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For more information on the American Association of Woodturners visit their website (http://www.woodturner.org) AAW Resources AAW Membership
info: http://www.woodturner.org/org/mbrship/ |
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| Woodturning's growth as a popular hobby
and professional art form began quietly in the years following World
War II. There weren't many people like James Prestini or Bob Stocksdale
who were exploring the artistic potential of the turned wood bowl. But
the lathe's economy, ease of use, and self-contained versatility attracted
many. By the early 1980s, woodturning had begun to appear in galleries
and craft shows, and woodworking magazines covered the techniques and
exciting new work of this old craft now recharged with a sense of quality
and innovation.
Woodturning was taking a uniquely contemporary shape, but there was yet no national coherence to the widespread activity. In 1985, the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, in Gatlinburg, Tenn., was one of the few places in the country where it was possible to teach or study woodturning. Director Sandra Blain, along with woodturner David Ellsworth, a regular instructor at Arrowmont, recognized the need to highlight the state of current work in a national show. They engaged turner/sculptor Mark Lindquist and Renwick Gallery Director Michael Monroe to help jury what became the 1985 exhibition, Woodturning: Vision and Concept. The show's opening coincided with a three-day symposium, drawing more than 200 woodturners, at which the concept of a national organization of woodturners was put forth. "With all the meeting and greeting of old friends and new," writes David Ellsworth in the premier issue of American Woodturner, "it soon became clear that what had brought us to Tennessee was more than just a lust for tools and techniques. It was a thirst for the process of learning. Several hundred turned objects were on view in both formal and informal [Instant Gallery] display--as if the energies of the past decade were brought before us in a moment. If there was a single thought on everyone's mind, it must have been, 'where do we go from here.'" At this symposium Dick Gerard, who would later serve as the AAW's treasurer, submitted a survey calling for the formation of an association. The first brainstorming session took place after hours, among a group of the symposium participants. The next day an invitation to serve the organization went out to the rest of the participants. A vote was taken, an ad hoc board of directors was formed, and the work began on framing a charter. By April of 1986 the American Association of Woodturners was formally named and incorporated as a non-profit organization. The journal began later that year, along with the first local chapters; our first "official" symposium was held in October of the following year. |
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Email:
wr_manager@sbcglobal.net
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