The Center for Turning and Furniture Design is the first program in the nation to offer undergraduate and graduate degrees in fine arts with a studio emphasis in both turning and furniture design. Under the guidance of principal faculty member, Christopher Weiland, since 1978, the program had established a reputation for involving the study of both turning and furniture as fine art disciplines and its sponsorship of more than fifty visiting artist events including lectures, workshops, residencies, and exhibitions. Along with internal grants from IUP, sponsors have included the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, the Pennsylvania Hardwood Development Council, and the Collectors of Wood Art. In 2003, IUP received a significant grant from a private foundation for the studio renovation, new tooling, and personnel necessary to implement the Center. Instruction in newly renovated and significantly enlarged facilities began in January 2006.

A major goal of The Center is to develop entrepreneurs whose output is marked by artistic designs and fine craftsmanship. Graduates will be conversant in both turning and furniture building processes, as well as contemporary design issues and digital technologies.

The Center for Turning and Furniture Design offers the BA, BFA, MA, and MFA degrees in Studio Arts. It is dedicated to specific curricular goals:

The Center offers professional career preparation and conducts wide-ranging research of both wood and non-traditional materials. It offers research and experimentation with computer numerical controlled (CNC) equipment including a CNC 4-axis router and CNC lathe. The Center supports cross-disciplinary investigations related to other visual arts disciplines. It has established recycling and “Green Design” as themes that inform and propel curriculum, material/process research, and its external partnerships.

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