The Female Design Council Returns to Salon Art + Design 2025
Exploring Form, Craft, and Connection Across Materials from Leading Female Designers with Presentation of Sculptural Objects from 14 North American Member Designers
October 21, 2025 (New York, NY) — The Female Design Council (FDC), the premier membership network and advocacy organization for women in design, is returning to Salon Art + Design at the Park Avenue Armory from November 6–10, 2025 for its second year. Organized by FDC founder Lora Appleton, the presentation, titled Material Dialogues, is a special jewel box vignette, featuring work by fourteen exceptional FDC member maker-designers from across North America. Situated in the historic South Hall of the Armory, the works chosen for Material Dialogue are united by a shared commitment to craft, materiality, and meaning.
Unfolding across media—from sculpture and ceramics to metalwork, lighting, and conceptual design—Material Dialogues brings together over twenty works that explore material language as a form of communication, identity, and empowerment. The presentation reflects the FDC’s expansive membership, which includes artists and designers working at the intersection of craft, innovation, and advocacy. Among this year’s highlights are:
- Erica Sellers of Studio SII, whose pierced and hooked glass vessel, inspired by body modification, investigates the boundaries between design and desire;
- Sophia Wallace, the conceptual artist behind Cliteracy, presenting a terracotta sculpture from her Swan Series, a sensual and political reclamation of form;
- Sylvia Lee, reinterpreting traditional Chinese lanterns through the delicate material process of double sandblasting directly on glass;
- Gabrielle Shelton, a Brooklyn-based artist and metalworker whose forged works evoke both strength and intimacy.
Additional participants include Dana Hurwitz of Bond Hardware known for her provocative jewelry, objects and sculptural adornments inspired by bondage; Katherine Forst, an mosaicist with an acclaimed commission for LaGuardia Airport, showing a reproduction of an ancient Roman mosaic fragment; and others whose work spans experimental sculpture, ceramics, and object design.
“Each of these members contributes a distinct voice to an ongoing conversation about material, making, and meaning,” says Lora Appleton, founder of the Female Design Council. “Material Dialogues is a convening of works, a glimpse into the world of the FDC and its incredible range. That energy – the willingness to share process, perspective, and connection – is what defines the FDC.”
This year’s presentation – which includes nearly double the FDC members that the inaugural presentation did – also coincides with the announcement that FDC member Virginia Harper, of Virginia Harper Design, has been selected to design the North Hall historic space for the 2025 fair—a recognition of the depth and excellence of the FDC membership.
About the Female Design Council
The Female Design Council (FDC) is the premier professional member network and advocacy organization for women in architecture, design, and the applied arts. Through exhibitions, mentorship, and community-building, the FDC promotes equity and opportunity in the design world. Founded by designer Lora Appleton in 2018, the FDC has become a leading voice for inclusion in the creative industries.
About Salon Art + Design
Salon Art + Design showcases the pinnacle of design, presenting the world's finest vintage, modern, and contemporary pieces alongside blue-chip 20th-century artworks. Featuring leading art and design galleries from around the globe, as well as cutting-edge makers, the fair highlights the evolving trends of collectible design. For more than a decade, Salon has integrated both fine and decorative arts within the context of contemporary life, reflecting the belief that today's designers and collectors shape environments rather than merely accumulate objects. Salon's success lies in the exceptional quality of its exhibiting galleries, diverse international representation, and vetting, which are highly sought after by today's collectors and tastemakers. Appealing to seasoned connoisseurs and emerging collectors alike, Salon offers a comprehensive yet carefully curated collection, ensuring there is something to captivate every discerning taste.