Illawarra Woodwork School
Illawarra Woodwork School is based in Wollongong NSW Australia, 1/1 York Place, Woonona 2517. Illawarra Woodwork School was started in 2005 by Robert Chapman and Stuart Montague joined Illawarra Woodwork School in 2012.
If you’re wanting to start learning traditional woodwork, and you don’t know where to start, this is the course for you. This Woodwork course provides the foundations for woodwork projects which introduce you to the workshop surroundings, teach you how to use a variety of hand tools and provide basic timber selection knowledge. We have a range of first projects such as a sushi tray, mirror frame, wooden mallet, chopping board and a timber box. The application of different finishing techniques for timber is also included. This course will give you an understanding of woodwork terminology and techniques so that you can tackle your own projects with confidence in later terms. Class sizes are kept to 6 students to ensure a maximal learning experience and are 3 hours duration. The classes follow the NSW state school term dates and each term is generally 10 weeks in length.
The Illawarra Woodwork school also offers #WELOVEWOOD weekend workshops & 5 day workshops in Mid-century chair making, spoon carving, wood carving and greenwood furniture making. These workshops are taught by in house tutors or by Australia’s finest woodworkers such as Carol Russell ,Hape Kiddle & Brad Van Luyt.
STUART MONTAGUE | teacher | director
The classes are taught by Stuart Montague who has been making furniture for over 30 years and is a third generation furniture maker. Stuart has a trade background as well as a Fine Arts Degree from the University of Tasmania with a major in Design in Wood. This allows him to have a diverse background, from traditional French and English furniture through to contemporary furniture. Stuart has exhibited both nationally and internationally with some of his pieces held in private collections. Stuart & his wife Suzanne are also the organisers of the Illawarra Festival Wood which began in 2017 at the iconic Bulli Showground. The South Coast Woodworkers group began in 2019 with a meeting at the school’s workshop and held their inaugural exhibition ‘ Coastal Woodworks’ at the Illawarra Festival of Wood 2019.
Exhibitions
2020 Furniture Defines the Home | Studio Woodworkers | Bungendore Woodwork Gallery
2019 Coastal Woodworks | South Coast Woodworkers | Illawarra Festival of Wood | Bulli NSW
2016 Tree Cycle | Royal Botanical Gardens| Sydney
2001Bungendore Wood Works Gallery | Bungendore
2001 Refurnished |Wollongong City Gallery
1998 SOFA Exposition |New York City USA
1997 SOFA Exposition |Chicago USA
1997 Artists Make Furniture |Long Galley Wollongong University
1996 SOFA Exposition |Australian Government Stand |Chicago USA
1996 See the Light | Centre For Contemporary Craft
1995 Lauraine Diggins Fine Arts Gallery | Sydney Melbourne
1995 Beaver Galleries |Canberra
1995 SOFA Exposition |Miami USA
1994 Furniture & Fish with collaborating artists|Stuart Montague Solo Exhibition| Sydney Brisbane Melbourne |David Jones (Aust) Ltd
1994 Crisp Galleries | Yass NSW
1993 SOFA Exposition |Chicago USA
1993 Stuart Montague Solo Exhibition | Sydney Brisbane Melbourne | David Jones (Aust) Ltd
1992 SOFA Exposition |Chicago USA
1992 Christmas Show | Despard Street Gallery | Hobart TAS
1991 Wave Piercing Art | Salamanca Arts Centre |Hobart TAS
1990 Dick Betts Gallery| Hobart TAS
1989 Tasmanian Woodcraft Exhibition | Forestry Commission of Tasmania| Hobart TAS
