zoom
P e o p le &
P la c e s
S u r f a c e D e s i g n
i n S t . P a u l
Jiyoung Chung
Whisper-Romance: His Tear,
2009
; ink, dyed handmade paper,
paper yam;
34.25
x
24.5
in.
TH E TW IN CITIES IS A GO -TO
g a t h e r in g p la c e f o r f ib e r a n d
f a b r ic fa n s t h is s u m m e r , a s th e
T e x t il e C e n t e r o f M in n e s o t a
in S t . P a u l h o s t s th e
2011
b ie n -
n ia l c o n f e r e n c e o f t h e S u r f a c e
D e s ig n A s s o c ia t io n ( J u n .
9
-
12
).
T h e p a c k e d p r o g r a m o f f e r s
e x h ib it io n s , w o r k s h o p s , le c -
t u r e s b y s p e a k e r s s u c h a s P a t
H ic k m a n , B h a k t i Z i e k , a n d
F a y th e L e v in e , a n d a n e v e r -
p o p u la r r u n w a y f a s h io n s h o w .
“ T h is y e a r ’ s t h e m e , ‘ C o n f lu -
e n c e ,’ c e le b r a t e s n o t o n ly th e
c o n f lu e n c e o f th e M in n e s o t a
a n d M i s s is s ip p i r iv e r s in th e
a re a , b u t t h a t o f id e a s , t e c h n o lo -
g ie s , c u lt u r e s - e v e r y t h in g in
t o d a y ’ s m ix t h a t in f o r m s o u r
a r t w o r k , ” s a y s c o n f e r e n c e
m a n a g e r D o r o t h y M o y e . W h i le
in t o w n , m e m b e r s w i l l s t o p b y
A m e r ic a n C r a f t C o u n c il h e a d -
q u a r t e r s o n S a t u r d a y e v e n in g
f o r a j o in t b ir t h d a y b a s h , t o a s t -
in g S D A ’ s
35
t h y e a r a n d
Ameri-
can Craft
m a g a z in e ’ s
70
th .
T w e n t y - F i v e
T e a r s o f T u r n i n g
TH E AGE-OLD C R A F T OF W OOD-
t u r n in g h a s e n jo y e d a r e n a is -
s a n c e in r e c e n t y e a r s , f lo u r is h in g
b o t h a s a fin e a r t f o r m a n d a
p o p u la r h o b b y . T o s e r v e a c o n -
s t it u e n c y t h is d iv e r s e is a c h a l-
le n g e , b u t o n e t h e A m e r ic a n
A s s o c ia t io n o f W o o d t u r n e r s
- w h ic h n o w e n c o m p a s s e s a b o u t
14,000
m e m b e r s in
72
c o u n t r ie s
s in c e it b e g a n in
1986
- is a c t iv e -
l y e m b r a c in g in it s q u e s t to p r o -
m o t e a n d s u p p o r t th e fie ld .
F r o m J u n e
24
t o
26
, t u r n in g
e n th u s ia s ts w i l l c o n v e r g e o n S t.
P a u l, w h e r e A A W m a in t a in s it s
o f f ic e a n d g a lle r y , f o r th e g r o u p ’ s
25
t h a n n iv e r s a r y s y m p o s iu m .
H ig h lig h t s in c lu d e th e m e m b e r
e x h ib it “ T u r n in g
25
,” a s w e ll
a s th e M in n e a p o lis I n s t it u t e
o f A r t s ’ “ C o n v e r s a t io n s W i t h
W o o d ” ( J u n .
17
- S e p t .
4
) ,
f e a t u r in g th e d is t in g u is h e d
w o o d a r t c o lle c t io n o f T w i n
C it ie s r e s id e n t s D a v id a n d R u t h
W a t e r b u r y . A t t h e R iv e r C e n t r e
c o n v e n t io n h e a d q u a r t e r s , a
lin e u p o f w o r ld - c la s s t u r n e r s
( in c lu d in g T o d d H o y e r , M i k e
H o s a lu k , a n d D a le N is h ) w i l l
s h a r e t h e ir k n o w le d g e , d e m o n -
s t r a t e t e c h n iq u e s , a n d e n c o u r -
a g e a ll t o t a k e a t u r n a t t h e la t h e .
“ W h e n y o u u n d e r s t a n d th e
p r o c e s s , y o u r a p p r e c ia t io n g o e s
u p c o n s id e r a b ly , ” A A W e x e c u -
t iv e d ir e c t o r C in d y B o w d e n
s a y s . “ I t ’ s g r e a t t o s e e p e o p le
le a r n a n e w s k i ll , w a t c h t h e ir
fa c e s lig h t u p .”
A A W h a s a n e w b o o k ,
Wood-
turning Today: A Dramatic Evolu-
tion
to m a r k it s m ile s t o n e . In o n e
e s s a y , c o - f o u n d e r D a v id E l ls -
w o r t h r e f le c ts o n “ th e m o s t p e r -
p le x in g e le m e n t o f a n y g r a s s r o o ts
c r a f t m e d ia o r g a n iz a t io n : H o w
d o y o u c r e a te a n d m a in t a in a b a l-
a n c e o f th e n e e d s o f h o b b y is t ,
s e m i- p r o fe s s io n a l, a n d p r o f e s -
s io n a l m a k e r s , k n o w in g th a t i f
y o u ’ re d o in g y o u r j o b , th o s e
n e e d s w il l g r o w , w il l e v o lv e
li k e c e ll d iv is io n o v e r t im e ? ”
T o s h i k o T a k a e z u
( 1 9 2 2 - 2 0 1 1 )
R e n o w n e d A m e r ic a n c e r a m is t
T o s h ik o T a k a e z u d ie d M a r c h
9
.
R e a d a r e m e m b r a n c e o f h e r lif e
a n d w o r k a t b i t . l y / e L L q G v .
P r i t a m
&
E a m e s a t 3 0
“ w e ’v e h a d a g o o d l o n g r u n
w it h t h is f ie ld o f s t u d io f u r n i-
t u r e , a n d i t ’ s b e e n e x t r e m e ly
s a t is f y in g t o b e b o t h w it n e s s a n d
p a r t ic ip a n t in it s e v o lu t io n . T h e
w o r k s t ill c h a lle n g e s , th e f r ie n d -
s h ip s e n d u r e . S o w e lo o k f o r -
w a r d t o t h is n e w s e a s o n .” T h a t ’ s
B e b e P r it a m J o h n s o n t a lk in g
a b o u t t h is s u m m e r a t P r it a m &
E a m e s , th e f u r n it u r e g a lle r y s h e
a n d h u s b a n d W a r r e n E a m e s
J o h n s o n o p e n e d in E a s t H a m p -
t o n , N e w Y o r k , in
1981
. T h e y ’ re
m a r k in g it s
30
t h a n n iv e r s a r y
w it h “ S p e a k in g o f F u r n it u r e , ”
( t o A u g .
2
) , a s e le c t io n o f w o r k
b y
13
o f
14
m a k e r s t h e y in t e r -
v ie w e d in
1990-91
t o c e le b r a t e
th e g a lle r y ’ s f ir s t d e c a d e -
in c lu d in g W e n d e ll C a s t le , W e n -
d y M a r u y a m a , a n d J u d y K e n s le y
M c K i e . (J a m e s K r e n o v , o n e o f
th e o r ig in a l
14
, d ie d in
2009
.)
T h e J o h n s o n s p la n to p u b lis h
th e in t e r v ie w s as
Speaking of
Furniture: Conversations with the
Neiv American Masters.
“ A f t e r
30
y e a r s , i t ’ s s t ill a m a z in g h o w m a n y
o f th e s e m a k e r s a re c o m m it t e d
t o th e e f f o r t t h a t a n o r ig in a l
p ie c e r e q u ir e s ,” P r it a m J o h n s o n
s a y s . “ I t w a s im p r e s s iv e in th e
b e g in n in g . N o w , it is a w e s o m e .”
A
R a r e G
if t
t o t h e R e n w i c k
IN
2 0 0 8
THE RENW ICK GALLERY,
t h e S m it h s o n ia n A m e r ic a n A r t
M u s e u m ’ s c r a f t s h o w c a s e in
W a s h in g t o n , D . C . , r e c e iv e d
f r o m it s f o u n d in g d ir e c t o r a n
e x t r a o r d in a r y c h a lle n g e g if t -
$
800,000
t o c r e a t e a
$2
m illio n
e n d o w m e n t f o r a n e w c u r a t o r o f
c r a f t . N o w , w it h m a t c h in g f u n d s
r a is e d f r o m p r iv a t e c o n t r ib u t o r s ,
t h a t g o a l h a s b e e n m e t.
“ I a m h e a r t e n e d b y th e o u t -
p o u r in g o f s u p p o r t f r o m o t h e r
c r a f t lo v e r s w h o h e lp e d b r in g
t h is e n d o w m e n t t o f r u i t io n , ”
s a id L lo y d H e r m a n , w h o le d th e
g a lle r y f r o m
1971
t o
1986
, in a
n e w s r e le a s e . “ A s e c o n d c u r a t o r
w i l l a llo w t h e R e n w ic k t o
e x p lo r e n e w d ir e c t io n s in o u r
f ie ld , h ig h lig h t in g th e e n o r m o u s
a r r a y o f t a le n t a n d in g e n u it y o f
A m e r ic a n c r a f t a r t is t s , s c h o la r s ,
a n d c o lle c t o r s . ”
O t h e r m a jo r d o n o r s t o th e
e n d o w m e n t a re F le u r a n d
C h a r le s B r e s le r , th e H o r a c e W .
G o ld s m it h F o u n d a t io n , C o lle e n
K o ll a r - K o t e l ly a n d J o h n K o t e lly ,
a n d J u lie W a lt e r s a n d S a m R o s e .
-JO Y C E LO V ELA C E
Joyce Lovelace is
A m e r ic a n
C r a f t Is-
contributing editor.
Thomas Hucker
Side Cabinet,
2011
walnut
26
x
20
in. dia.
020 american craft jun/jul 11
W hisper
photo: Jiyoung Chung /
S ide Cabinet
photo: Virginia Kamenitzer / Takaezu photo: ACC archives
