My living space is full of color and texture, reflecting warmth and an unintimidating grace I fancy myself having. One of my favorite spots is a cozy alcove that I’ve filled with whimsy: a fuzzy pink rug, an upholstered velvet bench, a big round pillow, and hula hoops. This nook within the larger room shows that I don’t take myself too seriously – at least, not all the time. It reminds me to daydream and play, and says “Come in, join me.”
~Michelle Joan Wilkinson, director of collections and exhibitions, Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture, Baltimore

Our house says I’m cool, calm, collected, thoughtful, and artful on the outside but still just a big mess on the inside. In other words, I, like the house, am a work in progress.
~Kipley Meyer, furniture maker, Madison, GA

My apartment is a little peek into my brain. A little messy and chaotic, full of stuff I really don’t need but also surrounded by pretty things. I love my collection of art. Nearly all of it is from friends of mine or artists I have admired for a long time. I have glass and ceramics from craft show friends, drawings from artists I have followed for years, and, of course, jewelry from some of my idols.
~Alisa Miller, metalsmith, Chicago

I collect. My imagination has always been fueled by the secret history of objects. I was molded by a grandmother whose house was filled with a lifetime of stuff. When I was young, I collected rocks, telephone insulators, neckerchief slides, buttons, and, later on, skulls, art, and Jesus images. Objects tell tales, and large groups amplify these tales. I’m from a family who filled houses with treasure and tales, and I would be lost living in a home that didn’t anchor me to the world through these stories.
~Russell Baldon, furniture program chair, California College of the Arts, San Francisco

My living space would tell you that I am casual, homey, and creatively engaged. You would know this by the general disarrangement of things, the flying stuffed monkey over my desk, and my preference for leaving the doors off of my kitchen cupboards to enjoy the great (mostly ceramic) mugs, bowls, and serving pieces inside. I am devoted to my ceramics practice; downstairs you will find Mommy’s new “Cadillac” kiln and half my basement devoted to a studio.
~Karen McPherson, sales gallery manager, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis

My living space says that I am complex yet organized and traditional yet contemporary. My wall is littered with photographs, tools, materials, and Post-it notes, yet they are, in fact, organized by theme, convenience, and type. All over the pegboards, tabletops, and floor there are traditional tools like bricks, wood stumps, and vises, yet my work is made out of contemporary material like Velcro fasteners.
~Yong Joo Kim, jeweler, Providence, RI