In a community surrounded by forest bursts student creativity with wood from the shop spaces on Nelson’s Silver King Campus.
The annual Fine Woodworking Show & Sale returns to downtown Nelson on May 24 to 26 with this year’s diverse cohort of students set to dazzle with functionally designed pieces made possible through education and skills honed in the nine-month program.
“It’s amazing to see what comes out of our heads,” says Jon Breisnes, one of 17 students who will have work on display at the Nelson Trading Company event. “When you draw it up in sketches or in blueprints and then you make it happen right in front of you, that’s a pretty rewarding process. People who come to the show will see amazing creativity with wood that they didn’t know students could do… we didn’t know people could do it, until now.”
One of the top fine woodworking programs in North America, students arrive to the Silver King Campus from across Canada. The program prepares students for apprenticeship positions in the cabinet making (joiners) trade or for careers as fine furniture builders. From theory to practical skills, graduates secure a broad scope of knowledge in both the classroom and shop.
The program’s first year-end show took place in 1990 and provides the broader community a look at impressive projects that include tables, cabinets, chairs, shelves, boxes and spoons. Students will be on hand during the weekend to talk about their pieces and answer questions.
“We challenge ourselves with our projects and it’s impressive to see what can be designed when you let your imagination run,” says student Jacques Beaurain. “The entire class thinks outside of the box and goes full-out with these projects, that’s how we learn in this program. The result are some spectacular outcomes.”
Fine Woodworking Show & Sale will run three days: May 24 (9 am to 9 pm), May 25 (9 am to 5 pm) and May 26 (9 am to 4 pm) at the Nelson Trading Company located at 430 Baker Street. The opening night gala runs on Friday night from 7 pm to 9 pm. Select pieces will be for sale and you can enter a raffle to win a custom-designed table. The entire community is invited to come check out the show.
Learn more about the School of Industry & Trades Training.
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.