John Smith
Past Artist In Residence
2001

Trained as a furniture designer in England, John Smith migrated to Tasmania to establish a three-dimensional design course at the Tasmanian School of Art at Hobart in 1970. This program later focused on utilizing quality Tasmanian timbers for furniture design application in 1981 as the Design in Wood program. Throughout his work, Smith expresses his deep interest in exploring furniture conventions to include influences of architecture and art. For the past 35 years, Smith has been the recipient of numerous grants for his own professional development and for organizing national / international residencies, conferences and exhibitions. He has received Australian Research Council and University grants to explore sustainable timber use through innovative design practice. He has exhibited his work through solo and group exhibitions including SOFA in New York and Chicago, and through national and international collections and publications.