Tim Stead MBE

Born in 1952, Stead studied at Trent Polytechnic and Glasgow School of Art, graduating in sculpture. He was awarded a travelling scholarship in 1975 and Crafts Fellowship, Scottish Development Agency in 1982. He was a finalist in the McGrigor-Donald Sculpture Competition ‘Style’ in 1989. Stead has had numerous solo exhibitions including ‘Layers - An Exploration in Wood’ at Compass Gallery in 1990, and participation in The Compass Contribution at Tramway in the same year, as well others at the Scottish Craft Centre; Collins Gallery, Glasgow in 1978 and 1983; Galerie Arcoma, Paris; and Galerie Co Lamor, Luxembourg; Scotland Creates, Glasgow, 1990; The Botanic Ash and Explorations in Wood, Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, 1992. Stead was widely known for his individually designed and crafted furniture and his commissions include Cafe Gandolfi, Glasgow, 1979; The Papal Throne for the visit of John Paul II to Scotland in 1982; St. John's Chapel, The Kirk of St. Nicholas, Aberdeen, 1989; Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow, 1996; The Millenium Clock in National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, 2000.

Sculpturally, Stead's work did not appear to derive from any particular art historical tradition although the ideas of Brancusi, Beuys and Hundertwasser, amongst others, were central to his sculptural vision. Stead's work as a furniture maker could not be separated from his ideas as a sculptor and although his early years in Scotland were single-mindedly devoted to furniture, it was “sculpture in disguise”. Through respect for the environment he committed himself to native timbers, specialising in elm so heavily burred that other furniture makers rejected it. His furniture owed something to Art Nouveau, in particular Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Majorelle and Victor Horta. Stead's early use of abandoned and found materials developed into the use of hardwoods, some imported. He was attracted by thrift and by the heightened singularity of these timbers and the challenge of making virtues of their apparent unsuitability for furniture.

He exhibited throughout the UK and in France, Sweden, Germany and the USA. He was very actively involved in the replanting of trees and was responsible for setting up and helping to run a community plantation in the Scottish Borders, in recognition of which he received an MBE. Stead has been the subject of several TV films including After Image 1987, Channel 4, Bookcase Scotland, Give it Style 1988 BBC 2 and The Film-maker 1989 BBC1. Tim Stead’s home, The Steading, is now held in care by the Tim Stead Trust, along with the sawmill, workshop and archive, and has been protected by Historic Environment Scotland as a Category A listed building. The Trust safeguards The Steading’s future for the nation as an influential and internationally significant example of Scottish craftsmanship and environmental philosophy, all for the benefit of national and international communities.