La Voz

Issue date: 1/29/07 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Media Credit: Ohtake, Moto, Art 58 instructor

Students in De Anza College art classes create pieces to decorate their rooms, give to a friend or just to satisfy their creative desires.

The program, established by Mike Cooper, is now run by Moto Ohtake. Among the finished furniture pieces left in the workshop, Ohtake pointed out a chair made by Robin Moony.

"It is an interesting idea to make furniture out of a rather low grade material, all these unfinished surfaces. It is an established idea that furniture should be polished hardwood. Within certain safety limitations, you can be pretty free and open ended," said Ohtake.

Students, after receiving instructions on safety and use of tools, create their original pieces. "When you're done, you have something solid that's actually usable," said Audrey Lee, a furniture design student who is currently working on a Japanese Tansu cabinet.

"I make something for my house: a chair, a cabinet, a very big bookcase, bigger than me," said Helen Daudenarde, who wants to become a furniture designer.

Students work on their projects throughout the week under Ohtake or Tony McCann. McCann is an "integral part of projects," said Ohtake. "He provides a lot of technical knowledge, helps students with technical issues that constantly come up."

McCann is currently working on a glass table. "Some of the things can be very complex," says McCann of students' projects.

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