Raised in Atlanta, GA, Richard’s folks instilled in him the ethos that if you don’t like what you’re given, learn to make it better. That lesson has shaped how he lives, how he works, and how he understands his responsibility as an artist.
Almost two decades ago, Haining moved to Brooklyn, NY, and for the past decade has worked full-time as an artist, sculptor, and studio furniture maker, working exclusively with salvaged wood. His practice is rooted in renewal: transforming materials commonly labeled as waste into functional and sculptural objects that embody craftsmanship, beauty, and permanence.
New York City provides an extraordinary abundance of discarded wood—from fabrication offcuts and demolition debris to old-growth lumber removed from pre-war buildings and California Redwood reclaimed from decommissioned NYC water towers. Haining sees this material not as waste, but as a living archive. Nail holes, mineral staining, knots, changes between heartwood and sapwood, and other traces of previous lives become part of the material’s story. Rather than erasing these marks, he embraces them as evidence of time, labor, use, and history.
At the Rhode Island School of Design, Haining studied under a number of influential studio furniture makers and encountered the work of George Nakashima, Wendell Castle, and Andy Goldsworthy. In particular, Nakashima’s belief in the inherent character and “soul” of a tree profoundly shaped Haining’s approach to material. Nakashima’s philosophy joined naturally with the ethos Haining had carried since childhood: finding possibility in what is already at hand. Salvaged wood became more than a practical material choice; it became a way of working that acknowledges the inherent value and history of every piece.
In contrast to a culture of disposable design and rapid consumption, Haining’s work is created slowly and requires a substantial investment of time. That time becomes embedded in the construction: each piece reflects sustained attention, countless individual decisions, and a willingness to let the material and process shape the outcome.
For Haining, making is ultimately an act of renewal. By giving overlooked materials another life, he seeks to honor not only the wood itself, but the trees that once stood as witnesses to time and change. His work asks what can happen when discarded materials are approached not as something to be replaced, but as something worthy of attention, care, and transformation.
Haining’s work has been exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum, Salon Art + Design New York, Design Miami, Cheongju Craft Biennale, and at Homo Faber in Venice as part of the 2026 Venice Biennale. He has received the James Renwick Alliance Award of Excellence for Innovation in Craft and the Rhode Island School of Design People’s Choice Award. His work is part of the permanent collection of the RISD Museum and is held in private collections internationally.