Roberto Celis
Year: Junior
Hometown: Allendale, N.J.
Major: Craft and material studies with a specialization in wood (furniture design)
Career goal: “I just want to build stuff and figure out how to put it together.”
‘I just want to build stuff’
“My art teachers said if you want to go to an art school that also has other things, go to VCU.”
“In high school, I took wood shop and fell in love. I was the first kid in my school to take it for five years because I doubled in it my senior year. I was like, ‘this is what I want to do.’
“My art teachers said if you want to go to an art school that also has other things, go to VCU. It’s got great woodworking.”
‘I’m a little too traditional’
“I build mostly tables. I’m still scared of getting into the ergonomics of chairs. But I play around with tables and try to get a little more sculptural.
“I’m a little too traditional. I love wood with natural stains. Here at VCU the professors push you a little more to cut into and scratch the wood.
“I’m eco-friendly and all the parts I use are either bamboo or salvaged wood with nice finishes, like linseed oil and orange peel. I try to encourage it in the class.”
Opportunities outside VCU
“I got an award after the AFO program to work for Anthony Brozna at Eco Supply, an eco-friendly furniture maker. It was an unpaid summer internship. I learned a lot and that’s where I got really good at making furniture. I have a really good connection with Anthony now.
“I got a scholarship to the Penland School of Craft in North Carolina for a two-week summer wood sculpture course. I used chain saws and wood grinders. Maybe that will break me free of my straight lines.
“Coming to VCU, I had no idea about any of these places. Then you come here and people get to know you and tell you about internships and other opportunities.”
