Curriculum Vitae of Sam Maloof
Celebrating the Life, Work, and Contributions of a Master Woodworker
Sam Maloof, born in Chino, California in 1916, and revered as one of America’s most influential woodworkers, left an indelible mark on the world of furniture design and craftsmanship. From his early work as a graphic designer to his internationally recognized handcrafted furniture, Maloof’s career spanned over six decades, earning him accolades and recognition worldwide. His commitment to the American crafts movement, coupled with a unique approach to functional art, continues to inspire makers and collectors alike. This curriculum vitae outlines his professional journey, awards, exhibitions, and contributions to public collections, as well as his deep ties to the art world and educational communities.
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Explore the rich history and achievements of this master artisan, whose works are treasured in private and public collections across the globe.
PERSONAL INFORMATION
BORN:
January 24, 1916. Chino, California
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DIED:
May 21, 2009, Alta Loma, California
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MARRIED:
1948 – 1998 Alfreda Ward Maloof (deceased)
2001 – 2009 Beverly Wingate Maloof
PROFESSIONAL POSTS
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Former President of Southern California Designer
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Former Trustee of the Southeast Region of American Craft Council
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Former Board of Directors of World Craft Congress, U.S. Section
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Former Trustee, American Craft Council Former Chairman of the Academy of Fellows, American Craft Council
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
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1934–39 VORTOX, Graphic Designer
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1940–41 Harold Graham, Industrial Designer
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1941–45 U.S. Army
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1946–48 Graphic artist for painter Millard Sheets
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1948–2009 self employed
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1959 U.S. State Department Design Project in Iran and Lebanon
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1963 U.S. State Department Design Project in El Salvador
AWARDS
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1959 Hardwoods Industry Exhibit, Museum of Science and Industry
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1962 Gold Key, Southern California Chapter, National Home Furnishings League
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1967 AIA Award, Pasadena Chapter, Outstanding Excellence of Craftsmanship
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1969 Louis Comfort Tiffany Grant for Craftsman Apprentice Program, First Recipient
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1972 AIA Award, Inland Chapter (CA), Craftsmanship in Allied Arts
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1975 Fellow, American Crafts Council
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1984 National Endowment for the Arts, Fellowship Grant
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1984 Living Treasure of Rancho Cucamonga City Council
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1985 Living Treasure of California, California Creative Arts League of Sacramento, CA
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1985 John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellowship
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1987 California Classics Award, Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles, CA
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1988 American Craft Council Gold Medal
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1988 Industrial Education Service Project, CA
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1990 Lifetime Achievement Award, The Arts Foundation of San Bernardino County, CA
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1991 Excellence in Crafts, Merit Award, The Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston, MA
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1991 Recognition of Outstanding Achievement in Creative Arts, The Kahlil Gibran Centennial Foundation, Washington, DC
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1991 Award for Distinguished Achievement in American Craft Art, Sponsored by the Women's Committee of The Philadelphia Museum of Art
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1992 Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI
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1992 Maloof International, Washington, DC, Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Representation of the Family Name
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1992 Rice University, Houston, TX, Arab American Education Foundation, The Achievement of Excellence Award
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1993 American Institute of Architects, California Council, AIACC Service Award in Craftsmanship
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1993 American Institute of Architects, Honorary AIA Inland California Award California Association for Construction Technology Education Achievement Award - A California Treasure who is an inspiration to all who teach woodworking to the young
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1994 The Bishop Gerald Kennedy Award, Honored Layman of the California Pacific Annual Conference In Recognition of Distinguished Service to The United Methodist Church
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1995 Chaffey College Foundation, Outstanding Alumni of the Year
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1997 James Renwick Alliance “Masters of the Medium” Award. The Renwick Gallery of the National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC
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1999 Lebanon Award for Innovation, Makhzoui Foundation, Beirut, Lebanon
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2000 United States Congress Award Certificate of Special Recognition Outstanding and invaluable service to the community, Washington, DC
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2000 Los Angeles Times Most Influential People Award Los Angeles, CA
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2000 California State Legislature Certificate of Recognition Making a significant difference in the lives of those with disabilities Sacramento, CA
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2001 Award for Design Excellence, Rancho Cucamonga Planning Commission, Rancho Cucamonga, CA
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2001 Award of Distinction, Lifetime Achievement Award The Furniture Society
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2001Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters Aurora University, Aurora, Ill
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2002 Gamble House Master Craftsman Award, Pasadena, CA
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2003 Maloof Home Relocation Project, received the State of California Governor’s Historic Preservation Award for 2003, Sacramento, CA
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2004 Ellis Island Medal of Honor, for outstanding contributions to his ethnic group, ancestral countries and to American Society, New York, NY
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2004 Lifetime Achievement Award, University of La Verne, La Verne, CA
EXHIBITIONS
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1954–71 California Design I - XI
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1970 Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, Objects U.S.A.
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1971 Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, Woodenworks
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1972 Minnesota Art Museum, St Paul, MN, Woodenworks
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1974 World Crafts Council, Toronto, Canada, In Praise of Hands
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1976 41st International Eucharistic Congress, Philadelphia, PA, Exhibition of Liturgical Arts
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1976 Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL, American Craft
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1976 Following Sea Gallery, Honolulu, HI, Cream of Wood
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1976 Honolulu Academy of Art, Honolulu, HI, Vignettes of American Art and Life1776-1976
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1977 Craft & Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles, CA, L.A . Collects Folk Art
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1977 The Hand & The Spirit, Scottsdale, AZ, California Craftsmen
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1977 Contemporary Crafts Gallery, Portland, OR
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1977 American Crafts Council Fellows Exhibit, Winston-Salem, NC
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1978 Following Sea Gallery, Honolulu, HI, Exhibition Six
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1978 Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA, Philadelphia Crafts Show
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1978 J. M. Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, WI, Form & Fantasy
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1978 Vatican Museum, Rome, Italy
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1979 American Crafts Museum, New York, NY, New Handmade Furniture
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1980 Galveston Art Center, Galveston, TX, 30 Americans
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1980 Vice President's House, Washington, DC
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1981 Craft & Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles, CA, Made in L.A.
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1981 Oakland Art Museum, Oakland, CA, California Woodworker
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1981 American Craft Museum, Silver Benefit Auction
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1982 American Craft Council, Collector's Weekend in New York City
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1982 Gallery Fair, Mendocino, CA, Sam Maloof
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1983 J. M. Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, WI
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1983 Craft Alliance, St. Louis, MO, Wood Invitational
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1983 Craft & Folk Art Museum, Contemporary Craft Council 4th Annual Auction
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1984 Riverside County Art & Culture, Edward Dean Museum, Cherry Valley, CA, Curves, Turns & Bends: The Woodworkers Art
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1984 Lyon Art Gallery of the Redlands Art Association, Diverging Directions: Artists' Furniture
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1984 Museum of History & Art, Ontario, CA, Golden Age of Navajo Weaving and Indian Pottery
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1984 Barnsdall Art Center, Los Angeles, CA, Olympic Art Festival
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1984 Robinson's Home Design Expo 84, Fashion Island, Newport Beach, CA
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1984 The Dairy Barn, Southeastern Ohio Cultural Center, Athens, OH, American Contemporary in Wood
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1984 Galleries of the Claremont Colleges, Claremont, CA, Professors Choice II
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1984-85 Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Snowmass at Aspen, CO, The Chair Show
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1985 Art Gallery, California State University, Northridge, CA, Statements in Wood
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1985 American Craft Council, S.E. Winter Conference, Tupelo, MS, National Furniture Invitational
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1985 Gamble House - Friends of the Gamble House Homes Tour Palos Verdes Estates
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1985 Creative Arts League of Sacramento California Crafts XIV: Living Treasures of California
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1985 Santa Ana College, Santa Ana, CA, The Art of Craft-Art Week
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1985 Itawamba Junior College, Fulton, MS, National Furniture Invitational
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1985 Esther Saks Gallery, Chicago, IL, A Renaissance in Furniture as Art: Master Woodworkers
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1985 Haggin Museum, Stockton, CA, Three California Woodworkers
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1985 Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY, High Styles: Twentieth Century American Design
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1985 Craft Alliance, St. Louis, MO, About Chair: National Wood Invitational
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1985 Snyderman Gallery, Philadelphia, PA, Ten Contemporary Woodworkers
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1986 Mingei International, La Jolla, CA, Two Hundred and Ten Years Without End: Arts of the People
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1986 American Craft Museum, New York, NY, Craft Today: Poetry of the Physical
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1986 La Jolla Gallery Eight, La Jolla, CA, Masters: A Tribute to Sam Maloof
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1986 Hillcrest Congregational Church, La Habra Heights, CA
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1986 Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX - three pieces on loan from the Bybee Collection of American Furniture
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1986 Euphrat Gallery, Cupertino, CA1986-89 US Information Agency, Brooklyn, NY, Design in America
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1987 Craft & Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles, CA, 16 pieces in California Classics
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1987 Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
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1987 Mendocino Art Center and Gallery Fair
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1987 Claremont Colleges, Claremont, CA, Claremont Artists 1930-1980s
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1987 The Worcester Craft Center, Worcester, MA, In New Traditions
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1987 Muckenthaler Cultural Center, Fullerton, CA, Cross Grain: A Survey in Wood
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1987 Philbrook Art Center, Tulsa, OK, The Eloquent Object
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1987 Curated Wood Exhibition for Contemporary Crafts Museum, Portland, OR., Contemporary Crafts 50th Anniversary
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1987 Joanne Lyon Gallery, Aspen, CO
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1988 The Oakland Museum, Oakland, CA
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1988 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
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1988 The Chicago Public Library Cultural Center, Chicago, IL
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1988 Laguna Beach Museum of Art, Laguna, CA
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1989 American Craft Museum, New York, NY, CRAFT TODAY USA Poetry of the Physical
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1989 Dallas Museum of Art, Faith Bybee Collection, Dallas, TX
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1992 Cypress College, Cypress, CA
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1992 Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, American Crafts: The Nation's Collection
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1992 Stary Sheets Fine Art Galleries, Irvine, CA, A Preview of 25 Works Created by Sam Maloof in the 1970s
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1992 American Craft Museum, New York, NY, 8 Boxes Celebrating Jack Larsen
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1993 Esther Saks Fine Art Ltd., Chicago, IL, Celebrating Artistry in Craft
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1993 University Art Gallery, Riverside, CA
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1993 Los Angeles County Fair, The Fine Art of American Craft
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1993 Chicago International New Art Forms Exposition, Navy Pier Joanne Rapp Gallery/The Hand and the Spirit
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1993 Longhouse Foundation, East Hampton, NY, Jack Larsen: Celebrating Jack Exhibit
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1993 Wustum Museum of Fine Arts, Racine, WI, American Craft Council Gold Medal Recipients: 1975-1993
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1993 American Craft Council, New York, NY, Fiftieth Anniversary in conjunction with the CINAFE in Chicago, IL
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1993 San Antonio Community Hospital, San Antonio, TX, Caring Hearts Support Group Gifts From The Heart
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1993-94 Mingei International Museum, La Jolla, CA, Heirlooms of the Future Masterworks of West Coast American Designer/Craftsmen
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1993 Rhode Island School of Design, Museum of Art, Providence, RI, Two Fiddleback Maple Settees for the new Daphne Farago Wing
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1993 The Sybaris Gallery, Royal Oak, MI, Living Treasures Celebrating the Year of American Craft
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1995 Northeastern Woodworkers Association, Expo 95 Low back dining or side chair, walnut
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1996 Connell Gallery, Atlanta, GA, Unique Visions with Ed and Phil Moulthrop in conjunction with the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games
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2001 Smithsonian American Art Museum, Renwick Gallery, Washington, DC, The Furniture of Sam Maloof Retrospective
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2002 Wignall Museum/Gallery, Chaffey College, Rancho Cucamonga, CA, Sam Maloof: Family and Friends
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2002 Sam Maloof, Contemporary Furniture Craftsman, Beverly Hills Forum Series, in conjunction with the Beverly Hills City Hall Municipal Gallery exhibit The Furniture of Sam Maloof, Beverly Hills, CA
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2003 Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles, CA Sam Maloof: Craftsman and Collector
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2004 Millard Sheets Gallery at the Fairplex in Pomona, CA Master Woodworker, Sam Maloof: One-Half Century of Woodworking and Design
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2004 Smithsonian American Art Museum, Renwick Gallery, Washington, DC, Masters of Their Craft: Highlights from the Smithsonian American Art Museum
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2004 The Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery at Scripps College. Claremont, CA, Dovetail: The Art and Furniture of Sam and Alfreda Ward Maloof
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
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1959 Minnesota Art Museum, St. Paul, MN
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1960 The American Craft Museum, New York, NY
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1969 /1984 Oakland Art Museum, Oakland, CA
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1969 The Council House, Racine, WI, S.C. Johnson Co. Collection
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1976 The Fine Art Museum, Boston, MA
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1980 Vice President's House, Washington, DC
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1980 Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles, CA
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1981 The White House, Washington, DC 1983 St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, MO
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1985 Carter Presidential Library, Atlanta, GA 1986 Albuquerque Art Museum, Albuquerque, NM
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1986 Dallas Art Museum, Dallas, TX1987 Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
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1988 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
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1990 The Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, M. H. de Young Memorial Museum, Golden Gate Park, CA
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1981/1991 Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA
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1991 Detroit Art Museum, Detroit, MI
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1992 The Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC - American Crafts: The Nation's Collection
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1992 The Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, OH
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1993 Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque, NM
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1995 The White House Collection of Arts and Crafts, Washington, DC
PUBLICATIONS
Books:
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The Furniture of Sam Maloof By Jeremy Adamson. Published by W.W. Norton & Company, September 2001.
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Sam Maloof, Woodworker By Sam Maloof and Jonathan Pollock. Published by Kodansha America; Reprint edition January 1, 1989.
Magazines:
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Christophorus 308, The Porsche Magazine, June/July 2004 issue, pp. 70-76.
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Popular Woodworking, June 2003 pp. 32–35
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Smithsonian Magazine, June 2001, pp. 38–42
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Sunset Magazine, August 2003, p. 26.
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WOOD, Better Homes and Gardens, June/July 2004 issue, pp. 48–51.
Newspaper Articles Include:
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"Claremont Courier"
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"Inland Valley Daily Bulletin"
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"Los Angeles Times"
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"New York Times"
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"NEWS, Society of Architectural Historians, Southern California Chapter"
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"Rancho Cucamonga Business Connection"
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"Rancho Cucamonga City News"
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"Rancho Cucamonga Voice"
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"San Bernardino Sun"
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"The Press Enterprise"
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"Whittier Daily News"