SDSU School of Art, Design, and Art History

Graduate Furniture and Woodworking Studies

General Overview

The Furniture Design/Woodworking specialization is part of the Applied Design emphasis in the Art major. The goal of the graduate Furniture Design/Woodworking program is to encourage and assist students in the development of a mature artistic statement based upon intellectual, aesthetic and technical capabilities in conjunction with their career goals. The curriculum is formulated to broaden understanding of the Woodworking field and its historical and contemporary context through research, experimentation, and reading on critical issues in art and design. Students are encouraged to explore cross-disciplinary work as well as take advantage of foreign study opportunities to reveal new perspectives. The diversity of work produced in the program is evidence of the multiplicity of concerns that can be addressed within the arena of Furniture Design/Woodworking.

Coursework Overview

The three-year MFA graduate program is a 60-unit course of study in studio, art history, and professional practice. Students are expected to research and develop visual ideas according to their personal interests and establish an informed historical/theoretical framework for their art. Technical support and facilities are provided to enable access to the broadest range of materials and processes. Each semester a required graduate seminar in Furniture Design and woodworking is offered which is formulated to meet the particular needs of the students enrolled.

All graduate students are given some short-term assignments that are done as a group to explore a specific idea and to reveal individual approaches to a theme. These themes almost never deal directly with furniture so as to encourage our students to think outside the norms. Graduate students work independently and are given a suggested program to best suit their needs and interests. In addition to the courses in their major, they also take elective courses in other studios, 12 units of art history, and 6 units of departmental seminars which involve graduates from all studio emphasis areas. The thesis project is begun in the final year and culminates in a Masters of Fine Arts Thesis exhibition, which consists of a one-person exhibition in one of the two galleries that are available within the department. The thesis project also consists of an oral review by departmental faculty and a written project report which documents the development of the work.

At the end of the second year students go through an Advancement to Candidacy Review to determine their readiness to begin a final body of work. The thesis project is begun in the final year and culminates in a solo exhibition, oral review by the school faculty and a written project report, which documents the development of the work. Students are encouraged to look at a wide range of possibilities for professions within the field. Past graduates of the MFA program have pursued many models of practice and are among the well-known studio Furniture makers, designers, gallery owners, and university faculty throughout the U.S. and abroad.

Students are expected to enter appropriate regional, national, and international competitions, as well as seek representation of work in galleries.

Please visit our graduate admission page specific to the Master of Fine Arts degree for additional degree process information.

Admissions and Financial Assistance

New students are admitted into the program only in the fall semester on a space available basis. Application deadline is February 1. The School of Art offers both graduate assistantships and teaching assistantships, as well as work study opportunities to those who qualify. Out-of-state students are eligible for low-cost, in-state tuition after a one-year residency. Information about financial aid may be obtained upon request from the SDSU financial aid office.

You can learn more detailed information about the admissions process on the Graduate Admissions page. For more information on financial assistance, please visit our Financial Aid page or our student scholarships page to find scholarships available through the School of Art, Design, and Art History.

Professional Organizations for Students

The Furniture Society(external link)

Previous Visiting Artists

The program has enjoyed an impressive roster of visiting artists, which include many prominent furniture makers and sculptors, such as:

• Roseanne Somerson
• Michael Hurwitz
• Tom Loeser
• Gail Fredell
• Robert Brady
• John Cederquist
• Dakota Jackson
• Albert Paley
• Kimberly Kelzer
• Bob Trotman
• Fabianne Garcia
• Andy Buck
• Yuko Shimizu
• Roy Christopher
• Tom Hucker
• Garry Knox Bennett

Facilities

Read detailed information on our facilities on the Furniture and Woodworking Facilities page, where you can also link to other interdisciplinary facilities within the School of Art, Design, and Art History.

You can also read more about local art material supplier resources on our Art Supplies page, as well as learn more about our library research facilities by visiting SDSU's Love Library website(external link).

The Faculty

To contact or learn more about individual faculty in this department, please click on their names below:

• Wendy Maruyama, M.F.A.
• Matt Hebert, M.F.A.

Distinguished Alumni

Information forthcoming.

This page was last updated at 10:58AM on August 8, 2008