LeafLoom
for Sheila Jones
Who Is Sheila Jones?
Sheila Jones is an African American art curator living in the West side of Chicago, specifically East Garfield Park with her wife, Justine, 8-month-old baby, Kenya, and dog, Skibby. She combines her professional passion for arts and culture with a commitment to sustainable living. Working at a local craft museum, she dedicates her career to showcasing diverse craft traditions. This passion extends into her home life, where she and her spouse are avid gardeners, deeply engaged in their home greenhouse. With a young child, Sheila prioritizes family-friendly, safe, and stimulating spaces that foster creativity and learning. In the rainy months of Spring, there was heavy rainfall the weekend of March 22nd and Sheila's backyard and greenhouse suffered a great deal and collapsed… .
Sheila has some pothos in her greenhouse that she wants to propagate in different places, either in the greenhouse or inside her house. Pothos needs to be on an elevated platform since when it is not grown, it cannot show up on the ground, and when it grows, it does not erect upwards and hangs from the pot. In both situations, it needs a stand.
Sheila will put it in a cozy corner beside the sofa or bench on which she relaxes.
The Year End Show (YES!) 2024 exhibition at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Design is a significant event, showcasing the creative achievements of graduating design students. This annual exhibition, held every May, provides an opportunity for students to present the work they have designed, developed, and crafted throughout their academic journey. For this event, I had the privilege of displaying LeafLoom, a plant pot stand created for Sheila Jones, an art museum curator. LeafLoom was designed to provide a solution for propagating pothos plants in various settings, whether in the greenhouse or indoors. As part of YES! 2024, LeafLoom not only represented the culmination of my design exploration but also reflected the dedication and thoughtfulness embedded in my creative process. This exhibition was a chance to share my work with a wider audience and celebrate the milestones of my journey as a designer.
showcasing Design and LifeStyle
Drawing for her love for arts, crafts, curation, and making; Sheila hired STUDIO 520. A group of young designers based in Chicago, Illinois to design and make objects for her house and yard using sustainable and environmentally friendly materials and recycling the materials present in her greenhouse. STUDIO 520 proposed seven objects for Sheila and her family. These seven objects live throughout Sheila's home interiors and her exteriors-backyard where she loves practicing her gardening. Among the seven objects proposed by STUDIO 520 is the Leafloom—an item that I designed and crafted.
