Furniture Design & Woodworking

Code: W1110-22

    • O

      Open to All

      Students of any skill and knowledge level.

Vessel Potential

Aug 15 - 19, 2022

9AM-5PM

Concept

This workshop explores sculptural form while creating functional (or not so functional) containers. It expands on the expressive capacities of wood as a medium and the vessel as an engaging and evocative object. Students explore vessels in a range of scales using techniques that lend themselves to the construction of creative containers. Demonstrations include bandsaw boxes, coopering, carving, steam bending and bent lamination. Experienced and beginning woodworkers alike find this “test kitchen” atmosphere a refreshing space in which to work and open up endless design possibilities that provide valuable lessons in the craft of woodworking.

Media & Techniques

Solid wood, bandsaw, jointer, planer, paint, stains, finishing and adhesives

Supply List

Faculty

Ellie Richards

Ellie Richards is an artist from Penland, NC. Her work explores improvisation and play through both furniture and sculpture and is widely exhibited, including the Mint Museum, the Center for Craft, Sculptural Objects Functional Art and Design Fair in Chicago and the Society of Contemporary Craft. Following an MFA from Arizona State University, Ellie was an Artist-in-Residence at Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Peters Valley School of Craft, the Appalachian Center for Craft and the Vermont Studio Center.

Learn More

Ellie Richards, Lebes, Amphora, and Skypos from the Greek inspired Stacked Facet Vessel Series. Image Credit: Loam Marketing @loam.marketing

Join Waitlist for Vessel Potential

Thank you for your interest in the waitlist. When space in a workshop or program becomes available, registration will open on the website. Everyone on the waitlist will be emailed to alert them of the opening. This ensures that everyone has an equal opportunity to register for the workshop or program.

Furniture Design & Woodworking

The Furniture Design & Woodworking program at Anderson Ranch draws upon the world of studio furniture, but pushes the boundaries of woodworking by mixing contemporary and traditional techniques and incorporating alternative materials. Anderson Ranch offers an inspiring range of workshops for all levels in topics such as cabinetry, wood bending, kinetics and carving.

The Maloof Wood Barn, divided into a machine room, assembly room, and bench room, provides participants the ideal workshop for realizing technical and creative goals. The machine room houses stationary equipment including SawStop table saws, jointers, planers, bandsaws, drill presses, edge sander, disk sander, drum sander, spindle sander, radial arm saw, chop saw, router table and multi-router. In the assembly and bench rooms, a library of clamps, hand tools, and hand-held power tools line the walls for student use to complete their woodworking projects.

FURNITURE SOCIETY LOGO

The Furni­ture Society and Ander­son Ranch are part­ner­ing this year to offer a schol­ar­ship for one BIPOC appli­cant to attend a work­shop for the 2025 summer season. This oppor­tu­nity includes tuition for a one-week work­shop, room and board for a Furni­ture Design and Wood work­shop, and a 1‑year member­ship to The Furniture Society. CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

Anderson Ranch is happy to extend a tuition discount* in summer one- or two-week adult furniture design and woodworking workshops** for Furniture Society members at the student membership level or above. Please email reg@andersonranch.org with your Furniture Society membership information  upon registering and we will apply the discount to your tuition. You are also welcome to call 970-924-5089 to register. *Since the welcome dinner and lunches are included in workshop tuition (at a cost of $130 per week), a 20% discount is applied after subtracting the cost of these meals. **Please note, this discount must be approved upon registering and cannot be applied retroactively. The Furniture Society discount does not apply to Advanced Mentored Studies programs or Destination Workshops, nor can it be combined with any other discount, scholarship or special offer

Learn More

Workshop Details

Workshop Supplies

For general information about studio access, shipping, and more, please visit our info page.

If you have any questions regarding your supplies for your workshop, please contact Lane Preston, [email protected].

Lodging & Meals

Housing is limited and includes shared and private lodging options. Reservations will be managed on a first-come, first-served basis. The earlier you reserve housing, the better your chance of receiving your preferred option. Please note: Workshop costs do not include accommodations. 

NEW: Tuition includes a welcome dinner and lunches. In our effort to foster a stronger sense of community and accessibility at Anderson Ranch, we include the welcome dinner and all lunches as part of the tuition for summer workshop students. Our hope is that this adjustment will encourage all students to come together to share meals and engage in meaningful conversations. The Ranch Café Meal Plan, which is included with Room and Board fees, strives to provide healthy, creative meals that will nourish your artistic creativity. Learn more.

We have established a Business Safety Plan with added layers of precaution that prioritize the health and safety of our staff, students, faculty and guests while continuing to provide you with the Anderson Ranch experience that you know and enjoy.

 

Scholarships, College Credit & Discounts

Making Art Accessible

Applications for scholarship support are encouraged. Specific scholarships are funded by Ranch supporters, either through endowed funds or special gifts.

Many colleges and universities offer college credit for workshops taken at Anderson Ranch. Discounts are available for students and teachers.

Learn More

You Might Also Be Interested In

  • III

    Level III

    Students have some formal training in 3­-D design, experience with a variety of materials and fabrication processes, and know how to use machine and hand tools competently and safely. Students have a portfolio of their artwork.

  • IV

    Level IV

    Students have advanced skill and knowledge of furniture design. Students are highly motivated and have multiple portfolios of their artwork.

  • P

    Level V

Aug 4 - 8, 2025
9AM-5PM

Summer Studio Session: Furniture Design and Woodworking

Lane Preston

Tuition $1,240
Code W1019-25

Anderson Ranch’s Studio Session approach provides artists the opportunity to work on independent projects while receiving regular one-on-one mentoring and critique sessions with Anderson Ranch artistic staff and interns. Each participant receives an assigned studio space, orientation and access to equipment, as well as five hours of weekly technical guidance in the Ranch’s state-of-the-art facilities. This program affords artists the experience enjoyed by national and international artists who access our state-of-the-art studios. Participants may expand their practices, take artistic risks, try new media or complete works for exhibition. *Bench and gluing rooms open 24 hours a day. LIMITED machine tool room access from 9am – 5pm and evening open tool room hours 7pm – 9pm Monday through Thursday. Studio Sessions are available to artists with prior experience in woodworking, tools, and safety. All participants will be required to attend safety orientations for the facilities and specific tools they will use. they will use. TO APPLY: Portfolios will be accepted on a rolling basis. Instructions on how to submit your portfolio are as follows: Submit digital images of your work in one single PDF (as opposed to individual JPG attachments) via email directly to Lane Preston, Studio Coordinator of Woodworking & Furniture Design, at [email protected] The single PDF must be less than 10 MB to be considered. Include 5-10 images of your work with image identification that lists the title, media, dimensions and year of each image. While not required, it is helpful to see an artist statement addressing the images you send. Include “Advanced Portfolio Review” in the subject line of your email, as well as the studio session you are applying for. Please provide a phone number where you can be reached and a link to your website. Submissions that do not follow the requested directions will not be reviewed.

Learn More

  • III

    Level III

    Students have some formal training in digital fabrication, experience with a variety of materials and fabrication processes, and know how to use CNC, 3-­D printers, or laser cutters competently and safely. Students have a portfolio of their work.

  • IV

    Level IV

    Students have advanced skill and knowledge of digital fabrication. Students are highly motivated and have multiple portfolios of their artwork.

Aug 11 - 15, 2025
9AM-5PM

Master Class: Career Momentum: Professional Practices for Artists

Jasmine Wahi

Tuition $1,630
Code D1122-25

Artists at all stages of their careers often wish they could have more guidance when approaching galleries, making sales, navigating and choosing exhibitions in which to participate, and even writing off sales and donations. This nuts-and-bolts workshop gets to the core of these questions, while at the same time mentoring artists to consider their goals within the art world and find the tools to achieve them. Every artist has a different trajectory, but there are many common struggles and questions along the way, several of which form the content of this course designed to inform, energize, and empower. This workshop takes place in the painting building but invites artists of all disciplines to apply.

Learn More

  • O

    Open to All

    Students of any skill and knowledge level.

Aug 11 - 15, 2025
9AM-5PM

Willow Rib and Frame Basketry

Max Hendry

Tuition $1,240
Code W1110-25

Explore the ancient craft of willow rib basketry, learning to create artisan ‘frame-style’ baskets and delve into the sustainable practice of growing and harvesting willow in your region. Use pre-dried hoops to establish the handle/rim structure of your basket. Then work with ‘green’ willow and learn to add ribs to create volume and shape, weaving fresh withes throughout the armature to complete the form. This technique allows for an endless variety of potential silhouettes. This workshop welcomes all skill levels and will guide you through the process of working with locally grown, ecologically sourced British basketry willow varieties. Note: Willow basketry is physically demanding on hands, wrists, elbows, and shoulders.

Learn More

Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter.

Tell us what you're interested in!