Awards for fine furniture by UCOL students

Awards for fine furniture by UCOL students

Two students from UCOL’s unique Furniture Design and Making programme have won top awards at the National Woodskills Festival held at Kawerau last weekend.

First year student Andrew Kilsby took first place for Best Furniture in the College Age category (under 18), with an arts and craft style hall table. The table was made from pine and saligna grown and supplied to the UCOL programme by forester Dennis Hocking from Bulls.

Andrew won $600 prize money.

Second year student Josh Norris won second place in the Pine Furniture section, competing against many older and more experienced furniture makers.

Staff member and graduate Mark Gilbert won a Highly Commended for his cabinet on a stand.

Eleven staff and students from the UCOL programme, including Lecturer Andy Halewood, attended the three day festival at Kawerau.

Andy says the students’ success is all the more impressive because they were competing against some of the best crafts people and artists in New Zealand.

He says the competition is a prestigious test of skill in fine furniture design and making, and attracts leading artists in the field. “So you have to show real skill and talent to win,” he says.

In recent years two UCOL Furniture Design and Making students have won the Furniture section and Andy himself took first prize in the Pine section in 2005.

UCOL’s iconic Furniture Design and Making course is the only one at diploma level offered in New Zealand where furniture making remains on the skill shortage list.

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