AN EXHIBITION of furniture, created by degree students of the GMIT's National Centre for Excellence in Furniture Design and Technology, in Letterfrack, has opened and will run throughout the summer.
Entitled Cruthú - Furniture Created In Connemara, features uniquely designed and crafted furniture, created from locally grown trees and timber from Clifden, Westport and Kylemore.
Included in this year’s work is a project selected for the inaugural James and Mary Ellis Award for Excellence in Making. The Ellis family came to Letterfrack in 1849 to help improve the lives of the people of the district. The award was sponsored by The Quaker Friendly Society and a plaque designed by Benson Russell will be mounted to display the winners names each year.
At the exhibition's recent opening, author Joan Johnson, who has written extensively about James and Mary Ellis, presented the first award to student Kay Woodcock whose 'chair in cherry' was selected as the winning project. The criteria for selection of the award reflected the Ellis ethos and included attention to detail, quality of finish, complexity of making, and student commitment and character.
“Our summer exhibition is a great opportunity for visitors to get a sense of what happens on campus during the academic year," said Dermot O’Donovan, head of centre, GMIT Letterfrack. "The projects our students produce as part of their learning are a real fusion of craft, innovation, technology and design."
The exhibition is open Mondays to Fridays (10am-1pm and 2pm-5pm ), and runs until August 23. All are welcome.
