Katie Freeman—wood artist
"I use bold colors in my pieces as a way to encourage myself and others to be bold in their truth, and to not only embrace it, but to shout it from the rooftops in unison, “We will not be silenced."
An ant-riddled piece of hard maple is filled with blue-tinted resin and glow-in-the-dark powder. Illuminated internally by a LED light strip, this table lamp is a signature Freeman Furnishings piece. Uniquely sculptural and bold, Katie Freeman makes functional art that is also deeply expressive.
Like most serious passions, Katie's materials experimentation began in childhood. When her mom gave her Barbies, she pushed the dolls aside and used the boxes they came in to make something instead. There's a logical straight line from Katie's love of Legos to a career as an engineer. But it never fed her soul. She dreamed of being a woodworker like her great-great-grandfather whose furniture is still in her family. Night classes sparked her creativity and eventually led Katie to leave her full-time job and start her own furniture art business. With young children to raise, Katie juggles engineering consulting and her art, striving for the sweet spot between living your dream and making a living from it. But she never doubts her choice to pursue her art. As Freeman Furnishings, Katie fills orders, runs her podcast, Maker Mom, and teaches woodworking. Her work is also a vehicle for her activism: 10% of every sale she makes goes to the Domestic Violence Intervention Program in Iowa City, Iowa. Watch Katie make it look easy in her videos @freemanfurnishings.
Katie has no problem getting dirty in a Maven Slim in Black Stretch Denim.
Dovetail Workwear Disclaimer: We are not the boss of our Women At Work! They say it their way and wear it their way.