Wood Summer 2009

Classes are open to serious students of all levels unless specified in course description; beginners welcome.

Session 1

May 24 - June 5

Critz Campbell

Critz Campbell - Boats, Barrels, & Guitars

In this class, we will create lightweight, nontraditional volumes and sculptural forms. We will incorporate traditional methods used in boat, barrel, and guitar making to create contemporary objects. Techniques will include steam bending, coopering, vacuum forming, and strip forming. Students will be encouraged to explore these traditional methods and the limitations of thin woods in new ways. Please note, however, that this is not a boat, barrel, or guitar class. All levels. Code 01w

Assistant professor at Mississippi State University; other teaching: University of Minnesota, School of the Art Institute of Chicago; exhibitions: Cooper Hewitt Design Museum (NYC), Knoxville Museum of Art (TN), Mobile Museum of Art (AL).

caad.msstate.edu/ccampbell

Session 2

June 7 - June 19

Thomas Hucker

Thomas Hucker - Exploring Containers

Working with wood in both traditional and nontraditional contexts, we will explore a variety of techniques to produce objects that enclose about one square foot of volume. We will pay careful attention to the relationship between the design and function of these objects, which may contain another object or a dream. All levels. Code 02w

Studio artist; teaching: Pratt Institute (NYC), California College of the Arts, Parsons School of Design (NYC); exhibitions: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Pritam & Eames Gallery (NYC); collections: Museum of Arts and Design (NYC), Cooper Hewitt (NYC), Renwick Gallery (DC), Los Angeles County Museum.

thomashuckerstudio.com

Session 3

June 21 - July 3

Katherine Ortega

Katherine Ortega - Upholstery for Unusually Shaped Objects/Furniture

This class will focus on upholstering one-of-a-kind pieces of sculpture or furniture, which will not be your father's wingback chair. We will emphasize the foundations of upholstery and the most logical way to approach each project. Each student will need to bring with them one small object or have a design ready to create during the first few days of the class. Sewing will be done by hand. Open to all levels, but students planning to make a piece at Penland need to be competent in the woodshop. All levels. Code 03w

Studio artist and teacher at the Design Institute (CA); American Craft Council Emerging Artist Award; exhibitions; San Francisco Museum of Craft + Design, Oceanside Museum of Art (CA).

katherineortega.com

Session 4

July 5 - July 17

Brian Boggs

Brian Boggs - Mastering Hand Tool Skills

This class gets to the heart of what makes woodworking enjoyable. Refining your hand tool skills will increase the pleasure you take in any project and the efficiency with which you accomplish your tasks. We will focus on understanding exactly what makes each tool work and why. Then we will work on perfecting each tool and our skill in using it. Since this is a skills class rather than a project class, there is room for each student to focus on the tools they use a lot or the ones they would like to understand better. In general we will cover the use of drawknives, carving knives, gouges, chisels, planes, spokeshaves, and drill bits. All levels. Code 04w

Studio artist and tool designer specializing in traditional chairmaking; spokeshave design licensed to Veritas (Canada) and Nielsen Toolworks (ME).

brianboggschairs.com

Session 5

July 19 - August 4

Julie Scheu

Julie Scheu - Woodworking & Design

Join Julie for a hands-on study of wood, combining the efficiency of machine tools with the craftsmanship of hand-tool skills. Technical information will focus on traditional wood construction and how the movement of wood has determined the shape and orientation of joints, which have developed over centuries. Students will design and build a piece of furniture using the appropriate joinery and woodworking technologies. Julie will help each student push their design to do the unexpected. All levels. Code 05w

Furniture designer, woodworker; partner in the Egg Collective, designing and manufacturing limited-edition objects; teaching: University of Oregon, Washington University (St. Louis); work published in Architectural Record and I.D. Magazine.

juliescheu.com

Session 6

August 9 - August 21

Jere Osgood

Jere Osgood - Tables & Chairs

Tables and chairs use the same joinery, but a chair must hold a body in space and meet many functional requirements, while a table can be an exploration of form with a flat area as the only table vestige. Instruction will include appropriate joinery for tables and chairs plus lamination for legs. We will also discuss wood selection, veneers, drawers, shaping, sanding, and finishing. All levels. Code 06w

Studio artist; fellow of the American Craft Council, Award of Distinction from the Furniture Society; teaching: School for American Crafts at Rochester Institute of Technology (NY), Program in Artisanry at Boston University; collections: Museum of Arts and Design (NYC), Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Renwick Gallery (DC).

Session 7

August 23 - August 29

Lewis Cahill

Lewis Cahill - Making a Bamboo Fly Rod

This class will cover the fundamentals of bamboo fly rod making. We will split bamboo from a natural colm, hand plane the precise sections for a two piece rod, assemble the components and fix guides with traditional silk windings, and apply finish. Students will leave with a classic seven-foot-four wait trout rod ready for years of fishing. There is nothing like the feeling of catching a trout on a rod made with your own hands. All levels. Code 07w

Professional photographer, woodworker, lifelong fly fisher, and bamboo rod enthusiast; learned bamboo rod making from master maker Gary Lacey; teaching: Highland Hardware (Atlanta),Village Hardware (Atlanta).