The Henry Ford is our home for Maker Faire Detroit. It’s a great collection of American history, from automotive advancements to the history of the American home. Last Thursday I had the chance to attend the “Conversation with Don Chadwick” lecture as the “Inspired Design” exhibit, a great collection of Herman Miller work, came to a close.

What do office chairs and crafting have in common? Lots. The design process that goes into a handmade purse is just the same when it comes to designing a chair. Don spoke to how the Aeron chair came about, realizing the changing environment in today’s office as well as the changing tasks of today’s worker.

The lecture not only covered the Aeron, but the mindset of Herman Miller and good design. Don had some great thoughts on the world-famous company that really struck me in terms of crafters and our work, but this one was my favorite: “Herman Miller does a lot of investing in ideas that never make it.”
Yep, I know how that feels. How often do you work on a project that you think will be great but never sees the light of day or turns out less than stellar?

The lecture was so inspiring and made me so excited for Maker Faire Detroit. I can’t wait to see what fantastic folks show up with their own ideas! And, in a funny turn of events, I won the raffle that night and got to take own my very own Aeron chair. Perfect for crafting, eh?
I’ve got more photos over on Flickr, as well as a quick video snippet from inside the exhibit.
The Detroit call to makers is still going strong as is the the call to crafters for Craft Faire - you’ve got time to apply! More Detroit updates soon!