27th Annual Texas Furniture Makers Show
October 30 - December 12, 2026
Kerr Arts and Cultural Center 228 Earl Garrett St, Kerrville, TX 78028
Texas Furniture Makers’ Show® is an annual statewide competition of the finest custom furniture makers in Texas. The show is held at the beautiful Kerr Arts & Cultural Center in Kerrville, Texas.
2025 Jim Derby Award of Excellence
Congratulations to Joe Adams and Erich Elfeldt for winning Best in Show with “Lone Star.”
Dear Friends of the Texas Furniture Makers Show,
As we conclude another remarkable year, we want to reflect on the extraordinary progress we’ve made together in celebrating the creativity and craftsmanship of the premier studio furniture makers in the Lone Star State.
The 26th Annual Texas Furniture Makers Show stood out as our strongest exhibition in years, presenting 53 works of functional art by 43 accomplished artisans. In keeping with our mission of encouraging the next generation of furniture makers, we had the privilege of showcasing 19 emerging artists. Photos of all the amazing furniture in the 2025 show are available in the gallery.
During the six-week run, we welcomed thousands of visitors to the Kerr Arts & Cultural Center in historic Kerrville. The 5,000 sf gallery space was open five days a week with extended hours on Fridays and Saturdays. Of the 44 pieces of furniture offered for sale, seven were acquired by collectors and a record number of handmade accessories were purchased to grace our patrons’ homes.
The 2025 panel of judges included distinguished furniture makers John Gallis from Cody, Wyoming; Kelly Maxwell from Nashville, Tennessee; and Bob Card from Houston, Texas. Judges John Gallis and Kelly Maxwell led our educational seminar, sharing their insights in furniture design and marketing.
Over $14,000 in prizes were awarded to recognize thirty exemplary pieces including Best in Show winners Joe Adams/Erich Elfeldt (TimberFire Studio) for “Lone Star”, Second Place winners Spider Johnson/Cindy Goldman for “Wonderland”, and Third Place winner Damian Kemper for his “Hi-Fi Console”. Category winners included Leonard Roberts (Art), Austin Weeks (Contemporary), Wayne Delyea (Texas), Allan Sieja (Traditional), and Mark Deschner (Emerging Artist).
In addition to our longtime underwriter, Woodcraft stores of Texas, valued sponsors included Alamo Hardwoods, Arbortech, Austin School of Furniture, Bad Axe Tool Works, Benchcrafted, Berdoll Sawmill, Brusso Hardware, Carbon Method, Certainly Wood, Fine Lumber & Plywood, Fine Woodworking, Flexcut, Foredom, General Finishes, Harvest Lumber Company, Hill Country Turners, Ken & Carey White, Laguna, Lee Valley Tools, Leo Litto & Debbie Pepin, Lie-Nielsen Toolworks, Majestic Ranch Foundation, Mary Lou White, Oneida Air Systems, Osmo USA, Ridge Carbide Tool, RMP Finishes, Rubio Monocoat, SCM Group, SurfPrep Sanding Systems, System Three Resins, Texas Heritage, and Work Sharp.
A major milestone in 2025 was the 89th Texas Legislature’s adoption of an official resolution recognizing the Texas Furniture Makers Show’s 25-year history as the statewide furniture competition. This was sponsored by 53rd District Representative Wesley Virdell and the framed document was presented during the furniture awards ceremony.
As we look ahead to the new year, the Call for Entries for the 27th annual Texas Furniture Makers Show will go out on June 12, 2026. Planning has already begun for the introduction of an exclusive preview event for designers and previous buyers on Thursday, October 29th. The furniture show will open to the public on Friday, October 30th, and run for six weeks through Saturday, December 12th. The awards ceremony and reception will be held on November 7th.
Beginning in the Spring and Summer of 2026, we will be offering a series of workshops taught by our master furniture makers. These classes will focus on passing down their furniture design knowledge and skills to interested woodworkers. The TFMS workshop series will be hosted at Woodcraft stores in Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, and Fort Worth as well as the Kerr Arts & Cultural Center. Please stay tuned for more information.
Our merchandise store will remain open year-round with great branded apparel and other items to show your pride in the Texas Furniture Makers Show. Net proceeds directly support the Show. It’s not too late to order your 2026 wall calendar featuring many of this year’s award winning pieces. Calendars and other TFMS merchandise can be ordered at https://texas-furniture-makers-show-shop.fourthwall.com.
Our community continues to grow because of people like you who believe in the power of art and craftsmanship. Your participation and patronage sustains our exhibitions and ensures that we can continue to educate, inspire, and support the art of furniture making for generations to come.
Thank you!
Educational Seminar
This year's TFMS educational seminar featured judges John Gallis and Kelly Maxwell.
John's presentation covered furniture design based on decades of experience with an in depth look at his work and other influential makers. "We learn more from our mistakes than our accomplishments."
Kelly focused on practical application as he shares how artisans can build visibility and sales by bringing the same creativity and precision to online marketing as they do to the workbench. Designing functional furniture is only half the craft - the other half is presenting your work to the public.
It was held at the Kerr Arts & Cultural Center on Saturday afternoon, November 8th, from 1:00 to 3:00pm.
2025 Judges
JOHN GALLIS
A native of Long Island, John established a lucrative career building custom cabinetry for Bloomingdale’s before moving west to Cody, Wyoming. He worked for a local furniture maker in town before opening Norseman Designs West, where he created his own line of award winning high-end western furniture. John combines the simple honesty of Shaker style with the flowing curves of Art Nouveau. Wood is his favorite medium; it is warm and forgiving, and he enjoys incorporating different textures into his pieces. John finds that each species of wood has its own unique scent and characteristics. He particularly likes working with Walnut and Juniper, as they blend well and complement each other. John searches out exotic examples of these woods, focusing on their figure and grain to enhance the overall look of the piece itself. He tries not to overwork the wood to be something it’s not. John draws inspiration from nature and by studying the work of the masters, from Shaker to Stickley, from Art Nouveau to Cody’s own Thomas Molesworth. John’s son, Ian, has been working with him for the past fifteen years. Each Norseman Designs West piece is highly refined, elegantly composed, and decidedly original.
KELLY MAXWELL
Kelly Maxwell grew up in Kuna, Idaho, on his grandparent’s farm where he learned the value of hard work. From an early age, he enjoyed nature and exploring all it has to offer, always anticipating the wonder around each corner in epic playgrounds such as the Owyhee and Sawtooth mountain ranges. His explorations deepened his love for nature and the vast Snake River plains. In late 2000, while working as a paramedic in Georgia, he was asked by his wife to build some rustic furniture for his stepdaughter’s wedding. Although he had no formal woodworking training, he jumped into furniture building and built several pieces, finding his life’s calling. Kelly has worked for decades in the industry and become an award winning master of the craft. While he is not against controlled selective harvesting of trees for lumber, he prefers being more environmentally responsible by using materials milled from salvaged and dead-standing trees. Kelly is inspired by nature and primarily designs furniture from live edge wood but has experience in other more traditional styles. After many years, he still learns something new each day and believes that the only limit is your imagination. As a self-made furniture maker, he stays true to his humble roots as he expands his craft. “I work with wood found in nature,” says Kelly, “as it reveals an organic beauty that transcends woodworking into an art form. Many times, it’s like polishing a hidden gem.”
BOB CARD
TFMS award winning furniture maker, Bob Card, has been a dedicated maker and woodworker for over 50 years. Growing up in Des Moines, Iowa, Bob found warmth and inspiration in his father's basement workshop where he learned the basics of woodworking from a young age. Bob's journey to becoming a full-time artist was not straightforward. After earning an MBA, he spent over two decades in senior corporate roles. Seeking a mid-career change, he left his job to open a furniture studio in an old warehouse in Houston's East End. After many years of focusing on custom furniture, Bob began creating sculptures from leftover scraps. Over time, his passion for sculpture grew, leading him to participate in more exhibitions, win accolades, and eventually establish a dedicated sculpture studio in the arts district. Today, Bob is a full-time sculptor whose work has received numerous awards in juried competitions and is held in significant private collections. In 2024, Bob secured representation with Heidi Vaughan Fine Art and has since participated in shows in that gallery as well as exhibitions at the University of Texas - Tyler and the Montreal Art Center and Museum in Quebec, Canada. In 2023, Bob and his wife, Cynthia, opened Decatur Street Studio, a creative space that hosts artist residencies and independently curated art exhibitions. Bob is an executive board member of Fresh Arts, a Houston-based nonprofit dedicated to empowering local artists and creatives which manages Arts District Houston.
Apparel Fundraiser
We are excited to announce the availability of Texas Furniture Makers Show branded merchandise in our new online store. Net proceeds directly support the TFMS and its future growth.
In addition to the screen-printed apparel we have offered in the past, you can now get embroidered shirts, hoodies and hats. Additionally, there are several other TFMS branded items available with more coming soon.
This new platform allows you to order with immediate fulfillment. No more waiting for a campaign period to end for everything to be produced.
Please order one or more to show your pride in the Show and help support this great event.
https://texas-furniture-makers-show-shop.fourthwall.com
Order soon so that you can wear your official TFMS gear on furniture drop off day - Monday, October 27th.
This fundraising campaign is directly sponsored by the Kerr Arts & Cultural Center, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. It is hosted on the FourthWall online platform and fulfilled through Printfy.
We appreciate your support of the Texas Furniture Makers Show.
Honored by the State of Texas
The State of Texas recently honored the Texas Furniture Makers Show with an official resolution recognizing our 25 year history as the statewide furniture competition.
