Charitable Chair Curriculum

Curriculum (pdf)

Objective:

The Charitable Chair event objective is to promote the importance of community outreach through student involvement and classroom curriculum. The purpose is two-fold:  First, to provide opportunity to illustrate the importance and satisfaction of service while promoting community exposure to the value of higher education; and second, to incorporate accreditation curriculum standards with practical experience and the design process. 

Students, mentored by faculty members and practicing industry professionals, will participate. Students are required as part of course* final projects, to refurbish or design a new chair with historical significance or influence. Students will take part in all phases of project management including soliciting community sponsors for each individual/team. Sponsors may donate services, product or funds to help with the initial cost of purchasing and refurbishing or manufacturing the chair. Chairs will then be auctioned at an event in which proceeds will be split between a community partner and the WSU Interior Design program.

Charitable Chair may involve up to six interior design courses:

• IDT 2010 Sustainability I
• IDT 2040 Architectural Detailing
• IDT 2820 Historical Interiors and Architecture
• IDT 3020 American and Modern Interiors
• IDT 2060 Sustainability II
• IDT 3045 Residential Design

 

2022 CIDA Objectives:

4e, 6o, 10b, 10d, 10f, 11d 

accredit-id.org  

 

Requirements:

WSU Interior Design students in designated courses must participate regardless of whether or not the student has participated before. The Charitable Chair event is considered the final project of each course*.

*Charitable Chair may involve up to six interior design courses:

• IDT 2010 Sustainability I
• IDT 2040 Architectural Detailing
• IDT 2820 Historical Interiors and Architecture
• IDT 3020 American and Modern Interiors
• IDT 2060 Sustainability II
• IDT 3045 Residential Design

 

Students:

• -- Can work as individuals or in teams of 2
• -- Must find at least 1 sponsor willing to donate materials, time, product or funds in the amount of at least $100. Students may have as many sponsors as they would like.
• -- Can be a reclaimed or original designed chair.
• -- Must be appropriate in style – each student/team must be able to identify the historical style of the chair, the finishing techniques and upholstery
• -- Each chair must be marketable and must have a professional presentation quality. Professional finishing, upholstery is strongly recommended. 
• -- Each chair must have secure joints and be repaired, if necessary
• -- Provide a detailed cost breakdown.
• -- Must attend the Charitable Chair event regardless of whether or not their  chair is accepted to participate in the event.

Proposal:

Each student/team must prepare a proposal to submit in early February prior to the event detailing the project management plan for their chair including a critical time path. 

The proposal should be crafted in a professional manner, coil bound with cover page and vinyl back. Proposals should include a table of contents.  

The proposal should include the following items listed on separate pages:

• Chair name (can be included on the title page as well)
• Detailed information on team participants including designer logos (teams may consist of no more than 2 individuals)
• Sponsor names, logos, and sponsor funds amounts
• Photographs of chair (at time of purchase)
• Written description in bullet format of project to include:
  • All needs to restore/manufacture chair including but not limited to:  acquisition of chair, acquisition of sponsors, stabilization, refinishing, fabric purchase, upholstery.
  • Costs and budgetary information.
• Plan of action, resources, contacts and detailed timeline
• Historical information including style, influence, time period, current events that were happening during the time period and how this affected the design style of the day. 
• Approval signatures for 1) Chair; 2) Fabric and stain selection
• Coil bound --- 8.5”  x 11”

Marketing:

Along with the proposal and chair, each project will also feature marketing that describes the chair, it’s historical style/significance and the design team and sponsors. 

Marketing must:

• Be created digitally and of portrait orientation
• Highlight the chair name and chair number
• Illustrate the historical significance
• Include the staged photograph of the chair provided by the ID faculty
• Include sponsor logos, names
• Include individual student logos of students on team
• Size, quantity specifics will be provided prior to the event by the instructor

The marketing will:

• Be featured near the chair should the chair be chosen for the Charitable Chair event
• Not be returned to the student once it is submitted to the instructor
• Be turned in at the time the chair is submitted to the instructor unless otherwise  specified
  • Date to be determined

The Chair:

Each individual/team will produce a full-scale chair as part of this project.

The chair may be:

• Reclaimed, refurbished or a new design however the chair may not be an unused, newly-purchased retail item
• Wood or upholstered
• For adults, children
• Used for any purpose – seating, dining or any utilitarian purpose

The chair must be:

• Approved prior to purchase for both the chair and the fabric selection (signed approval sheet as part of the proposal)
• Refinished and of professional quality, no paint
• Marketable in style, finish and upholstery
• Submitted for review and approval if of a creative nature or use
• Structurally sound
• Photographed – before and during the project process
• Photographed after refinishing by ID commissioned photographers
• Historically referenced
• Professionally reupholstered, if an upholstered piece
• Sponsored by at least one individual/business in the amount of $100
  • Sponsorship may include services, products, funds
  • Sponsorship funds are to be used for the student for the acquisition of the chair and related products for this project
  • If funds are paid to WSU, the funds will be disbursed for the exact amount of each sponsorship to the student/team when receipts for chair purchases are submitted to the university for tax reimbursement to the sponsor
  • Students may have multiple sponsors
  • Sponsors may elect to include their logo/business name on some marketing materials associated with the Charitable Chair event as well as the chair marketing. Students are responsible for the acquisition of all logos and including them in the chair publications.
• Titled
  • Title may be an original name or can feature sponsor name

The  chair will be: 

• Considered as part of the final project for each course as participant in the Charitable Chair event.
• Considered separately depending on the curriculum structure of each individual course.
• Subject to faculty approval for public auction/event
  • Each chair will be reviewed by faculty for quality craftsmanship. In the event a chair does not meet professional or historical standards or is deemed inappropriate for any reason, the chair may be denied approval for participation in the Charitable Chair event and auction. 
• Turned in approximately 3-4 weeks prior to the Charitable Chair event for review.
  • At the time the chair is submitted for review, students are responsible to fix any needed repairs determined by faculty, if any.
  • If approved, the chair will then be allocated for auction at the Charitable Chair event..
  • Chairs will be professionally photographed approximately 1-2 days after submission if approved. Any chairs not turned in on the speficied date will NOT be photographed by a photographer secured by the interior design program. Photographs will then be part of an online gallery on the ID website. 
  • The day of the event, the chair becomes the propery of the Weber State Unviersity Interior Design program and will not be returned to the student.*
  • If the chair is not sold at auction, the Weber State University Interior Design program may choose to find another purchase source or retain for a later auction or for the department’s use.*
• Auctioned at the Charitable Chair Event
  • The chair may be auctioned by auctioneer or silent auction
  • Should circumstances prevent a live auction, the program may deem it necessary to hold an alternative solution such as an online auction event. In that circumstance, the chairs will become the property of the ID program at the time of submission and the ID program will then arrange for chairs to be auctioned at the earliest possible date in an alternative format.*
  • Proceeds for chairs will be paid to WSU at the conclusion of the auction event. After all monies are calculated, expenses paid and accounting reviewed, WSU will then issue a check for a portion of the proceeds to the community partner. 

The Event:

The project will culminate at an auction event in which chairs will be highlighted and auctioned to the highest bidder. The event will showcase the chairs accepted for auction.

• If the event is a live event, students in courses where Charitable Chair is part of course requirements are required to attend the event, regardless of whether or not their chair is accepted to participate. Students do not need to purchase a ticket to attend the event.
• If the event is a live event, those students as noted above are required to sell a number of tickets to the public to the event (not sponsors). 
• Students are required to invited to invite all sponsors to the event, providing marketing materials as provided by the program.
• If the auction is a live event, the auction may be held at a location off-campus. 
• Students are required to deliver their chair to the photography staging location and/or the event site.
• All chairs may be photographed and used as marketing material for future events.
• The auction may be a virtual event.
• Students may be required to be on-hand at the auction to answer questions about their chair to potential bidders. 
  • Students should prepare a short speech that provides historical information including current events of the day (e.g. 1920’s, etc.), sponsors, why you chose the chair and refurbishing information excluding the initial  cost to purchase the chair.
     

The Community Partner:

The Community Partner, chosen by the Interior Design program, will partner with the program in the following:

• Assist with marketing of the event to all members, contacts, board members and interested parties
• It is expected that the community partner provide the majority of attendees at the event who are willing to purchase chairs. 
• May be required to purchase a set number of tickets to the event to help ensure attendance numbers
• Participate in marketing campaigns including but not limited to email solicitations, social media, local media and member networking.
• Profits from auction will be distributed after all expenses including photography, venue costs, catering, print media, lighting, sound, and any other costs associated with the event.
• Profit share will be determined by the program. 
• All Community Partner advertising must be approved by WSU ID prior to the event.
• All Charitable marketing will be created by WSU MarCom department. 
• All marketing for Charitable Chair, it’s logos and branding is subject to approval by WSU ID
• Community Partner logos can be included on Charitable Chair marketing if submitted by the community partner. 

To be considered as a community partner:
Submit a proposal to:

    WSU Interior Design Program
    Attn:  K. Arnold
    2750 University Park Blvd., MC 0220
    Layton, Utah 84041

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Fine Print:

Students participating in Charitable Chair are encouraged to work with faculty and student mentors to select, secure and arrange for refurbishing of their chair. 
Students will produce a chair 2 times before acting as student mentor in the Charitable Chair process. Students taking more than one class at a time participating in Charitable Chair may use the same chair in all classes. 
Students are responsible for securing sponsorships, collecting sponsor funds and paying all artisans for work completed on their chair. 
Students who do not have chairs or upholstery pre-approved may be subject to alteration if quality, appropriateness, craftsmanship are not up to par. 
Chairs that are lacking in quality, appropriateness, craftsmanship at the time of submission will be required to repair the chair per the faculty instructions in order to participate in the auction. 
All students are strongly encouraged to have chairs professionally reupholstered and refinished. This is not an exercise in learning these skills but rather the process in working with artisan craftsmen, salesmanship, networking, community service and the design process.