American Association of Woodturners Symposium Providence, Rhode Island 28-30 June 2002 All Photos ©2002 Andi Wolfe | |
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David Ellsworth and Michael Hosaluk discussing some of the turnings on display in the Instant Gallery. | ||||||||||||||
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I hope you have enjoyed this photo album. I sure enjoyed the symposium, and I learned a great deal from the rotations I attended. One of the newsgroup topics of discussion raised following the symposium is the attention "artistic" renderings receive as opposed to "plain old bowls" in coverage of the symposium. Many turners who prefer to let the beauty of the wood speak for itself have negative things to say about turnings that incorporate carving, texturing, and color. Other woodturners feel that contemporary woodturning has grown beyond the functional bowl, and that the woodturning community should celebrate the success of those artists who have gone beyond "craft" and moved into the realm of "art." I happen to believe there is room for both aesthetics in contemporary woodturning. Although my own work incorporates the manipulation of wood surfaces, I still appreciate the beauty of wood and the functional utility of a well made bowl or platter. I also think that the elevation of contemporary woodturning into the realm of the art world benefits those makers who prefer to craft functional objects, or those who choose to let the beauty of the wood speak for itself. It is the case that there are different markets catering to different types of woodturning. For example, makers who spend a lot of time manipulating turnings into objects of art are unlikely to sell them on the craft market circuit. Makers of functional objects are unlikely to market through fine art galleries, although their work may be considered art in its own right. Collectors of wood art are attracted to both aesthetics. So, I'm not sure what all the fuss is about regarding the development of contemporary woodturning away from the "plain old bowl" syndrome. What I do know is that there was a mixture of these aesthetics presented in the Instant Gallery of the AAW symposium in Providence. I, for one, am grateful to have seen so many fine examples of today's trends in woodturning. For those of you who are reading this final note and missed the 2002 symposium, I hope you'll be able to attend the 2003 symposium. -- Andi Wolfe | ||
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