Chris Ferebee

Chris Ferebee / 521 Design

An artist as well as a designer, Chris Ferebee divides his time between furniture /product design, photography, mixed media and graphic design. Self-taught in all these disciplines, Ferebee was born in Virginia Beach in 1971 and grew up a part of skateboard and surf culture where he takes much of his inspiration. Along with a variety of musical influences, taking inspiration from graphic design, industrial design and from visual artists like Robert Rauschenberg and Joseph Beuys, with interests in science and technology, Ferebee's work is as eclectic as his varied influences.

Ferebee has been with the stock photo agencies Photonica/Getty Images and Graphistock since 1992 where has had works published by such diverse clients as IBM, Microsoft, Sony, Saatchi & Saatchi, and American Express. He is also the principal for the multidisciplinary design studio, 521 Design formed in 1999 in NYC and has designed award-winning, internationally recognized furniture designs. Ferebee has been invited to lecture at the University of Houston and Rochester Institute of Technology.

Various design awards include a 2000 Good Design Award from the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design for the Hive Shelving Unit, as well as a Design Distinction Award for furniture design from I.D. Magazine's Annual Design Review 2001. His work has been included in design publications such as the International Design Yearbook 18 and 20, MoMA's The Design Encyclopedia, and Bent Ply : The Art of Plywood Furniture. Exhibitions include 100% Design, London, 2004, Scandinavian Furniture Fair, 2004, IMM - Cologne Furniture Fair, 2004, "New Design New York", Totem Gallery, NYC 2001, the "Carrefour de la Creation" Exhibit, Centre Pompidou, Paris 2001 and T.A.G. Team curated by *Surface Magazine and Totem Design, Milan and NYC 2001. Most recently, one of Ferebee's Hive shelving unit prototypes was included in Sotheby's June 2007 auction of 'Important 20th Century Design'.

Ferebee continues to focus on new areas of art and cutting-edge design with collaborative and commissioned work with companies such as Medium Footwear and Danish furniture manufacturer, Gubi International as well as working towards creating products for companies such as, DWR, The Conran Shop, Urban Outfitters and Target.

Exhibitions (Furniture) :

2009 - Fashioning Felt, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, NYC

2004 - 100% Design, London

2004 - Scandinavian Furniture Fair, Copenhagen, Denmark

2004 - IMM - Cologne Furniture Fair, Cologne, Germany

2003 - "Young Designers Showcase", Clockwork Apple, NYC

2003 - "Regeneration", re:place gallery, NYC

2001 - "Carrefour de la Creation" Exhibit, Centre Pompidou - Paris, France

2001 - "New Design New York", Totem Gallery, New York City

2001 - T.A.G. (Ten Avant Garde) Team curated by *Surface Magazine and
Totem Design, Milan / NYC

2000 - ICFF - International Contemporary Furniture Fair, NYC

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Exhibitions (Art) :

2007 - 5x7 2007, Arthouse, Austin, TX

2005 - 5x7 2005, Arthouse, Austin, TX

2005 - Texas Biennial 2005, Eastside Artists Coop, Austin, TX (review)

2004 - "The Big Show" juried exhibition, Lawndale Art Center, Houston, TX

2004 - "Mix Minds" group show, Barbara Davis Gallery, Houston, TX (review)

2003 - "Night of 1000 Drawings", Artists Space, NYC

2003 - "Young Designers Showcase", Clockwork Apple, NYC

2001 - "New Design New York", Totem Gallery, New York City

1998 - Mid-Atlantic Juried Exhibition, D¹Art Center, Norfolk, VA

1994 - Mid-Atlantic Juried Exhibition, Peninsula Fine Arts Center,
Newport News, VA

1992 - Mid-Atlantic Juried Exhibition, D¹Art Center, Norfolk, VA

1989 - Solo exhibit, The Working Gallery, Virginia Beach, VA

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Other :

2007 - Sotheby's auction of 'Important 20th Century Design'

2005 - Infiniti billboard ad campaign, "A Study in Red", NYC

2004 - Infiniti billboard ad campaign, "A Study in White", NYC

2003 - Irving Sandler Artists File, Artists Space, NYC

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Awards :

2006 - Hive Shelving nominated for the Cooper-Hewitt National Design
Museum's People's Design Award.

2001 - Design Distinction Award : I.D. Magazine's Annual Design Review

2000 - Good Design Award : Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design

1998 - Award of Excellence, Mid-Atlantic Juried Exhibition, D¹Art
Center, Norfolk, VA

1994 - Award of Achievement, Peninsula Fine Arts Center, Newport News, VA

1992 - Award of Merit, Mid-Atlantic Juried Exhibition, D¹Art Center in
Norfolk, VA

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Bibliography :

2007 - Sotheby's 'Important 20th Century Design' auction catalog, June 2007

2006 - Ultimate New York Design, teNeues

2006 - Young Designers Americas, Daab

2006 - Communicating with Pattern: Stripes, RotoVision

2005 - International Design Yearbook 20, Abbeville Press/Laurence King

2004 - The Design Encyclopedia, MoMA/Laurence King Publishing

2003 - Bent Ply : The Art of Plywood Furniture, Princeton Architectural Press

2003 - International Design Yearbook 18, Abbeville Press/Laurence King

2002 - Furniture Design, teNeues Publications

1995 - The End of Print : The Graphic Design of David Carson, Chronicle Books

1994 - Alternative Photography, Graphis Press Corp.

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Editorial :

Urbis - New Zealand / March 2006

Virginia Living - July 2005

Dwell - June 2004

Readymade - May 2004

Azure - March 2004

Architectural Record - March 2003

Monument - Australia / Aug.-Sept. 2002

Nylon - May 2002

Studio Voice - Japan / March 2002

Clear - Feb. / 2002

Case De Abitare - Italy / Jan.-Feb. / 2002

I.D. Magazine Annual Design Review 2001

Intramuros - France / Dec. 2001

Azure - Nov.-Dec. 2001

City Magazine - Sept.-Oct. 2001

Design Diffusion News - Italy / Oct. 2001

City Magazine - March-April 2001

H.O.M.E. Magazine - Germany / May-June 2001

Surface* - Issue #29. 2001

Brutus - Japan / NYC Issue, 2000