The designer's true role is to better the things that surround us, better them in terms of function, appearance, cost and material as well as in terms of aspiration and desire. During this three year programme, students will learn how to bring innovation and creativity to designing wood products for manufacture and marketing across Canada and abroad. The main focus is on the design of furniture, architectural elements and accessories, and construction of prototypes as part of the product development cycle. There is always an element of personal expression in the process of design and as that process develops students will begin to research the demands and needs of a product, and work toward satisfying those needs within the confines of markets, function, ergonomics, costs, materials and production. This program weds creativity with technical proficiency.
Emphasis is placed on the use of B.C.'s indigenous source of wood, adding value by design.
Using an Industrial Design approach, wood and allied materials such as metal, plastics and fabric are incorporated to produce useful domestic and light commercial products. Learning experiences outside the school through field trips is a regular activity and include trade show tours and workshops with designers and manufacturers. Opportunities for summer work co-op placement and graduate mentoring are also part of the programme. Our School Kootenay School of the Arts offers both a three year diploma in art, craft and design and a certificate of proficiency in studio. The seven studios at KSA include Jewellery and Small Object Design, Metal, Wood Products Design, Clay, Fibre, Writing and Mixed Media.