Fine Furniture students showcase an "Arbutiful Life"

Camosun Communications

Fine Furniture and Joinery student Meaghan Kusyk crafting a chair from reclaimed Arbutus wood

After 10 intensive, creative months, 15 Camosun students are about to graduate with a certificate in Fine Furniture and Joinery.

To celebrate, they will showcase their final projects in a public exhibit entitled “An Arbutiful Life: Seating in Arbutus and Garry Oak” at the Arts Centre at Cedar Hill Recreation Centre, June 24 to July 18.

“Our students have shown a lot of commitment this year,” says Camosun Fine Furniture instructor Sandra Carr. “They’ve successfully completed their certificate program on campus during the pandemic and have turned out some outstanding work.”

For over 34 years Camosun’s Fine Furniture program has been at the forefront of Vancouver Island’s woodworking and furniture-making industry.

“Last year was the only year in the three decades of our program that an exhibition has not been held,” she explains. “We’re excited to be able to showcase their talents this year. This capstone project allows students to push their skills in the areas of furniture design, construction and finishing. The exhibition promotes the fact that high quality, well-designed furniture is being made right here in Victoria out of our local wood resources.”

This year the students have designed and crafted a variety of seating out of reclaimed Arbutus and Garry Oak wood supplied by the Vancouver Island Woodworker’s Guild wood recovery program.

“The guild has an active branch (no pun intended!) that basically recovers urban harvested trees that would otherwise be chopped up into firewood,” explains Carr. “For many years, the guild has funded the material for our capstone projects with an $800 cash donation, but we have started to take an equal value in lumber instead, with the intent of increasing the amount of wood we use from local, sustainable sources.”

The main focus of Camosun’s Fine Furniture student exhibition will be seating, with a selection of other student works also on display for the public to enjoy, June 24 to July 18.

Where and when:

An Arbutiful Life: Seating in Arbutus and Garry Oak
June 24 – July 18, 2021
The Arts Centre at Cedar Hill Recreation Centre
3220 Cedar Hill Road
Hours:  Recreation Centre hours
artscentre@saanich.ca

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