Students Win Scholarships in Local Furniture-Design Competition
Contact: Jason Morris, Western Washington University Department of Engineering Technology, (360) 650-2514 or Jason.Morris@wwu.edu.
BELLINGHAM − Six students from Western Washington University’s Industrial Design program received recognition and $6,000 in scholarships for their furniture designs as a part of the annual Mount Baker Products Furniture Design Competition.
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| "Stack," by Kevin Courtney |
The objective of the contest is to design and construct a unique furniture solution for another person or organization for their current needs; the furniture will be given to that person or organization as a gift.
The storage is to be designed specifically for another person or organization for their current needs, and will be given to that person or organization as a gift after the contest is over.
A panel of four local judges selected the winning designs among 24 different student projects.
First prize and a $2,000 scholarship was awarded to Larisa Schulze of Gig Harbor, for “Dip,” a children's reading bench and book storage designed for reading teacher Cheryl Perrella; there was a tie for second prize, with two $1,100 scholarships awarded to Jessie Wixom of Bow, for “Leve,” a step-up platform for book check-out designed for the Bellingham Public Library’s Children's Room, and to Louis Dawson, from Carbondale, Colo., for "Loop" a durable storage rack for kayak bailing pumps, built for the Community Boating Center of Bellingham; third prize and an $800 scholarship was awarded to Spencer Denton of Jacksonville, Ore., for "ArtFull," a flat print stand designed for Bellingham’s Allied Arts Gallery.
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| "Gather," by Sean Braaten |
Honorable Mention and a $500 scholarship went to Sean Braaten of Everett for "Gather," a transition play station for the release of pent-up anger, designed for Rebound of Whatcom. The Student Choice Award and its accompanying $500 scholarship went to Kevin Courtney of Seattle for "Stack," a set of magnetic modular blocks for individuals with visual impairment and special needs that he designed for Bellingham’s Max Higbee Center.
Entries were judged on concept, creativity, functionality, structure, craftsmanship and form. They were judged by Lisa Van Doren, owner of IDEAL: Carefully Curated Goods in downtown Bellingham; Mechille Kiss and Keagan McCurdy, industrial designers from Tabar, Inc.; and professional woodworker Michael Flaherty, owner of Flaherty Woodworking.
The scholarships and wood for the projects were provided by Bellingham’s Mount Baker Products, Inc. For more information, contact Jason Morris at Western’s Department of Engineering Technology, at (360) 650-2514 or Jason.Morris@wwu.edu.