At the 11th annual Vermont Fine Furniture, Woodworking & Forest Festival on September 27, 2014, in Woodstock,the finest wood craftspeople in Vermont exhibited their design entries in the Vermont Fine Furniture & Woodworking Design Competition hosted by the Vermont Wood Manufacturers Association (VWMA). The entries were displayed not only for the judges, but for the public to give them an opportunity to see, first hand, the broad scope of work designed and created by the state’s many wood artisans. The panel of prestigious judges included returning judge Eleanor Shepard, an interior designer & owner of Shepard Interior Selections, and Peter Brough, owner of Peter Brough Inc in East Calais, who has been building high quality, custom furniture and architectural woodwork for over 35 years.

Judges enjoyed the day with their clipboards in hand, making notes that would help them decide who would walk away with the 1^st, 2^ndand 3^rdplace awards in the various categories presented. The five professional categories included Custom or Studio Furniture, Production Furniture, Production Woodenware, Custom Woodenware, and Carvings & Sculptures and a student/apprentice category for those enrolled in a woodworking program or apprenticing with a woodworker. Pieces were judged based upon the quality of the craftsmanship and the innovativeness of the design. The Competition is open only to those pieces that are designed and made in Vermont, by Vermont woodworkers and students.

First Place prizes were awarded in each of the categories to the following professional woodworkers: Custom/Studio Furniture was awarded to Brent Karner of ClearLake Furniture inLudlowforRio de Fuego;Production Furniture went to Tim Clark of Timothy Clark, Cabinetmaker & Chairwright in Waltham for hisWaltham Rocker;Custom Woodenware went to Russ Fellows of Skunk Hollow Studios in Jericho for hisWave Board;Production Woodenware was awarded to Maple Landmark Woodcraft in Middlebury for theirRolling Shape Sorter;Carving & Sculpture went to Russ Fellows of Skunk Hollow Studios in Jericho forVermont: Embracing Diversity;and Student-Apprentice was awarded to Jesse Fox from the Vermont Woodworking School located in Fairfax for his chairGraf.

2014 Judge Peter Brough stated,“I found the show to be varied in content, impressive in the quality of execution and design, and as a woodworker, inspiring. I thought the level of craft was very high, and there were several instances of imaginative uses of materials. As an aging furniture maker, I was excited to see a strong presence of young woodworkers bringing fresh eyes and ideas to the trade. I found the show to very worthwhile and rewarding on many levels.”

At the Vermont Woodworking School students learn the fundamentals of woodworking and fine tune their skills by participating in skills-based classes and workshops. To view more about the woodworking programs offered at the Vermont Woodworking School please visitwww.vermontwoodworkingschool.com.

Many thanks for the First Place Design Competition prizes donated and sponsored by Alderfer Lumber, Amoskeag Woodworking & Morse Hardwoods, Fine Woodworking Magazine, General Finishes, Gagnon Lumber, Duluth Trading Company, Ball & Ball, & Super Thin Saws.

A complete list of winners in all categories can be found atwww.vermontwooddesigns.orgunder 2014 Winners.

The VWMA's mission is to support the industry in Vermont and promote its long-term viability by expanding members presence in the marketplace, ensuring a sustainable supply of raw materials, increasing workforce skill and acting as responsible employers and community members. Supporting the wood products manufacturing industry in Vermont.

Congratulations 2014 Vermont Fine Furniture & Wood Products Design Competition Winners
Custom/Studio Furniture
Place	Item	Winner
1	Rio de Fuego	Brent Karner ClearLake Furniture Ludlow, VT
2	Pennsylvania Chippendale Spice Box	James Platteter James Platteter, Master Furniture Maker Middletown Springs, VT
3	Champlain Side Table	David Hurwitz Originals Randolph, VT
Production Furniture
1	Waltham Rocker	Tim Clark Timothy Clark, Cabinetmaker & Chairwright Waltham, VT
2	Chelsea Lingerie Chest	Pompanoosuc Mills East Thetford, VT
3	Linen Armoire	Steven Bruce ClearLake Furniture Ludlow, VT
Custom Woodenware
1	Wave Board	Russ Fellows Skunk Hollow Studios Jericho, VT
2	"Event Horizon"	Paul Christensen ClearLake Furniture Ludlow, VT
3	Curly Maple Platter with Brass Inlay	Janet Collins, Green Mountain Woodturning Ryegate, VT
Production Woodenware
1	Rolling Shape Sorter	Maple Landmark Woodcraft Middlebury, VT
2	Mini Sled	Glen Norton Norton's Vermont Toboggans Barre, VT
3	Cylinder Veneer Lamp	Jon Meyer J.R. Meyer Lighting, L3C Norwich, VT
Carving & Sculpture
1	Vermont: Embracing Diversity	Russ Fellows Skunk Hollow Studios Jericho, VT
2	A Vermont Carousel	Randy Crossman XMAN Puzzles Rutland, VT
3	"Nut Case"	Ted Fink TJF Turnings, LLC Shelburne, VT
Student-Apprentice
1	Graf	Jesse Fox Vermont Woodworking School Fairfax, VT
2	Kanji Lantern	Andrew Gilmer Vermont Woodworking School Fairfax, VT
3	Maple Meets Walnut	Andrew Weirick Vermont Woodworking School Fairfax, VT

Source:VWMA