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NEWS RELEASE

12-19-03

Contacts:
Chris Martin, Art and Design, (515) 294-1639 or (515) 268-9343
Teddi Barron, News Service, (515) 294-4778

HEAD OF ISU'S WOOD DESIGN PROGRAM TAKES FIRST PLACE IN NATIONAL COMPETITION

AMES, Iowa -- Iowa State University faculty member Chris Martin is a top winner in Custom Woodworking Business magazine's 11th annual Design Portfolio Awards competition. Martin is an assistant professor of art and design and head of the wood design program in the College of Design.

Martin won first place in the Commercial/Institutional Furniture category for a conference table and matching credenza designed and built for the Hometown Perry, Iowa conference room.

The trestle-style table is made of 12-foot-long mesquite boards and hollow-form steel legs. The credenza is ash-veneered plywood on the interior and a curved, mesquite-burl veneer with an epoxy-resin inlay on the face. The two pieces took Martin about 380 hours to build.

Martin is one of four first-place winners featured in the magazine's December issue. Custom Woodworking Business magazine covers architectural woodworking, cabinets, furniture and niche markets.

The awards program recognizes some of the unique, functional products being produced by professional custom woodworkers. Entries are judged on the basis of appearance and quality of construction, focusing on design creativity and functionality.

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