-- Exhibition of Top Furniture Designers Utilizing Laminate --

TEMPLE, Texas, June 11, 2003 -- Wilsonart International, a leading manufacturer of high-pressure, decorative laminate, has joined forces once again with The Furniture Society, a prestigious international organization of studio furniture-makers based in Free Union, Va., for a special exhibition at the Society's annual conference in Philadelphia. The exhibition features the work of 10 artists from the United States and Canada. This is Wilsonart's second collaboration with the Society. The first exhibition was in June 2001 and took place in Toronto, Ontario.

This year's exhibition is on display in the Lord & Taylor windows at 1300 Market Street until June 14 and showcases 10 pieces of furniture, a range of talents and a variety of Wilsonart standard and custom laminate patterns. According to Ron Gagnon, Director of Design and Marketing for Wilsonart, the artists were chosen in large part because they don't traditionally use laminate in their designs.

Those designers featured in the exhibition are as follows:

• J.M. Syron and Bonnie Bishoff, Rockport, Mass.
• Fabiane Garcia, Berkeley, Calif.
• Brian Gladwell, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
• Jenna Goldberg, Providence, R.I.
• Kim Kelzer, Freeland, Wash.
• Wendy Maruyama, San Diego, Calif.
• Gord Peteran, Toronto, Ontario
• Romeau / Richard Furniture, Allentown, N.J.
• Alfred Sharp, Woodbury, Tenn.
• Dean Wilson, Oakdale, Minn.

This collaboration gave the designers the opportunity to experiment with a new medium and to create unique custom laminate patterns as well. “Many designers don't view laminate as an exciting material with limitless creative applications,” explains Gagnon. “This exhibition allowed Wilsonart to introduce laminate to a group of extremely talented furniture designers who then pushed the envelope using this material.

Says Michael S. Podmaniczky, Senior Conservator, Furniture, of Winterthur Museum in Winterthur, Del., who is curator of the exhibition, “This collaboration proved to be an interesting one for the designers because it provided them with the opportunity to work with a material that may not have been their first choice -- and the results are incredible.”

Interestingly, Gagnon points out that high-pressure, decorative laminate was an artistic medium of choice for many furniture artists in the 1920s and 1930s. It was only in the late 1950s that laminate was popularized for kitchen countertops and subsequently began to fall out of favor with craftspeople. “Historically, this project represents a full circle for laminate,” comments Gagnon. “And it contributes to an overall renewed appreciation for the material that has arisen in the 21st century.”

Wilsonart International, based in Temple, Texas, USA, is a leading global manufacturer of high quality interior surfacing products. Wilsonart® Laminate, the company's flagship brand, now leads a cast of products including Wilsonart® Flooring, Wilsonart® Gibraltar® Solid Surfacing, Wilsonart® Custom Edge and Wilsonart® Decorative Metals, as well as a wide range of performance and specialty laminates. Wilsonart is a business unit of Illinois Tool Works Inc (NYSE: ITW), Glenview, Illinois, a $9.3 billion diversified manufacturer of highly engineered components and industrial systems.

The Furniture Society is a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization founded in 1996, whose mission is to advance the art of furniture making by inspiring creativity, promoting excellence and fostering understanding of this art and its place in society.

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LHA061103

	ETAGERE BY BRIAN GLADWELL		TOY CHEST BY JENNA GOLDBERG
	PEACE CURIO CABINET BY KIM KELZER		WAR CURIO CABINET BY KIM KELZER
	CARD TABLE BY ALFRED SHARP		FIBONACCI'S SECRETS BY J.M. SYRON & BONNIE BISHOFF
	DON'T YOU THINK THE OCTOPUS IS BEAUTIFUL? BY WENDY MARUYAMA		WORKSTATION BY ROMEU / RICHARD FURNITURE
	ENVIRONMENT ONE BY DEAN WILSON