The 2006 ITE Program:
The participants began their residency in Philadelphia on June 9, 2006. They lived, travelled, and worked independently and collaboratively throughout June and July. Typical activities included visits to museums, nature areas, historic sites, and other public and private collections of art. Hosted by the University of the Arts (UArts), studio time focused on discussions, studio work, experiments, and collaborations. Exploration is encouraged and built into the program. Discussion, stimulation, insights, and artistic and personal growth are the only expectations.
On Saturday, July 15th the ITE Resident Fellows shared their skills and talked about their work at the annual Open Community Day. This all day event took place at the University of the Arts in the Wood Working Department in Anderson Hall, 333 South Broad Street. The artists demonstrated the methods they use and shared insights about their creative process and the final results.
The grand finale to the ITE was the annual exhibit, allTURNatives: Form + Spirit, which reflects the residency experience including the objects produced before and during the residency, photos or films depicting the ITE experience and artist statements that personalize the influences and impacts of their experience. The ITE exhibition will be on view at the Wood Turning Center in Philadelphia from August 4 through October 21, 2006. The opening reception will take place on First Friday, August 4, 2006, followed by an allTURNatives conference Saturday afternoon where the artists will discuss their work and the residency experience.
Applications for the 2008 and 2009 ITE program are due on October 1, 2006. For further information on the ITE program and the application process, visit www.woodturningcenter.org.
The International Turning Exchange is supported in part by generous funds from the Arcadia Foundation, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the Philadelphia Cultural Fund, The William Penn Foundation, the Windgate Charitable Foundation, Anonymous Friends and Foundations, and the Friends of the Wood Turning Center. Corporate Sponsors include Caviar Assouline, Oneway Manufacturing, Penn State Industries and Stubby Lathe USA, Inc.
Information about the 2006 ITE Resident Fellows:
Marilyn Campbell, Canada (artist) became interested in woodworking after a boat-building venture with her husband. Unschooled in the “wood arts”, Marilyn was drawn to the lathe because it offered many creative possibilities within the safe confines of one machine with certain limits. Although nature has been a constant inspiration, she has recently become interested in using strong design principles to bring an elegant, cultured look to her vessels. Flowing lines, contrast, and geometric elements are combined to create simple classical compositions. Marilyn sees the residency program as an opportunity to expand and refine the direction of her art.
Dennis Carr, US (scholar) is a doctoral candidate in the History of Art at Yale University and a Henry S. McNeil fellow in American Decorative Arts and Material Culture. Carr’s dissertation focuses on the furniture makers of early Rhode Island 1636-1740. The ITE residency will allow him to study in more depth the techniques of traditional wood turning in the eighteenth century, and to discuss with contemporary craftsmen their methods. He will also learn how to turn and looks forward to learning how to turn some of the basic, regular shapes that are common to classically inspired eighteenth-century American furniture. He also will witness the more complex techniques that are practiced by artists today.
Liam Flynn, Ireland (artist) comes from a family steeped in the woodworking tradition. Turning gradually overtook all his other woodworking activities and he has been turning fulltime since 1988. From the start Flynn developed an interest in vessel making, working with green wood, then blackening or ebonizing the wood. For him, the form always takes precedence over the grain pattern. Flynn is interested in using the opportunity that the ITE affords to move his work from using elements of the vessel to exploring new avenues, hopefully taking his work in new and exciting directions. Flynn believes the interactions with the other artists, the scholar and photojournalist will be of great benefit to him.
Hilary Pfeifer, US (artist) is a mixed-media sculptor with a diverse background in the art and craft fields, including metal smithing, ceramics, furniture making and woodworking, drawing, and book and fiber arts. Pfeifer constantly brings new materials and skills into her repertoire. By integrating traditional methods with modern materials, she seeks to bring attention to the importance of the craft in art. The ITE residency offers the chance to exchange ideas with creative people working in other materials.
Vincent Romaniello, US (photojournalist) has expressed himself through a variety of media from painting to music and design. From Philadelphia, Romaniello moved to California to attend art school where he studied fine art, design, printmaking and a variety of art-related subjects. While living in New York for 5 years, Vincent concentrated his studies on painting. Once again in the Philadelphia area, he continues to exhibit his artwork and has become more involved in video which combines many of his loves: image making, story telling and music. To date, Vincent has documented over 15 artists from the Philadelphia area working in their studios. For Romaniello, the ITE is an exceptional opportunity to document the work of the resident artists over an extended period which will give him time to understand each artist and their work in greater depth.
Neil Scobie, Australia (artist) began his woodwork career as an Industrial Arts Teacher, teaching for 20 years with woodworking as a sideline. After retiring 10 years ago, he is now committed full-time to woodworking. Scobie’s focus has shifted over the years and now is focused mainly on custom made furniture. Living in rural Australia, he feels it is easy to become isolated and bogged down. For him the ITE offers an opportunity to create links with other artists to critique and evaluate each others’ work. Through these collaborations, he seeks to develop new design concepts since the constant flow of furniture and turning orders leaves him little time to experiment.
Jo Stone, US (furniture maker) comes to the ITE program with a Masters of Fine Art in Furniture Design. Stone’s work is inspired largely by natural forms. For her, function goes beyond the utilitarian; it is important that a sculpture or piece of furniture function within given perimeters of logic if it is to have meaning. Contemporary wood turning is of great interest to Stone because she has limited hands-on experience on the lathe. This residency could change that, providing a pivotal influence both conceptually and technically. The interaction with artists knowledgeable of turning techniques who also create sculptural and functional works in wood provides a great growth opportunity for her work.
2006 INTERNATIONAL TURNING EXCHANGE (ITE)
PROGRAM & EXHIBITION
Major Financial Support
Anonymous
Caviar Assouline
The Furniture Society
Friends of the Wood Turning Center
Penn State Industries
William Penn Foundation
Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
Philadelphia Cultural Fund
Windgate Charitable Foundation
Additional Financial Support
Larry Gabriel
Tim and Sheryl Kochman
Greg and Regina Rhoa
Guild of New Hampshire Woodworkers
Bucks Woodturners
DelVal Woodturners
Individual Support
Charles and Fleur Bresler
John Carlano
Karen Depew
David and Wendy Ellsworth
Susan Hagen
Charles Hummel
Gus Jardin
Bruce and Marina Kaiser
Stephen Keeble
Mira Nakashima
Joe Seltzer
Robin Rice
Keystone Woodturners
Lehigh Woodturners
University of the Arts Craft Department: Jane Swanson of the Wood Program
Donation of Tools and Materials
Brad Mitchell from Floorings.com
CET
Stubby Lathe USA, Inc
Jack Larimore
Shop Facilitator
Jane Swanson
Wood Turning Center Staff
David Bender
Suzanne Kopko
Tina LeCoff
Karen Vos
