CUSTOM STEEL FURNITURE DESIGN AND FABRICATION
Born in Charleston, SC, Rhett McGahee began working with metal in High School. Her creativity was richly nurtured at an early age, offering her the opportunity to experiment with many different media. By the time she reached High School, she had found her passion in the creation of functional art, and more specifically jewelry.Maintaining her focus on jewelry, Rhett began exploring the world of sculpture at Guilford College. She studied small metals at Penland School of Craft in 1995, and decided to head west the following year for a more specialized education in metal fabrication processes. At the University of New Mexico, Rhett continued her study of sculpture, and dove into the small metals program.
At this time, Rhett’s new apartment was relatively unfurnished. A pile of scrap metal sat rusting behind her house, she had this fabulous new studio to work in at the University, and she had just recently learned how to weld. Here, her fascination with functional objects took an entirely new and much larger turn, and Rhett began furnishing her apartment piece by piece. Guests began to take notice and commissions ensued.Rhett received a BFA from UNM with concentrations in both Sculpture and Small Metals. She now resides in Asheville, North Carolina, where she continues to make unique handcrafted furniture and objects. Rhett’s work reflects her “passion for creating functional objects with an artful dialogue, from organic and abstract to industrial, and an equal passion for the challenge involved in doing so. In making steel furniture, I work to provide aesthetic solutions that fulfill needs and desires.â€
