HFIA 7th Annual Statewide Juried Woodworking Exhibition

Aloha Tower Marketplace Pier 10, September 4-12, 1999

THE JURORS

Bruce Beeken designs and builds furniture with his partner Jeff Parsons in Shelburne, Vermont. Beeken/Parsons stands out from the crowd in the focus they have chosen for their work. Both are dedicated to creating a model of sustainable forest land use that balances economy, ecology and esthetics.

To this end Beeken/Parsons conducts research on locally-grown woods that are typically perceived to be of little to no value. From these, they design and create durable, pleasing, useful furniture that can be profitably produced in volume with a net positive effect on forest ecology. They have been successful in applying for and receiving funding for this work from several sources. While in Hawai’i, Bruce has conducted three workshops focusing on design, technique and marketing for HFIA members on Maui, Hawai’i and O’ahu.

Tai Lake is an independent furniture maker in Kona. His lifelong dedication to the study of woodworking and design began in his family’s construction business and was refined through study at Buckminster Fuller’s design department at Southern Illinois University. He came to Hawaii in 1980 as an architectural woodworker after an apprenticeship that took him across the U.S. Through this true “journeyman” travel, he came in contact with master craftsmen, architects and artists that put him to work at a variety of challenging projects. Tai lived in the Pacific Northwest for many years and there was involved with forestry.

At the foundation of the work he produces today is recognition of the role of the craftsman in the long term health of our forests. Tai’s work has received numerous awards and has been featured in national publications. His work is carried by selected galleries on the island of Hawai’i and in Aspen, Colorado. Tai is currently serving as head of the Big Island Woodworker’s Guild.

 

Fritz Johnson is a Honolulu architect, designer and planner. He received his Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Washington, Seattle, in 1965 and embarked upon a career which is distinguished by a fascination with the architecture and social and urban planning of other cultures. He worked for two years as an architect with the Peace Corps in British Honduras (new Belize), moved to Hawaii in l969, studied ancient and contemporary architecture in Japan and conducted graduate studies at the Universities of Manchester, England and Helsinki, Finland. He has studied the architecture of ancient civilizations in Belize, Guatemala, Mexico, Greece, Egypt and Europe.

Fritz applies the education garnered through his travels to his work and his office is credited with one National award, several State awards and one State competition.