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This side chair features handmade needlework often found on parlor furniture. The piece also has a maple burl veneer along the back top rail. Courtesy of the Museum of the South Dakota State Historical Society.

Visitors to furniture exhibit told to make themselves at home

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf

This side chair features handmade needlework often found on parlor furniture. The piece also has a maple burl veneer along the back top rail. Courtesy of the Museum of the South Dakota State Historical Society.
This side chair features handmade needlework often found on parlor furniture. The piece also has a maple burl veneer along the back top rail. Courtesy of the Museum of the South Dakota State Historical Society.
PIERRE, S.D. – The Museum of the South Dakota State Historical opened its new exhibit “Furniture: The Fancy & The Functional” at the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre.

“Museum staff members worked very hard to create a visually stimulating and educational exhibition with hands-on activities,” said Jay Smith, director of the museum.

“Furniture: The Fancy & The Functional” is about furniture found in the home, and the myriad of information one can learn from a careful study of both the fancy and functional materials in today’s homes and those of the past. From a famous wooden desk to a metal dinette set, all of the artifacts displayed in the exhibit come from the permanent collection of the Museum of the South Dakota State Historical Society. Some of the furniture on display has never been exhibited before.

Dispersed throughout the gallery will be interpretive signage, graphics and advertisements, demonstrating an evolution in how the use of rooms in the home has evolved and the impact of cultural change on the function and design of furniture.

Hands-on activities include building a chair and designing two 12-by-12-inch “rooms” with choices of floor coverings, wallpaper and furniture. There is a comfortable sofa for relaxing and reading more about furniture in American society or watching videos about crafts and design.

“We hope people take advantage of this opportunity to visit the museum in the Cultural Heritage Center to see the new exhibit,” said Jay D. Vogt, director of the State Historical Society. “We are sure it will be an enjoyable experience for people of all ages.”

For more information, visit www.history.sd.gov or call (605) 773-3458.

ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE

This side chair features handmade needlework often found on parlor furniture. The piece also has a maple burl veneer along the back top rail. Courtesy of the Museum of the South Dakota State Historical Society.
This side chair features handmade needlework often found on parlor furniture. The piece also has a maple burl veneer along the back top rail. Courtesy of the Museum of the South Dakota State Historical Society.
The exhibit’s entry features two desks, one fancy and one functional. The writing desk on the left was used by First Lady Grace Coolidge and given to Sen. Peter Norbeck’s wife, Lydia. The desk on the right was a Christmas gift from a father to his daughter in 1911. As a child, the daughter dreamed of becoming a teacher. She fulfilled that dream and the desk traveled with her as she taught in a variety of schools. Courtesy of the Museum of the South Dakota State Historical Society.
The exhibit’s entry features two desks, one fancy and one functional. The writing desk on the left was used by First Lady Grace Coolidge and given to Sen. Peter Norbeck’s wife, Lydia. The desk on the right was a Christmas gift from a father to his daughter in 1911. As a child, the daughter dreamed of becoming a teacher. She fulfilled that dream and the desk traveled with her as she taught in a variety of schools. Courtesy of the Museum of the South Dakota State Historical Society.
The exhibit area is divided into five room settings in a house. This space, the dining room, features a variety of high chairs, dining table with chairs, and a china cabinet. Courtesy of the Museum of the South Dakota State Historical Society.
The exhibit area is divided into five room settings in a house. This space, the dining room, features a variety of high chairs, dining table with chairs, and a china cabinet. Courtesy of the Museum of the South Dakota State Historical Society.
Mid-Century Modern design, as shown in this kitchen set, developed after World War II. Earlier furniture styles had emphasized furniture as ornament. Modern design shifted the emphasis to function and accessibility. Courtesy of the Museum of the South Dakota State Historical Society.
Mid-Century Modern design, as shown in this kitchen set, developed after World War II. Earlier furniture styles had emphasized furniture as ornament. Modern design shifted the emphasis to function and accessibility. Courtesy of the Museum of the South Dakota State Historical Society.