It was good they tried to give some examples of what design creation time really takes,
weeks/months, also using sketches, drawings, even use of power tools (computerized
or not) is not a panacea without sufficient skills. To me they obviously glossed over
much of the process and at the end ‘finishing is a breeze’ was what I thought I heard.

Overall it was interesting, but I sure wouldn’t want it to be a determining factor in someone
deciding whether the design/build process is what they want to invest themselves in or not.

I can’t say how thrilled I am to have you commenting on this post. I love that we can have someone involved in the program itself, giving us your perspective. I can imagine that situation was indeed a bit uncomfortable for you. It is exposure to our craft, true, but at the same time it still can present folks with the idea that what we do is easy and doesn’t take much thought and dedication.

Thanks to the dedication of you and others like you, Peter, we still have a solid base of passionate and intelligent educating and really, inspiring of future craftspeople and artists.

Thanks so much for stopping by here at The Journey.

Glad you saw the HGTV episode of Ambrose Price attempting to learn how to design and make a piece of furniture with me, with the assistance from several graduates and students of our program at Sheridan College, just outside Toronto, ON. I think it is easy to tell from the video that this shoot was an uncomfortable situation for anyone who truly understands what is involved in the design process, let alone the careful manufacture, of a ‘unique’ piece of furniture. The conceit is an obvious one; take a classic fish out of water and put him through his paces, with inevitable results. That said, there is a place for the popularization of our field, and although this may be a ham fisted way to do it, you would be amazed at how many people watch this stuff, and therefore become more aware of the field as a result. Case in point: I stumbled across your website by a circuitous route, and was surprised to see this post. Sure, it is not an in-depth education, but God forbid that everyone would want to attempt to learn how to make furniture…

Our program is a three year hands on studio experience where students learn to design and make furniture at the same time, using sketching and research to develop concepts, and create scale models, full scale mockups and working drawings, prior to commencing work on the final product. At each stage, critiques with faculty, students and visiting critics help to resolve the design further, so that by the time they finish the program they have a firm understanding of their own approach to design, balancing aesthetics, function and engineering. You can’t do that in a single day with the cameras rolling. It takes dedication, patience and genuine interest, all of which is absent in a media personality who is driven by the desire for celebrity, not craftsmanship.

All the best;

Peter

It’s difficult to stomach the show when he has the gall to do what we try to do everyday. We bring dedication not just to craft and the commercial aspect of things, but a real passion for understanding and education – whether from school or a dedication to learning – for all the components of the process.

If they’re trying to highlight how difficult the design and fabrication process is, I don’t think it was successful enough. Sure, it shows how difficult and time-consuming the processes are, but they revert to Ambrose’s personality as the focus of the show. His consistent surprise at how long the process are is annoying. I think he gave himself too much credit at the end of the show too. Sure, he had a vision in his mind of what he wanted, but he didn’t really make or design the finished piece. Design is as much about the way materials are put together as the way they appear on the outside, and he wouldn’t have been able to accomplish anything without (more than) help at all levels. Good thing the store owner was honest and didn’t capitulate to the HGTV cameras.

At first, when he began building his table with his new friend’s help, I was upset that he was having other people build it for him. Then, upon reflection, I realized, in very short form, what he’s doing is a type of apprenticeship. Learning from hands on mistakes, being guided by someone with much more practical experience, etc. I realized what he did in the shop was not all bad.

Finally when he took the table to the designer store for consignment, I felt, partly, like he hadn’t learned anything in such a short amount of time. He had an idea for a piece of furniture that might suit a very small number of people in certain circumstances, but hadn’t realized how people connect with furniture.

Sure, the table looked beautiful. I’m not faulting him or the girls that helped build it. But I believe his presumption that the table would be a success, only because it may have fulfilled his needs, was shallow.

What do you think?