DESIGNER
Jackrabbit Studio
EXHIBITION
Please Touch
Location
Catskill, New York
Contact
When we first heard of Brett Miller, we were told he was a true Renaissance man, a jack of all trades with a true love for craft and design. His practice, which goes by Jackrabbit Studio, is an eclectic mix of expression and craft, playfulness and artistry. His latest exhibition, Please Touch, at Gallery 495 in Catskill, New York, feels like the culmination of these values, an exploration of tactility and visual expression. Nestled in the Hudson Valley, the exhibition invites visitors to engage with Miller’s work in the most fundamental way: through touch. It’s a rebellion against traditional gallery convention, a reminder that art can be felt and furniture doesn’t have to be rigid.
The pieces in Please Touch showcase Miller’s intuitive approach to design through an impressive range of materials and forms. His work is rooted in feel, both physical and emotional. The towering Pájaro, crafted from Tornillo wood and standing at seven feet tall, commands attention while inviting intimate exploration. The Yoke armoire reimagines storage through its free-hanging mahogany and cedar construction, inspired by farmers carrying water. The monumental Checa Settee, hewn from black walnut, exudes quiet strength while offering comfort. Miller’s material versatility shines throughout the collection: the Mono Stool pairs luxurious shearling with maple and walnut, while his unconventional James Webb Bonzer transforms polyester foam into a sculptural statement. Each creation seems to whisper, “Come closer, run your hands along me.”
Since launching Jackrabbit Studio in 2018, Miller has carved out a distinctive voice in the design world, one that blends whimsy with meticulous craftsmanship. Miller is a self-taught designer whose journey from farming to metal fabrication to furniture making reflects his relentless pursuit of creative expression. Gallery 495, with its industrial charm and commitment to showcasing innovative artists, provides the perfect backdrop for this exhibition. Under the direction of Mike Mosby, the space has become a hub for boundary-pushing art and design, and Miller’s work feels right at home here. Please Touch is more than an exhibition; it’s a manifesto for curiosity, a call to embrace the childlike wonder of touching, feeling, and questioning. As Miller puts it, “Why does a chair need four legs? Why does a cabinet have to be static?” The answer is that it doesn’t, and that’s where the magic begins.
Many of your pieces seem to challenge traditional furniture archetypes – what boundaries were you most excited to push in this collection, and how did that manifest in specific works?
There are a couple ways I think the boundary-pushing manifested–in material and construction. The first example being this big mirror that was made from a piece of hardware store insulation foam. It was not my typical modus operandi, but it was part of the shipping crate for a different piece that was shipped from San Diego after being made in Ensenada, Baja. With this piece, I was pushing my own boundaries and comfort zone in terms of it being a material I don’t typically use and more of an unfinished piece. It’s more conceptual and is part of the longer story arc of one of the other pieces in the show. The other boundary I feel like this show pushes is in construction. Specifically in the “Yoke” armoire and “Vigas” chair. The armoire piece was inspired by a farmer carrying a stick with bushels or buckets of water on the ends. The idea that the container can be free hanging instead of fixed tickled my curiosity and I instantly thought of applying this concept to a hanging armoire. Most of the time when we think about a cabinet or an armoire, we think of a rectangular box fixed to a wall or a solid static box, but I realized it doesn’t have to be. The function is the same, but how you get there is however you want it to be.
You mention that working with natural materials has taught you about universal laws. Can you share a specific moment where material constraints led to an unexpected creative breakthrough?
With natural materials, you’re definitely forced to consider the constraints of that material. Wood is really strong in some ways and really weak in others. It moves and warps in different conditions and therefore influences how you can construct a piece. But knowing those limitations, you can work within the parameters and the expression is pretty endless. It’s easier to learn what doesn’t work than it is to figure out what does. I think that’s why craftspeople and artists can be kinda cagey about sharing their process, it takes a long time to figure it out sometimes.
The show’s title ‘Please Touch’ speaks to a fundamental human instinct. How does this emphasis on tactile interaction influence your approach to form and finish?
My whole approach is based on feel. When I’m shaping an edge, I want it to feel nice to touch, so that’s reflected in the form and finish. A piece that’s designed with the intention of being touched in a sensual way or a tactile way will inevitably have a softness either in outline or in finish or both. I think most of the time, we don’t think about interacting with our furniture in this way, but once you do, you realize it’s all about feel, physically and emotionally. It’s like music, music without feel is no good in the same way that art and design without feel is no good.
