2023 Vic Wood Scholarship Award Winner Hannah Cheetham
We’re pleased to share the journey of our previous VWA Scholarship recipient, who had the opportunity to study with Koitoya in Canberra. Below, she reflects on her time there and the experience she gained.
“I’ve learned so much during my time at Koitoya, from Japanese tool use and hand-tool techniques to workshop delivery methods and teaching structures (an area of particular interest to me as I’m passionate about teaching woodworking and tool use). What was most influential, though, was the opportunity to observe the beautiful team at Koitoya—each member bringing their own unique energy and intent. Hiroshi, at the heart of it all, is loving, gentle, welcoming, and celebratory. I am incredibly grateful to the Koitoya team, the beautiful cherry tree, and of course, the generous Vic Wood Bursary thanks to the VWA. Opportunities like this to deepen my knowledge, skills, and confidence are invaluable to me as both a maker and a teacher.”
Hannah Cheetham
1. An overview of the Koitoya Workshop Classroom in action – absorbing ideas for workshop design was a lesson in itself, with brilliant workflow, material storage, teaching space, cable management and lighting, lighting, storage and machinery placement all so beautifully considered. The workshop was brimming, but functional, and Hiroshi’s small team of furniture makers and teachers work closely together here quite harmoniously.
2. Hiroshi instructing my fellow participant who had travelled up from Tasmania to attend the course.
3. I took copious notes, trying desperately to keep up with Hiroshi’s teaching, trying to synchronise theoretical learning with practical.
4. Hiroshi demonstrating the use of one of his many complex jigs – this one guiding a router to cut the first channel in what will become a tapered, sliding shouldered dovetail (pictured in 6).
5. Beautiful tools, works of art in their own right. Hiroshi also teaches Kana making, and I am really inspired to join one of these classes to learn more about tool making and maintenance!
6. The sliding, tapered, shouldered dovetails – the joinery method with which we connected stool legs to steam-bent stool-tops. We used salvaged timber – wind-fall (or perhaps pruned) Cherry wood, from orchard maintenance. I think what is important and Koitoya’s practice is in their holistic approach to building, it’s not just about the object of the finished furniture, but the whole story about how it becomes. How and where the tree is grown, and how it was harvested, is this taking in balance? What also became evident over the 4 days of classes together was Hiroshi’s deep care and commitment to community, and introducing
7. The Koitoya workshop – a truly beautiful space to spend time. They have managed to make a non-descript steel warehouse into a warm, intricate, functional space of creation.
8. Along with the incredible tutorship offered in real time by Hiroshi and his team, he also provides detailed, and beautifully sketched out instructional notes – almost like a zine of information.
9. The finished Ari Stool – me and Hiroshi, saying warm goodbyes before strapping her into the passenger seat of my ute and driving back to Newcastle.
10. My finished cherry wood Ari Stool in its new home as my workbench stool at my workshop in Newcastle. What’s great about this beautiful curved design, is that, while its extremely comfortable… it’s also hard to get out of, and so I find myself staying seated and focussed on my work instead of getting up and trotting all over the place haha.
Follow Hannah on Instagram here