March 2008 AAW Board Letter

From Al Hockenbery

Dear AAW Members,

It is my honor to write the March letter from the Board to you, our AAW. The AAW Board members, Executive Directors, and a hundreds Richmond region chapter members have spent months working on Symposium preparations. My letter focuses on the 2008 symposium.

In February we visited the Symposium site. I’d only seen Richmond from I95 and from a Woodturners Anonymous meeting. I was pleasantly surprised by the city up close. The convention center is a great facility!

The 2008 Symposium will be the best ever. Keep checking the web pages in the coming weeks for more information on demonstrations, rotation grids, special interest nights, and opportunities to win a lathe from Choice Woods.

Here are some ways to get more out of the symposium.

Participate in ReTurn to the Community. Support the Children’s Hospital of Richmond, a private, nonprofit hospital that serves children from birth through the age of 21. WANTED: Any toy that kids can play. Suggestions include finger tops, pull string tops, toy cars and trucks, as well as rattles….I urge your club to make a combined club contribution. This lets people who cannot attend the symposium turn a toy. Bring a sign to label your club’s donations.

Volunteer a few hours of your time at the symposium. Each year AAW members volunteer their time to make your symposium a success. This year we need 195 Room Assistants to help the demonstrator and videographers and 100 Assistant Instructors for the Youth classes. In addition volunteers are needed to run the instant gallery, sell AAW merchandise, and run the registration desk. To Volunteer Visit http://hockenbery.net/volform.htm

Plan your July club meeting to feature presentations by your club members, who attend the symposium. Each will bring home techniques, tools, photos, stories, and ideas to share. Enable your whole club to benefit from their experiences.

Participate in the EOG auction. Donate a really nice piece or buy one. If you are like me, you can only drool over a Bonnie Klein and Jacques Vesery collaboration, but there are many marvelous turnings at prices we can afford. The proceeds go to the education fund.

Take advantage of Special Interest Night. These are sessions put on by AAW members for other AAW members who have similar interest. See more on SIN at the end.

Visit our first symposium Resident Artists: Louise Hibbert and Sarah Parker-Eaton. Watch as they create a new work of art during the Symposium.

Bring your work to display in the Instant Gallery! Be part of the largest exhibition of turning on the planet! It’s all about your best work whatever it might be.

I hope to see you or one of your toys in Richmond.

Happy Turning,
Al Hockenbery
AAW Board Member

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