Jack Barnes Designs

Most of the materials that Jack Barnes uses in his work are from materials that have outlived their intended usefulness or have been cast off as unwanted or unneeded. In recent years, he gathers wood from the urban forest that has been cut down at friends’ and neighbors’ homes.

His exploration into reuse began decades ago as a low-cost/no-cost way to gather materials to unleash creativity as a graduate from the School of Design at NC State University in the early 1990s. Over the decades, his version of reuse or repurposing has taken various forms and shifted focus from time to time. But it has been a constant and regular part of his creative work.