Woodturning Today
A Dramatic Evolution
Celebrating The American Association of Woodturners 25th Anniversary 1986-2011
Softcover
215 x 280mm
256pp
Published by The American
Association of Woodturners,
Saint Paul MN USA
R.R.P.$35.90
ISBN 978-1-56523-587-8
As reviewed in The Australian Woodworker Issue 162
One of the page titles in this book refers to 'artistic woodturning'. It is a convenient, though perhaps not entirely accurate, distinction to make between the craft as it was practised from antiquity through to the 1960's and 70's and woodturning as we know it today.
Although essentially a history, viewing this book as belonging only within the narrow confines decreed by this description, does it a serious disservice. It is also an exploration of modern woodturning and an exposition of the work of many of the craftsmen and women who have been at the forefront of its development, principally in the USA. We have no way of knowing how many thousands of years have passed since a crude lathe was used to produce the world’s first turned piece of wood.
We do know, however, that with the exception of a few remarkable diversions such as the ornamental turning of Holtzaphel, woodturning remained much the same over most of that period.
It was the confluence of ideas, technology, social and economic factors in the decades after World War II that brought about the extraordinary changes that we have witnessed since 1985.
It was in that year the American Association of Woodturners was established and it is the history of this organisation that is the primary focus of Woodturning Today. (It is, of course, significant that The Australian Woodworker was first published in 1985 and that in its early years, the editorial frequently addressed woodturning and its development in Australia.)
The organisation of the content in Woodturning Today is both unusual and interesting. The first half of the book is built around a timeline from 1960 to 2010. There are essays by former presidents and board members of the Association, photos of the work being produced at intervals throughout the period and there are personal stories from woodturners, presented in sections called Voices.
The interweaving of the various threads makes an absorbing narrative.
The second half of the book begins with Woodturning since 1985, or to use the name given this study: Woodturning in the Era of the American Association of Woodturners: 1986-2010. This is followed by consideration of woodturning today when the AAW boasts 13000 members organised into more than 300 chapters. Examples of work produced in this period, continue to illustrate the text and the Voices also continue to provide a personal view of the trends that built the craft and the Association.
The book ends with some notes on future directions and the personal reflections of more than 20 woodturners, some famous, some not, who experienced first hand, at least part of the movement that has led to the craft as it is now.
This is a book for anyone who has an interest in woodturning. Although centred on the growth of the American Association of Woodturners, it provides a wealth of subsidiary information to give woodturners of today an overview of the trends that have shaped their craft and an indication of their place in history.
Photos: Colour
Contents
President's
Welcome
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Woodturning
Before 1985
Woodturning is an ancient craft known to many cultures worldwide, but
as you'll learn from the essays in this section, nobody is quite sure
how ancient. During the first half of the 20th century, woodturning was
part of the high-school woodshop curriculum, but by mid-century, the craft
was being kept alive by industrial pattern makers, turners of architectural
detailing, and amateur craftsmen working in garages and basements, along
with a few pioneers who somehow gained higher visibility. Cultural upheaval
in the 1960s and '70s created new interest in all traditional crafts.
A new wave of woodturning artisans emerged, along with a new market in
turning tools, lathes, and materials, and a new interest in getting together
to share ideas and techniques.
1985:
Birth of the American Association of Woodturners
Between 1975 and 1985, numerous woodturning weekend symposiums had been
organized, notably in Philadelphia and Provo, Utah, and there had been
ground-breaking exhibitions of turned wood. Many late-night conversations
had tossed around the idea of an organization for woodturners, one that
could continue to produce symposiums, exhibitions, and events, and become
a clearing house for information and ideas. But the concept did not gel
until October 1985 during the Woodturning Vision and Concept conference
held at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Tennessee.
History of the American Association of Woodturners, 1986-2011 What does it look like when a craft organization grows from zero to more than 13,000 members in just 25 years? In this section, five former presidents of the organization write about the time when they were most active. Alongside the budget struggles and the eternal problem of how to manage constituencies of members within a large and diverse organization, the AAW soon began to organize its own exhibitions of turned work. The photographic record of these exhibitions tells a parallel story to the organizational one, a story about the rapid evolution of the woodturning craft itself.
Woodturning
in the Era of the American Association of Woodturners: 1986 2010
The American Association of Woodturners has played a crucial role in the
development of contemporary woodturning and wood art. Without the organized
sharing this organization has made possible, it is not likely that the
field as a whole could have advanced so rapidly in so few years. This
section also presents a taxonomy of the field - a careful attempt to group
and order the main trends in contemporary lathe-turned art.
The
American Association of Woodturners Today
Today the American Association of Woodturners is a club with more than
13,000 members organized into more than 300 local chapters. The association
maintains an office with full-time staff in Saint Paul, Minnesota, along
with gallery space to display temporary exhibitions and the permanent
collection. Along with its annual symposium, the organization has expanded
its activities to include publication of a bimonthly magazine American
Woodturner aka the AW Journal, a large website (www. woodturner.org),
a Professional Outreach Program, and myriad other activities.
The
Future: Introducing People to the Fun of Woodturning
Where do new woodturners come from? In the first half of the 20th century,
many people were introduced to the lathe in middle school woodshop classes,
and many of them are senior members of the American Association of Woodturners
today. The association, in turn, sponsors and encourages ambitious efforts
by local clubs to teach young people the woodturning craft. There's also
a great thirst for instruction among younger adults who were not introduced
in school and who through club membership are now experiencing for the
first time, making something by hand.
Our
Stories
While preparing this book, the editors invited members of the American
Association of Woodturners to write short essays telling about their adventures
in woodturning, how they came to the field, and what it means to them.
The project closes with a representative selection of those stories.
Appendixes
Officers and Directors 1986-20 1
Index of Names
Index of Subjects
More information