

Loeser is a professor with the School of Education’s Art Department.

Loeser designs and constructs unique functional and dysfunctional objects, always drawing on the history of design and object making. He has worked on numerous public commissions and site-specific installations.

Loeser’s work can be seen anywhere from Madison’s public library to notable museums across the country. His solo exhibition, “Please Please Please,” is currently traveling to three venues in California and Texas.

The Furniture Society seeks out individuals who have changed the course of how the field evolved and who have nurtured younger and less experienced makers. This year’s jurors chose Loeser for his contributions across the areas that make up furniture design, his skill and inventiveness as a maker, his ability as an educator, and his contributions to the discourse of craft and furniture design.