21 Chairs displayed at Merced Mall

Henry David Thoreau wrote, “I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society”.

The chair in Western terms has been a topic in history, sociology, industrial design, architecture, holistic body/mind approaches, and ergonomics. The chair as art often fills museums and galleries throughout the world.

Merced Mall launched the 21 Chairs Project to bring public enlightenment of Merced Symphony Association’s efforts towards children’s music education – aimed at filling community orchestra chairs as well as appreciative audience chairs well into the future, according to a Merced Mall press release.

Twenty-one artists were challenged to create a functional piece of art – something that stops people in their tracks, starts a conversation, and maybe goes so far as to redefine the whole space it occupies. The 21 Chairs are now on public display at the mall until Nov. 1 in the Center Court area.

The project concludes with a gala/auction event staged at Merced Multicultural Arts Center on Nov. 15 with proceeds going to Merced Symphony Association’s educational program. Social and preview happens at 5:30 p.m. with hors d’oeuvres and no-host bar at 7 p.m. The center is located at 645 W. Main St.

This story was originally published October 23, 2014 at 1:53 PM with the headline "21 Chairs displayed at Merced Mall."