Covet: Hot Seat
Day-Glo stools from the creative nonprofit Artists for Humanity.
Photo by the Artists for Humanity Photography Studio
Most people would look at wood scraps on the floor and see trash. But when students at Artists for Humanity’s 3D design studio noticed materials left over from building easels, they saw an opportunity to create something new—namely, these custom stools, made by layering high-quality birch plywood and painted in a rainbow of Day-Glo colors. Ingenuity like this thrives at Artists for Humanity (AFH), a nonprofit that employs thousands of under-resourced teens and helps them to continue their schooling and find careers in creative fields such as graphic design and videography. And this month, with the unveiling of a giant 30,000-square-foot expansion at AFH’s South Boston “epicenter,” the organization is extending its reach even further: Designed by Behnisch Architekten, it will feature a new gallery, additional studios, a pop-up shop, and an enlarged event space. “Really, all we’re here to do is inspire kids to find a passion,” says Susan Rodgerson, the organization’s founder and executive artistic director. “We have to give them all of the support they need to reach for the stars and get there.” Sometimes, that’s as easy as pulling up a stool.
