AAW History

How The AAW Came To Be

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. Years later, this web site helps answer the question, where did we go from there?

What We Do

Our journal, American Woodturner, is a high-quality, professionally produced magazine filled with articles contributed by our members on all aspects of woodturning. Recent issues have included feature stories on carved turnings, laminated and segmented bowls, woodturning in France, Early American lathes, and ornamental turning on a rose-engine lathe. Technical articles abound, from basic topics like chucking and drying wood to state-of-the-art approaches: multi-axis work, oval turning, sculptural bowls, and close-tolerance nesting. Each issue includes a Turners' Tips column; a gallery of Photos from the Mailbag; book, video, tool, and product reviews; a national Bulletin Board; and a Calendar of regional events. There are in-depth design discussions, profiles of noteworthy craftspeople and artists, and reports on recent and current workshops and shows.

Our annual Resource Directory includes the names and addresses of all our members (including "hosts," who welcome traveling members) as well as sources of supply, contact information for local chapters and workshops, and a book and video list.

Our annual symposium is an intensely informative, fun-filled event held in a different region of the country each year. Three days are packed with demonstrations by internationally renowned and local turners, slide shows, and design workshops, as well as panel discussions on marketing, technical and aesthetic development, safety, and legal issues. A favorite part of each symposium is the Instant Gallery where members show off their latest and greatest accomplishments. The symposium also includes a trade show, local tours for spouses, and a catered banquet culminating in an auction of donated woodturnings, tools, and supplies.

Special publications include a Project Book of articles from back issues of the journal, a periodic index to the journal, and a growing library of videotapes, which capture the flavor and information of our annual symposiums.

The AAW fosters the creation of local chapters, where turners meet regularly and make friends, sharing their woodturning challenges, insights, and accomplishments. Local chapters develop their own unique features, from mentor programs and video libraries to raffles, contests, mini-symposiums, and monthly newsletters.

Each year the AAW makes available a number of Educational Opportunity Grants for members to attend woodturning workshops or to further proposed research and development projects. Local chapters may also receive grants to help finance visiting demonstrators or other educational events.