HGR Industrial Surplus and local furniture designers raise more than $600 for hurricane relief

44 Steel desk
Desk by Jason Radcliffe of 44 Steel

3 Barn Doors table for HGR Industrial Surplus hurricane-relief auction

Rust Dust & Other 4 Letter Words lamp table
Lamp table by Larry Fielder of Rust, Dust & Other 4 Letter Words

HGR donated items from its showroom to three local furniture designers – 44 Steel, 3 Barn Doors and Rust, Dust & Other 4 Letter Words. These designers took their materials to IngenuityFest 2017 and did a live build of a desk, a table, and a reading lamp and table. The three pieces were auctioned through HGR’s eBay site and raised $606 that is being donated to Fresh Arts, a nonprofit arts organization in Houston, Texas, that is funding the Immediate Disaster Relief Fund for Texas Artists to help artists in the area rebuild after the hurricane. Thanks to everyone who participated for this good cause!

 

Hurricane-victim relief auction goes LIVE

44 Steel desk
Desk by Jason Radcliffe of 44 Steel
Rust Dust & Other 4 Letter Words lamp table
Lamp table by Larry Fielder of Rust, Dust & Other 4 Letter Words
3 Barn Doors table for HGR Industrial Surplus hurricane-relief auction
Table by Aaron Cunningham of 3 Barn Doors

 

You can own a one-of-a-kind piece of handcrafted furniture by one of Cleveland’s premier contemporary-furniture designers AND help hurricane victims at the same time.

You can reach the auction from a button on our home page at hgrinc.com or go directly to the landing page here to read about the arts organization that will benefit from the auctions. To learn more about 44 Steel’s desk, click here. For info about Rust, Dust & Other 4 Letter Words’ lamp table, click here. For info about 3 Barn Doors, click here.

Help hurricane victims recover, and gain a conversation piece for your home or office.

One-of-a-kind pieces of furniture by local designers to be auctioned for hurricane relief

These Cleveland-area industrial/contemporary furniture designers (Jason Radcliffe, 44 Steel; Larry Fielder, Rust, Dust & Other 4 Letter Words; and Aaron Cunningham of 3 Barn Doors) visited HGR Industrial Surplus to find inspiration for a one-of-a-kind piece of furniture to be built live during Ingenuity Fest, Sept. 22-24, 2017.

The pieces are on display at HGR Industrial Surplus, 20001 Euclid Ave., and will be auctioned by HGR with all proceeds going to aid an arts organization in the Houston area to rebuild and offer programming in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

A picture tells 1,000 words. Here are the “before” and “after” photos showing the items selected from HGR’s inventory and donated to the designers. The “after” pictures show the finished pieces on display in HGR’s office and how these designers took industrial surplus and repurposed it into a functional object for home or office use.

BEFORE:

44 Steel maple workbench
44 Steel: Maple-topped workbench
44 Steel positioner
44 Steel: Two positioners
Rust Dust & Other 4-Letter Words magazine dispenser
Rust, Dust & Other 4 Letter Words: Magazine dispenser
Rust Dust & Other 4-Letter Words mixer
Rust, Dust & Other 4 Letter Words: Mixer
Rust Dust & Other 4-Letter Words wrench
Rust, Dust & Other 4 Letter Words: Wrench
Foot Shear purchased by Three Barn Doors for use in HGR Industrial Surplus hurricane relief auction
Three Barn Doors: Foot shear

AFTER:

44 Steel desk
Desk by Jason Radcliffe of 44 Steel

 

Rust Dust & Other 4 Letter Words lamp table
Lamp table by Larry Fielder of Rust, Dust & Other 4 Letter Words
3 Barn Doors table for HGR Industrial Surplus hurricane-relief auction
Table by Aaron Cunningham of 3 Barn Doors

MEET THE DESIGNERS:

Jason Radcliffe of 44 Steel
Jason Radcliffe of 44 Steel
Larry Fielder of Rus, Dust & Other 4 Letter Words
Larry Fielder of Rus, Dust & Other 4 Letter Words
Aaron Cunningham of 3 Barn Doors
Aaron Cunningham of 3 Barn Doors

If you are interested in bidding on any of these pieces, from Oct. 4-13, 2017, you can click a button from our home page to see more information on each item and designer then place your bid. Winning bidders will be required to pick up the item from HGR or pay actual shipping cost.

 

HGR supports IngenuityFest 2017 and hurricane-relief efforts

Live butterflies in Butterfly Dome at IngenuityFest 2017

(Courtesy of Guest Blogger Dale Kiefer, freelance journalist)

HGR was a Showcase Sponsor for the 13th-annual IngenuityFest held during the weekend of Sept. 22-24. The event took place at the Hamilton Collaborative for the second year. This site, formerly known as the Osborn Industrial Complex, is in the St. Clair-Superior neighborhood of Cleveland. IngenuityFest is a weekend-long celebration that aims to provide a forum for artists and entrepreneurs to share their creations and their innovations with members of the public all while fostering a strong sense of community.

Giant butterflies at IngenuityFest 2017The theme for this year’s IngenuityFest was “Metamorphosis.” There were visible representations of this in the form of giant butterflies constructed by artists out of various media, as well as actual butterflies brought in for the enjoyment of attendees by an organization called the Butterfly Dome Experience. But the idea of metamorphosis went beyond just the biological meaning of the word. The venue itself was a symbol of this transformation.

The Osborn Industrial Complex once housed the world’s largest manufacturer of industrial brushes, but the facility was closed in 2004 after the Osborn Manufacturing Co. was bought out. New businesses such as Soulcraft Woodshop, Inc., Skidmark Garage and 3 Barn Doors have recently moved in and transformed the site into a collaborative space where the new tenants can share resources and ideas.

Considering this, it is fitting for HGR to support IngenuityFest. The building that houses HGR had once been a manufacturing center, first for airplane parts during the Second World War, and later for the production of auto bodies for General Motors. In this case, HGR, one driver of metamorphosis, has helped to usher in another.

HGR’s commitment to revitalization and community extends even further afield. Earlier this month, HGR hosted the F*SHO, an annual event that gives local designers and furniture makers a chance to present their creations to the public. During the show, HGR invited the organizer of the event, Jason Radcliffe of 44 Steel, as well as fellow craft houses 3 Barn Doors and Rust, Dust & Other 4 Letter Words to each pick out items from HGR’s inventory of industrial surplus. HGR then donated these items to the builders so they could each make a unique piece of furniture, which they did, live, at one of the displays open to the IngenuityFest attendees. These creations are being displayed in HGR’s sales office and will be auctioned off between Oct. 4 and 13, with the proceeds going to benefit an arts foundation in Houston that will help those affected by Hurricane Harvey.The Firebirds at IngenuityFest 2017

Among the other attractions at IngenuityFest were five stages, each featuring various performers — from rock bands to bellydancers. One section of the outdoor part of the show featured the Firebirds, metallic beasts whose innards blazed as they stared down at onlookers while jugglers tossed flaming objects to each other beneath them (at a safe distance from the audience, of course). There were numerous vendors selling their handcrafted jewelry, and other artists displaying works in various media, from drawings to metal sculptures.

One of the most unique displays at IngenuityFest was the 1000 Faces Project created by Artist Nelson Morris. This work, which was two years in the making, featured 1,000 faces cast in concrete, each one modeled on the visage of an actual member of the Northeast Ohio community. People of different ages and backgrounds were represented to show both the value and depth of diversity within our region.

1000 Faces at IngenuityFest 2017

Please check out and bid on the handcrafted furniture through a link here at hgrinc.com.

HGR Industrial Surplus is hosting F*SHO on Friday, Sept. 15

This is a reminder to stop by on Friday, Sept. 15 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the back entrance of HGR’s building to check out 30 contemporary furniture designers’ work, have a beer and eat some grub provided by Noble Beast Brewing Company and SoHo Chicken + Whiskey restaurant. Everything but the furniture is free! The ninth-annual show is presented by Jason and Amanda Radcliffe of 44 Steel.

But, this year, there’s a twist: Jason Radcliffe of 44 Steel, Aaron Cunningham of 3 Barn Doors and, possibly, one other surprise designer will be picking out industrial items from HGR’s showroom the night of the show to work all week after and all weekend (Sept. 22-24) at Cleveland’s Ingenuity Festival to build their pieces of furniture. They will be delivered the week of Sept. 25 to HGR’s lobby for display. Then, that same week, we will post them on our eBay auction site that you can get to via a link on our home page at hgrinc.com. The donated furniture will be auctioned to the highest bidder, and proceeds will be donated to an arts organization in Houston to help with Hurricane Harvey relief.

The F*SHO is a win for everyone and a mighty good time! We hope to see you there. F*SHO ad