New Furniture Intensive Model at PTSW Port Townsend School of Woodworking

The Port Townsend School of Wood­work­ing (PTSW) is pleased to announce a new model for our furniture-intensive programming. 

After a lot of careful consid­er­a­tion and collab­o­ra­tion with our board, instruc­tors, and students we’ve honed a shorter program that we hope will improve the acces­si­bil­ity, quality, and func­tion­al­ity of our furni­ture inten­sives. The new Foun­da­tions of Wood­work­ing program is now two twelve-week wood­work­ing inten­sives, Foun­da­tions of Wood­work­ing I and Foun­da­tions of Wood­work­ing II, which we will offer twice a year. Sequenced together into a six-month program, this inten­sive wood­work­ing study is designed to build a foun­da­tional wood­work­ing educa­tion that will serve students for a life­time. Taking the best elements from our previ­ous inten­sives, Tradi­tions of Furni­ture and Art of Furni­ture, this program is designed to empower students in both their tech­ni­cal skills and their mindset as crafts­peo­ple in a stream­lined and affordable format. 

We under­stand that becom­ing a student again can mean navi­gat­ing mental and emotional road­blocks when it comes to learn­ing new skills. Our instruc­tors offer a wealth of indus­try expe­ri­ence and facil­i­tate an atmos­phere of patience and support. Small class sizes and a high instruc­tor-to-student ratio allow for more personalized instruction. 

“This course taught me so much and not just in the field of wood­work­ing. I have been chal­lenged and pushed in many ways to see more clearly where I’m at and where I have room to grow. I’m grate­ful for how I have learned to love myself through all the imper­fec­tions, to love the ​“mistakes,” to drop the perfec­tion­ism, to breathe deeply even when I just totally messed up, to really focus, and to culti­vate discipline…only compet­ing with myself.” — recent Foun­da­tions grad­u­ate Grant Nixon

Our aim is that Foun­da­tions grad­u­ates feel empow­ered with the tech­ni­cal skills, deci­sion-making expe­ri­ence, creative expres­sion, and emotional resilience to shape the phys­i­cal world around them. 

Along­side these changes, PSTW has a renewed commit­ment to the cycle of reflec­tion, feed­back, and revi­sion to keep the inten­sive program respon­sive to the chang­ing needs of the growing wood­work­ing commu­nity. We are excited at this oppor­tu­nity to prac­tice our values and be a leader in making wood­work­ing educa­tion acces­si­ble to all.

If this program is a good fit for you, visit our website to read more about the Foun­da­tion of Woodworking program.

Please don’t hesi­tate to reach out with comments or questions!

https://​www​.ptwood​school​.org/1…