Michael Fortune

Canadian designer/maker, teacher and mentor Michael C. Fortune has become acclaimed for his innovative, but resolved, designs for one-of-a-kind objects in wood, commissioned residential furnishings, and items in limited editions. He is acknowledged for both his technical and design expertise, giving lectures and workshops across Canada, United States, New Zealand, Australia, and Brazil. Michael's work has appeared in numerous exhibitions worldwide and he has taught at many schools and craft centers including; Sheridan College School of Crafts and Design, Ryerson Polytechnical Institute, the Rochester Institute of Technology NY, Worcester Center for Crafts in Massachusetts, Anderson Arts Center, Colorado, Savannah College of Art and Design, Australian National University School of Art, and the Marc Adams School in Indiana where the fellowship program for advanced students has been named in his honor.  Michael is the senior mentor for the Artist in Residence program (2018, 2020) at the Centre for Fine Woodworking in New Zealand.

Fortune’s international career includes consulting for Trinidad and Tobago's Commonwealth Fund for Technical Assistance,  working for sustainable source timber in Mexico aimed at supplying the expanding hotel industry within the country, and volunteering for Woodlinks, a joint Canadian/U.S. not-for-profit organization dedicated to revitalizing vocational training in secondary schools throughout North America. Michael is also assisting a new school in Puerto Rico that promotes use of timber salvaged after destructive hurricanes. 

In 1993, Michael was the first woodworker to receive the prestigious Prix Saidye Bronfman, Canada’s highest award in the crafts, and in 2007 he was the first Canadian to receive the Award of Distinction from the Furniture Society. He received the Mather Award in 2019 for his contribution to craft in Ontario. Michael Fortune has a clear vision of how fine craft can positively effect the culture and economy of Canada and the world beyond.