July 2009 AAW Board Letter

From Bill Haskell...

I’m writing this letter soon after returning from the Albuquerque symposium and a week’s trip throughout the picturesque Southwest. By all accounts, the symposium was very successful – it was particularly pleasing to me to meet and talk with so many AAW members and woodturning friends there. Afterwards, my wife and I had the pleasure of enjoying the enchantment of New Mexico and the beauty of Arizona. Truly special and memorable times.

Nearly 1,300 people attended the Albuquerque 2009 symposium - thank you for your interest and support! Ask any attendee to show you their 158-page Demonstrator Handout Book, that is packed with program details and demonstration information, diagrams, and pictures – all in color. This book provides a whole new level of information for those who attended because it’s something they can keep and refer to in the future. While they last, these books are for sale on the AAW website.

This Handout Book, like so much of the symposium and other areas of the AAW, was made possible by a volunteer. Hundreds of loyal AAW members worked at the symposium to pull it off successfully. As an example, there were well over 225 volunteers who accomplished hundreds of tasks, including registration, demonstration assistants and videographers, the Instant Gallery, youth programs, merchandise sales, exhibitions room, auctioneers and supporting crew, and many other areas. The host chapter, New Mexico Wood Turners, provided almost a third of the volunteers, including spouses and friends as well as members. The local volunteers had already done a fantastic job before the symposium by helping set up the conference center, gather tools for the demonstrators, and prepare for registration. They also spent many hours at the conclusion cleaning up, packing items to be shipped, and performing a multitude of additional tasks. A sincere and hearty thanks to all who contributed their time and energy to the symposium and to all who give of themselves in so many ways throughout the year to make the AAW such a successful program.

And of course, a very special thank you to the AAW staff who put in countless hours both before and after the symposium, as well as long and challenging days during the conference! Your Directors also worked tirelessly to plan and execute the symposium, and of course put out the many “fires” that crop up in an undertaking like this.

At the symposium, the Spouse Craft Room was bigger and better than ever and it was greatly enjoyed. Nine demonstrations were given throughout the three days including a quilt trunk show, pressed flower greeting cards, wood carving, gourd art, beading, chain maille, weaving, scrapbooking (digital and traditional), and machine knitting. In addition to the demos, the room proved to be a great "meet and greet" space for people to work on their own projects. Thanks to the leaders and “crafty” instructors that pulled this off.

As always, the EOG and POP auctions were a great success. The contributions made by both the makers and the buyers are greatly appreciated - they will go a long way in making educational grants and the POP program.

The Board of Directors met for several days before and after the symposium. Some of the more noteworthy issues addressed and decisions made by your board are:

The Nominating Committee presented their final selection of six well-qualified candidates for the AAW Board of Directors election this fall.
The upcoming fall election of new board members will be done only on paper ballots, discontinuing the use of electronic AAW website ballots.
Director Linda VanGehuchten was replaced by Al Hockenbery.
The journal editor’s decision to remove the stylized portion of the AAW logo from the American Woodturner cover for reasons of artistic and layout simplicity was discussed and supported.
A final decision was made to publish six American Woodturner journals a year starting in 2010.
The AAW Board agonized over how to deal with increasing AAW operating costs and the additional cost of producing two more Journals a year. Raising the annual membership fee was considered and debated. In recognition of the current economic environment and the number of members on fixed income, the decision was reached to raise the basic membership fee by only $3. This may not be enough to cover next year's higher expenses, but the board is taking on the challenge of trying to make it work.

We thank you for your continued support and look forward to an ever-growing and prospering woodturning program.

Bill Haskell, President
American Association of Woodturners

About Us | Site Map | Privacy Policy | Contact Us |