Joe Munson

Background

About Joe Munson

Biography ARTIST, INVENTOR, FABRICATOR Joe Munson is the rare artist who brings to every project a seamless palette of daring design, mechanical ingenuity and finely finished fabrication. Part inventor, artist and engineer, Munson designs and fabricates custom furnishings, displays and high-concept art installations utilizing metals, glass and acrylics. Munson is known for his minimalistic aesthetic and intensive, perfectionistic approach to craftsmanship using the most durable mediums; Munson’s designs are built to last. Munson is renowned for creating sleek, original furnishings — from lustrous aluminum seating to spectacular sliding steel doors — that are described as artfully designed machinery. “Furniture is functional art,” says Munson. “Every element must be precisely choreographed with seamless mechanics in an elegant manner to define a physical space.” With a keen ability to assess a design challenge, determine inventive solutions and deliver an uncommon alchemy of function, artistry and exacting craftsmanship, Munson has earned a reputation for his imaginative approach that pushes the boundaries of what is deemed possible. Munson sweats the details and never accepts the notion of design constraints, often devising custom hinges, latches and locks to accomplish his vision. To guard his authentic instincts, Munson avoids being influenced by convention, trends or the mass-produced. “I try not to bombard my senses with imagery of what’s been done. I don’t want it to influence my creative process,” Munson says. Yet he readily admits being influenced by the groundbreaking work of minimalist artist Donald Judd, inventor Burt Rutan, and acclaimed sculptor Alexander Calder — for whom Munson’s son, Calder, is named.