Each month, one of the nine current members of the AAW Board of Directors, or the Executive Director, prepares a message for the membership, sharing news, reports from meetings, current events and personal views. See below to read Mary Lacer's May 2010 message from the Board.
Message from Mary Lacer
Spring is in the air and the woodturners are coming out of hibernation! It's wonderful to see all the early flowers blooming and the new spring growth everywhere. This time of year has inspired me to focus my May message on the rising generation of new and "green" turners - our youth!
AAW Youth Educational Programs
I have written previously about successful youth programs that have introduced many young people to woodturning. It has been exhilarating to see the progress made in this area over the last couple of years. This progress is due to more local chapters getting involved with Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H Clubs, Boys and Girls Clubs and other youth organizations around the country. Young people are interested in learning to turn and work with their hands. I have included a link to a couple of articles about youth woodturning programs that may inspire you or your local chapter to start a youth turning program in your area.
The first is an article by Bud and Lynn Escher that expresses their love for mentoring youth and woodturning. The Ballston Spa Woodturning Artists' Guild in New York was started by men and women interested in teaching woodturning to youth. The local 4-H club offered them a place to hold organizational meetings at their training facility grounds. Bud Escher received an EOG grant from AAW to help them get started, set up the shop and buy equipment. Bud and Lynn will continue to update us on the progress of their program. Read all about their program, along with photos, at this link.
I would like to remind you about the ongoing spotlight on youth turning programs on the AAW website. Click here to see information on the young turners program as well as the spotlights listed. These features will be of interest to the members, and will be an excellent way to inform everyone of the great work being done to bring young people into the woodturning fold. It is my hope that sharing the information will inspire people to create their own youth turning and mentoring programs. Please email me information and photos of your youth turning programs, and I will be pleased to share your story.
The second article is titled "Wisdom of the Hands" by Doug Stowe, printed in the Collectors of Wood Art newsletter, describes a different method of teaching than is used in the average school. It is believed that the value of working with your hands will enhance learning in all areas of conventional school curriculums. Projects are planned in cooperation with core classroom teachers to integrate with current studies. Students create projects and proudly say "I made that!" If you would like to learn more about the history of manual training, look up the Educational Sloyd system of handicraft-based education that was started by Uno Cygnaeus in Finland in 1865.
I believe that our hands are essential tools for learning. Participating in hands-on activities allows you quicker and deeper understanding than when simply watching something. As more programs continue to be developed by local chapters, the more youth we will be able to reach. The articles I've mentioned are some examples to help give you guidance and ideas on how to get started. I'm sure these programs will be a success because of the generous involvement and enthusiasm of our members.
Research has shown that many people learn more quickly, learn more effectively, and retain learning longer when we are taught by hands-on methods. Educators have begun to recognize that traditional methods of teaching don't always work. As a result, some classroom teachers work with "Wisdom of the Hands" instructors to design weekly woodworking projects that integrate and support other areas of study, such as geography, economics, history, biology, ecology, literature, and math. Some youth aren't able to learn effectively using a strictly by the 'book' method. They lose interest in school and have a hard time completing their studies. However, if you put a tool in their hands, they come alive, get excited about school, ignite a passion and even pass their enthusiasm along by helping teach other students. For example, you can read about Christian Burchard's work with youth in an article in the winter 2006 issue of American Woodturner. If you don't have your hard copy of that issue, remember that you can access it online on the AAW website when you're logged in as a member. There you have access to all the other articles featuring excellent examples of chapter youth programs.
Teaching Handbook
Don't forget that there is a terrific handbook resource out there for Local Chapters: Teaching Woodturning Basics. This handbook of woodturning instruction is available online at woodturner.org or can be ordered from AAW. It is directed toward teaching woodturning techniques to chapter members as well for use with young turners. This handbook was developed by AAW as a teaching tool, and I highly recommend it to you as a valuable resource that you'll use again and again.
Hands-on Youth Instruction
The Hartford symposium will mark the 6th year of our youth hands-on program for ages 10 - 17. I am proud to say this program has put 150 lathes in the hands of the next generation of woodturners. This program requires experienced, dedicated and motivational leaders and has resulted in very satisfying results. If you haven't registered, check our website for further information or call the AAW office at 651-484-9094 for assistance. Youth attending the symposium can also put pieces in the Instant Gallery and have a chance of winning monetary awards.
Journals for Turners and Learners
I am announcing the latest program in our continuing history of outreach to youth. Our Journals for Turners and Learners program will support educational programming benefiting youth and nonprofit schools. A local chapter with a youth program or a nonprofit school can request a box of American Woodturner journals once a year for use in their educational programs. There is timeless information about woodturning including projects and techniques. Each box will contain approximately 30 journals from our supply of back issues. If a number of older issues are included, the number may be higher because the journals have fewer pages and more copies can be included. The value of the journals is approximately $200 and the only cost to participate in the program will be $15 to cover shipping and handling. These journals can be used for projects or as inspiration. The goal is to create a passion for woodturning among youth.
Vendor Discount Program
Thank you . . . to our vendors for their support of AAW . . .
AAW members have exclusive access to discounts from many suppliers and manufacturers of woodturning related parts, tools, machinery and materials. To check out the discounts for each company, go to the members-only section and click on Discounts from Supportors of AAW to see the list with live links.
- Anderson Ranch Arts Center
- Bow River Specialty Woods
- Exotic Woods USA
- Forgotten Woods LLC
- Grainger Industrial Supply
- Logs To Lumber, LLC
- Marc Adams School of Woodworking
- Mark Supik Woodturning Workshops
- Office Depot
- Rockler Woodworking and Hardware
- Woodchucker's Supplies
- Woodworker's Supply
- Woodworker West
New Membership Benefit!
In response to requests from our members, the AAW now has a toll-free number: 877-595-9094 as an additional way to contact us. This new toll-free number will be appreciated by members on fixed incomes as well as those who reside in outlying areas for contacting the national office. Our helpful staff is always pleased to answer your questions about membership, identifying where the closest local chapter or other questions you may have about AAW.
Hartford Symposium - June 18-20, Connecticut Convention Center
Attendance is continuing to grow for the Hartford symposium. The demonstrators are all lined up and the exhibitions will be outstanding! Just wait until you see this year's special exhibits room! We'll have three shows: Maple Medley, an Acer Showcase, is this year's juried and invitational exhibit. The variety is astonishing. The Teapot is the POP invitational exhibit this year, and has been generating a lot of excitement already: Thanks to our resident gallery coordinator and photographer, Tib Shaw, and webmaster Ed Davidson, you may preview them on the web. Thanks, Tib and Ed - an excellent job as always! POP is also presenting A Gathering of Spoons - Selections from the Collection of Norman D. Stevens - inspired work by spooncarvers from around the world. There will be catalogs for sale for all three exhibits, as well as a limited-edition poster featuring photos of the teapots.
I look forward to seeing you in Hartford!
Mary
Mary Lacer, AAW Executive Director
American Association of Woodturners