Sam Maloof 

(January 24, 1916 - May 21, 2009)
The documentary project is the story of Sam Maloof. It is based on an exclusive and unique interview of Sam and his wife Freda recorded in 1994, during which they talked about their life story, his work and inspirations.
The last part of the documentary will devote itself to Sam Maloof's legacy. To insure the continuance of his furniture designs, Sam left his entire studio, designs, and collection of wood and tools to the three workers that assisted him over the years.
This historical TV program will provide an in depth look at the life and work of an American Treasure: Sam Maloof and the on-going legacy of his work.
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Sam Maloof
(January 24, 1916 - May 21, 2009)
Sam Maloof is acknowledged as one of the finest woodworkers of our time. As a leader of the California modern arts movement, he designed and produced furniture infused with profound artistic vision for more than half a century until his death in 2009.
Maloof's work was the subject of a prestigious retrospective at the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Renwick Gallery in 2001 and is part of their permanent collection. His furniture is in some of the most important private collections in the nation and the permanent collections of the Boston Museum of Art, the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and many other fine museums. In 1985 he was awarded a MacArthur "Genius" grant and received honorary doctorates from the Rhode Island School of Design, Aurora University in Illinois and the California State University at San Bernardino.
Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan have both owned Maloof rockers.
He was described by the Smithsonian Institution as "America's most renowned contemporary furniture craftsman" and People magazine dubbed him "The Hemingway of Hardwood." But his business card always said "woodworker." "I like the word," he told a Los Angeles Times reporter, his eyes brightening behind large, owl-eyed glass frames. "It's an honest word." In 1985 Mr. Maloof became the first craftsman to receive a MacArthur fellowship
In 1990, the Maloof residence and woodshop were deemed eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. With the long-planned Foothill Freeway extension set to cut through the Maloof site, negotiations began to save the buildings by moving them to a nearby location. The original location was a working lemon grove and the new six-acre site was chosen partly for the existing lemon trees that help recreate the original environment and also compliment the new landscaping.