May 21, 2024

Visions in Wood 2024 – An Invitation

As our Invitation States:

See what we have dreamed, drawn, designed, sawed, turned, carved, sculpted, joined, bent, planed, scraped, sanded, painted and finished.

You have until Sunday evening to take in the show and sale.  If you haven’t done so, invite a friend or two and make a little stop.  If you come anyday between 10am and 4pm, have a chat with our guild Show Ambassador.  Have a look at your personal contacts and send a note.  Time is ticking.

The show has features like: 

What’s in the Box – For anyone wanting to pick up and get the feel for a chunk of wood, burned, fungus eaten, local, exotic.

How did they do it – Several great posters with design, construction and prototyping used by the makers, plus a few good failures that helped hone the final piece

Our Guild Friends – Great art by Irene Khurana, Terry Rodstrom and City Art Glass

Good signage which outlines the guild and its key programs, plus our Meet, Learn, Make Bookmarks for anyone interested in checking out a meeting.

The atmosphere is one of peace and represents thousands of hours of human ingenuity, how cool is that.

The Cridge Center Café is open early till 3pm weekdays and the show is open from 8:30am to 8:30pm daily till May 26. 

 

May 1, 2024

Your Invitation to VIW2024 Opening Reception

On Sunday May 5 at 7pm at the Arts Centre at Cedar Hill

Who:  Guild members, friends, family all are welcome

 

What/Why:  The reception is a mixer and a fun time to get some inside info about the makers and the pieces and with a special speaker recalling the guilds historic roots. There will be skill testing questions and light refreshments.  You will learn some cool things, like what is the oldest wood on display?

Any questions welcome, call:

Phil                         phillipjmakin@gmail.com      250.592.4033

Frank                      frank48@shaw.ca                 778.426.3387

 we want to see you there!

 

April 16, 2024

Visions in Wood 2024 Show and Sale

Victoria, BC – April 12, 2024 – For Immediate Release

The Vancouver Island Woodworkers’ Guild (the Guild) and Friends will be returning to the Arts Centre at Cedar Hill with Visions in Wood 2024 from May 1 to May 26.

Come see a complete show.  We have musical instruments, carved and sculpted works, a wide variety of furniture and turned pieces.  In addition, we will be displaying the paintings and glass art of several artists, our Friends.  And check out the box of wood pieces so you know what a raw piece of Arbutus or Garry Oak is all about.

The work is by local artists and makers with a focus on native and locally grown wood.  All pieces are either for display or for sale, with some members offering commissions.   For 2024, we have more space than ever with the main gallery, two display cases and a rear gallery.  

Our theme for this Visions in Wood is answering some of the mysteries of “how did they do it”.   You will see drawings, fixtures and jigs as well as the story of inevitable failures and finally getting it right.

“It is great to be back at the Cedar Hill Recreation Centre for this in-person event,” says Guild President Blair Matheson, “Visions in Wood filled up quickly so visitors can expect to see some lovely and inspired work. We hope many will be able to attend and be inspired themselves.”

This show also allows the Guild to communicate our key community programs including:

• Wood Recovery – Western Canada’s largest urban not-for-profit wood recovery program allows our members to create lovely pieces out of what would otherwise become firewood.
• Toys for Kids – Each year we make and donate hundreds of toys for Santas Anonymous.
• Wood for Schools – When possible, we donate recovered wood to school shop programs in Greater Victoria.
• Support for the Fine Furniture Program at Camosun College – For many years the Guild has provided financial and in-kind support in the form of donated wood, a student bursary and best of show award.

Visions in Wood is free of charge and is open from 10am to 4pm each day. You will be welcomed by knowledgeable Show Ambassadors who are there to answer your questions, connect you with makers if you are interested in purchasing a piece or provide advice on how to become a Guild member.  

While at the Arts Centre, consider having a meal, snack or drink to support the Cridge Centre Café which is open weekdays.

About the Guild

We are a registered non-profit organization with over 40 years of history in the region.  Visions in Wood is a 100% volunteer driven event.  The Guild has a membership of approximately 145 men and women and all experience levels and ages are welcomed.

The Guild’s prime objective is the promotion of woodworking and the appreciation of fine craftsmanship in the southern Vancouver Island region.  We create and maintain a community of involved people who promote woodworking education, community service and collaborative projects of value.

Visit us at www.viwg.com for the full story.

The Arts Centre at Cedar Hill: 3220 Cedar Hill Road, V8P 3Y3

Ample Free Parking

And finally, we would like to acknowledge and thank the Arts Centre for the support they have provided to the Guild.

February 20, 2024

Visions in Wood – 2024 Call for Entries VIWG members are invited to participate in VISIONS IN WOOD 2024 at the Arts Centre at Cedar Hill (3220 Cedar Hill Road). This show is a non-juried exhibition and sale designed to promote local woodworking craft and design using nearby materials where possible. A second goal is to promote our guild as a local not for profit organization which actively contributes to our community with programs such as Wood Recovery, Toys for Kids, etc. Our venue is a destination for arts education and related activity. The gallery has good security, modern lighting and hanging systems and free parking. There is good foot traffic. The event will be promoted through a number of print and online methods by the Show Committee. Our plans include a guest woodworker, high school student work, paintings by the Al Frescoes and others to provide a complete showing. Pieces created since approximately the end of the year 2022 or anytime in 2023 are welcome. We hope you will see the show as an opportunity to stretch your skills and learn something new in your craft in anticipation of having friends, family and the public see your creations! Work can be submitted on a “for sale”, “not for sale, i.e. exhibit only” or “not for sale – orders taken” basis, with no fee for selling. VIWG policy requires participants to sign a liability waiver form. All items are displayed at the participants’ risk and any insurance coverage on your work is the responsibility of each participant. Participants have the opportunity to provide background business or personal information, business cards and promotional materials in a Makers Binderthat can be referenced by any visitor interested in follow-up. The show committee’s basic goal is to accommodate every guild member wishing to participate, but we reserve the right to limit numbers based on space availability. Entries are accepted on a first come first served basis. We encourage multiple submissions. We have a 730 sq foot gallery for displaying up to 25 floor standing furniture pieces and new for 2024 we have a separate mini gallery for additional large pieces. We also have two glass fronted, secure display case for displaying about 25 to 35 small objects up to a maximum of 12X12X12 inches in size. The additional glass case is also perfect for musical instruments such as guitars. Key Dates: Setup/delivery by Makers: Tuesday April 30, 8am to 4pm (future time of day signup) Show Opens: Wednesday May 1Show Reception: To Be Determined Show Hours: Daily 8am-8pm Show Ambassadors: Daily Shifts, 10 to 1pm AND 1 to 4pm (future online signup) Show Closes: Sunday May 26Pickup by Makers: Monday May 27, 9 to 11am How to Submit your Work? Click Here if you have an item you wish to submit. This will take you to the website homepage. Click on “Visions in Wood – 2024” at the top of the menu to the left. Now you are ready to go through several pieces of information about the wood show including the form to fill out for items you have to display at the show. Wood Show information will continue to be available through the website for the entire show. Please Note: If you have a group of objects (eg three small bowls, boxes, nesting tables, etc), complete one form. You will be contacted by email to confirm your participation. This call for entries remains open until closed by the Show Committee by email notification. Want to Give Us A Hand? The coordinators are looking for a person to handle the printing of item labels for the show. We are also looking for assistance with marketing the show to the public, plus creating posters and other tasks. If you can offer any assistance, we would be happy to hear from you. Our shows have been well received by the public and a key reason is the broad participation of our members, old or young with a broad collection of work including, furniture, musical instruments, small objects, picture frames, food preparation and display items, painted, carved, marquetry, turned, what have you. If past performance is any indication, you will really enjoy your involvement. That’s our goal along with positive exposure for the guild and it’s programs! Your Show Co-Coordinators Phil Makin  phillipjmakin@gmail.com 250.882.9605, voice/txt Frank Letchford:  frank48@shaw.ca 778.426.3387, voice Stay tuned for other communications! Happy to hear your questions and suggestions.

June 14, 2023

Visions in Wood 2024 Announcement

Our Guild’s non juried show returns in the spring 2024 Your Show Committee has completed the application and although unconfirmed, our track record with shows should mean that we will have a three week event in early 2024.Your guild membership fees pay for this. There is no cost to exhibit and/or sell work. A complete show has the following makers represented: – Guild members who have never exhibited work, it is a hoot to have this experience – Guild members who have exhibited for many shows – High school students from the schools that we support through Wood for Schools – One special maker in the community who is our featured maker for the show – Art to fill in the available wall space and create a feeling of a furnished room The main gallery at the Arts Centre at Cedar Hill is the venue and we are looking forward to seeing a wide variety of furniture, small objects, tools, sculpture, carved work, turnings, musical instruments and more. We will have a glass fronted Display Case for smaller pieces. The Main Gallery has over 700 sq feet of modern display space and the Arts Centre programming provides a good start for show foot traffic. Just have a think over the summer about how you might wish to participate. Come September, we will ask you to express your interest in the show by adding to a participation form. You can participate as: – A maker/exhibitor, optionally offering your piece for sale. – A Show Committee Assistant, there is lots to do with key areas such as publicity, advertising, signage, set up and more. – A Show Ambassador who represents the Guild and its members to the visiting public, an enjoyable and important part of our shows for many years. – A demonstrator or presenter for our visitors. One example would be a musician playing one of the instruments on display. We keep working on this thing because we find it exciting and it has become an important part of the Guild programming over the years. We look forward to your ideas and involvement.  Thank you. Phil Makin, Frank Letchford, Bruce Thomson, Don Urquhart Your Show Committee