Conversation with Norman Teague

Teague’s work focuses on projects and pedagogy that address the systematic complexity of urbanism and the culture of communities. Teague specializes in custom furniture, topped with unique aesthetic detail, that delivers a personal touch to a specific user. Teague’s past projects have included consumer products, public sculpture, performances, and specially designed retail spaces. Teague often works with common, locally sourced building materials and local fabricators to create objects and spaces that explore simplicity, honesty, cleverness and relates to the culture of the client and/or community.

Teague graduated from the Art Institute of Chicago and had his first solo show at Blanc Gallery and has worked with them to highlight new emerging artists as well as the community where Teague grew up so the connections were nostalgic to say the least.

Teague has worked with Theaster Gates & John Preus on 12 Ballads for Huguenot House dOCUMENTA (13) in Kassel, Germany. He also served as lead craftsman and co-founder of the Design Apprenticeship Program at the University of Chicago’s Arts Incubator. His retail ventures have included partnerships with KLEO Residences, Leaders1354, The Silver Room, The Exchange Cafe, DNA STL, Solange Knowles Saint Heron, and Redmoon Theater.

blkHaUS studios
Teague partnered with Fo Wilson as principals in blkHaUS studio, L3C. The team blends contemporary aesthetics with materials to create furniture, objects, and spaces that transform common typologies into original works representative of twenty-first century design. In 2016 Sounding Bronzeville, a commission by the Wildlife Corridor, designed and built a public arts project in the Bronzeville neighborhood that teams Teague and Wilson with designer Chris Buchakjian. blkHaUS studios has also collaborated with Dance-Gathering in Lagos, Nigeria.

Teague holds a BA focused on Product Design from Columbia College Chicago and an MFA in Designed Objects from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Teague was recently named creative collaborator on the exhibitions team for the Barack Obama Presidential Library with design lead, Civic Projects and Ralph Appelbaum & Associates. In 2016 Teague received the Claire Rosen & Samuel Edes Foundation Award, and recently Teague received the 3Arts award in the visual arts department. Teague has exhibited in Salone del Mobile in Milan 2015 at the Rosana Orlandi Gallery. In 2019, Teague was awarded 3Arts for his community commitment and visual arts.

The Hallie Ford School of Graduate Studies Lecture Series brings artists, scholars, designers, curators, and critics from around the globe to engage with students and the wider community in a variety of formats, including lectures, conversations, panel discussions, group critiques, workshops, and studio visits. These visiting practitioners contribute to, challenge, and expand the academic and artistic discourse at PNCA, extending the opportunities for instruction and learning.