Video Credit: Micah Lindstrom (MorganHorseStudios.com)
Firewood features work that spans 50 years of investigation. (L) Current Student Justin Cockrell "Table in a Day". (R) Graham Campbell (MFA, 1989) “Occupy”, 2012.
Jacqui Stewart Lindstrom, BFA 2019
Changes are afoot in the Craft/Material Studies department at VCUarts. The school has chosen to “pause” the MFA wood program and eliminate the sole full-time faculty line in the area. While this news is leaving us confused and heartbroken the Wood community has managed to come together to uplift and celebrate the enduring skills unique to this Program.
Firewood brings together multiple generations of artistry formed by the VCUarts Wood program. Collaborators Annie Evelyn (faculty) and Alicia Dietz (MFA, 2016) have been instrumental in bringing together this community. Alma’s is honored to host and we invite you to join us for the opening reception of Firewood this Friday, April 10 from 5-8pm.
Firewood showcases the talent that has spanned over 50 years of the VCUarts Wood Program.
VCUarts has garnered local and national attention due to their decision to “pause” the program. You can read more about the “pause” of VCU Wood:
American Craft Council article HERE
Commonwealth Times article HERE
Solace, Ash Wood and Lighting Components, 54” x 36” x 24” (Installed), 2022, $5000
Basement in the Attic, 2025, 20” x 6 ¼” x 17 ½” Basswood, 32 lbs of stones, hair from a horse named Pearl, brass
“In the Clouds”, Cherry, wenge, cork, brass paint, plywood, aluminium french cleat, W7”, D6”, H38”, 2026, $2000
Fühlte, 2018, Ebonized Oak & Industrial Felt, 33"dx36"hx28”w , NFS
Draketail, NFS
CMU Table, 14.5” x 15.5” x 19.5”Soft Maple, 2021, NFS (available for commission)
Switchworker; cherry wood, brass, tools, glass, hair, light; 25"x32"x22.5", 2025, NFS
NFS
'Far from me". Basswood, watercolor, and ink. 23.5h" x 5.5"w x 4"d. $2900
A Conversation Between Us
#2 Premium Grade Douglas Fir Dimensional Lumber, Tag, Staple, 1.5” x 5.5” x 9”
smile pattern debossed into wood surface, sanded flush, then steamed to raise the grain some details about this image. $200
Stool Stack Table, 42" x 14" x 14" (H x W x D) NFS
NFS
NFS
Shedding/Becoming, Ebonized walnut, 15” x 12.5” x 3.5”, 2024, $1650
1992, NFS
“Bobby P” , Curly ash, red dyed bird’s eye maple, black composite veneer, 6”h x 37”w x 12.5”d, 2002 NFS
Sankofa table , 2025
28” x 18” x 12”, Milled, machined, textured, glued, sanded, painted, and resanded hard maple, Hot forged, formed, chased, repousséd, and patinated copper, Milk paint, plywood, and hardware. NFS
Only You Can Make Me Feel This Hollow, Walnut, 2022, 7”×7”×8”
Bench, untitled, Ash, steel and mosaic inlay. 18"H x 36"W x 15"D, 2024, $800
Cherry Chair, 17.5" x 17.5" x 35", 2026 , NFS
Infinitesimal opening, Wood and milk paint, 3.5x4x7.5, 2023 NFS
Grandfather Chair, cherry, fabric, 18”x23”x41”, 2026. NFS
Sentimentalism; Black Walnut and Hard Maple hardwood; 2"x2"x2.25", 2.5"x2"x2.25", 3"x4"x2.25", NFS
Vanity and Reflections, 20" x 20", Ash wood, hand-cut glass mirror, and silver, 2025 NFS
Mr. David Head, Douglas Fir, 10in x 10in x 16in, 2024, NFS
Knot No.5, Birch plywood and acrylic paint, 23” x 20” x 1”, $250 (sold)
Ambuscade, Walnut Wood and Ceramics (3' x 3' x 3') , 2020, NFS
NFS
Some Sort of Personal Hangup (with dead birdie-bomb cabinet), wood, paint, clamps, mixed media, 55" x 12" x 13", $2000
Maple, Walnut, Dyed Tampico Fiber, Archival Digital Print, 20" w x 18" d x 80" h, 2026, $2500
Bent Wood Lamp Blown Glass, Ash wood, 2022, commissions available
After a summer of assisting workshops at Penland, I arrived at VCU in August 1998 to begin the MFA program. Though I was the only wood grad at the time, the shop was busy with interesting people. Bill Hammersley ran the program and taught alongside adjuncts Karl Burkheimer and Charles Yeager. Wendy Weisner and Heath Matysek Snyder were making ambitious stuff as undergrads.
A week or so into my first semester, as I walked to my studio in the Biggs building, a lady in a purple dress said she was looking for Travis Townsand. I told Felicia Szorad that she had my name spelled wrong. We’ve been married for 25 years now.
Bill Hammersley, Rebecca Hutchinson, and Allen Rosenbaum made up the graduate committee that questioned, encouraged, and pushed me. Right away, Rebecca noticed that my creative process was more interesting than the “finished” works. She was right. And the ongoing conversations with Bill about making and meaning, though often indirect, seemed to be just the thing I needed to push an idea forward. My work improved, and I developed a series of tool-like useless things I called Rebuilt Domestic Devices as well as a number of chunky paintings. The theory classes with Howard Rissati and Morris Yarowsky, the visiting artist talks, the confident energy of my fellow grad students, and long conversations with Karl and Felicia at Ipanema Cafe were also deeply impactful.
Time moved fast! I left RVA for a residency at Penland School of Craft after graduation.
Dylan Loftis - MegaWizard Studio
As my wife and I were leaving VCU/Richmond, it was shattering. We'd experienced a miscarriage with our first child just weeks after graduation and were hundreds of miles from blood kin. Who stepped in to steady us? Every single person I'd met while beavering away in the Wood studio. Everyone. I have a handsaw shaped bottle opener from Heath that I nearly come to tears with every time I open something up. Seven years on and six months into starting my studio practice back up and our two wonderfully creative kiddos say they want to "work in the shop with daddy" as they grow older. (They grow bored with just helping paint.) I'm reading "Redwall" to them before bed, wherein gentle mice live within their great Abbey and seek to nurture, shelter, and care for anyone and everyone that seeks aid; yet, they find themselves dragged into drama after drama by nefarious rats, voles, and weasels. I'm not saying there's a literal connection, but I am saying that during my time at VCU, I've never met a kinder, more welcoming, and supportive gaggle of companions; and I am of the strong opinion that the decision to "freeze" the Wood program is some rat-adjacent thinking.
VCU's wood program is more than just a path to a degree, it's a close-knit community of realistic makers with intrinsic artistic talent. A collection of folks that develop practical skills while supporting each other along the way, creating bonds that stand the test of time. Plus we're really good at carving pumpkins.
I was lucky to learn about the VCU woodworking and furniture design program from my friend Gretchen, who had taken a class with Bill Hammersley. I was a political science major, but was allowed to take a class. It was amazing! Soon I was hooked and took a wood class each semester until I graduated. Bill opened up the world of making to me, and introduced me to studio furniture and so many amazing makers in the field. I think fondly on my time in the VCU wood studio. I thank Bill Hammersley for all his support to me, and for pointing me towards my future career.
Andy Buck
My time in the Wood Area of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Craft and Material Studies was incredibly formative for my career as both an artist and educator. As a Fountainhead Fellowship recipient, I had the privilege of teaching in the program while developing my own studio practice and launching my craft business. Teaching in the wood area was especially meaningful to me — there is something uniquely transformative about woodworking, and it was inspiring to watch students gain confidence, problem-solve, and discover their voices through working with the material. The generosity, curiosity, and creative energy within the department, along with the vibrant community in Richmond, made my years at VCU truly special. I remain deeply grateful to have been a part of such a supportive and dynamic program.