Press Release:
WOOD TURNING IN NORTH AMERICA SINCE 1930
September 12, 2001
Contact: Anne-Marie Wagener, Media Relations, (612) 870-3280 August 14, 2001
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WOOD TURNING IN NORTH AMERICA SINCE 1930
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts
October 21 through December 30, 2001
MINNEAPOLIS-An innovative exhibition highlighting the beauty and diversity
of turned wood opens October 21 at The Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Wood
Turning in North America since 1930 explores how the use of a motorized
lathe to rotate wood as it is shaped with tools has evolved from a technical
process to one more concerned with aesthetics and personal expression. The
exhibition celebrates the growing interest in the field and features more
than 125 wood-turned, shaped, and sculptural objects from public and private
collections around the country. Organized by the Wood Turning Center of
Philadelphia and Yale University Art in New Haven, Wood Turning in North
America Since 1930 is the first North American survey exhibition of the wood
turning field to be mounted in a major art museum.
Christopher Monkhouse, James Ford Bell Curator of Decorative Arts, Sculpture
& Architecture at The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and organizer of the
exhibition in Minneapolis notes: "Unlike previous exhibitions of turned wood
which have focused on the work of an individual turner, or family of
turners, or selected works drawn from a single collection, the Yale show at
the The Minneapolis Institute of Arts provides a broad range of examples
from the past 70 years selected by both scholars and practitioners to
provide a truly comprehensive overview of the medium."
As a reaction to the mass-production of objects created by the Industrial
Revolution, the 1930s saw a revival of the art of wood turning in America.
Following World War II, interest in pure design and the influences of
Scandinavia inspired wood-turning artists such as Bob Stockdale, James
Prestini and Ed Moulthrop. Their successors have been pushing the limits of
the medium ever since. This exhibition includes stunning examples of bowls,
vases, furniture, abstract sculpture, and even delicate tea sets.
Wood Turning in North America focuses primarily on the more experimental and
challenging approach to wood turning that has flourished since the 1960s
through the 1990s. During this time and continuing today, an increasing
number of wood turners, shapers, and carvers have produced artistically
ambitious objects that are both functional and sculptural. Viewers will
witness the immense creativity that took place with this shift from
functional vessel to work of art. The handsome objects in this exhibition
reveal the inherent beauty of wood through the skillful blend of technical
mastery and dynamic design.
Wood Turning in North America Since 1930 can be seen in the museum's Target
Special Exhibitions Gallery. An accompanying publication documents the
variety and beauty of turned wood and will provide the first critical
historical analysis of the craft and art of wood turning in the twentieth
century.
After the Minneapolis venue, the exhibition will travel to the Smithsonian
American Art Museum (March 15-July 14, 2002) and then to the Yale University
Art Gallery (September 10-December 1, 2002). A two-part symposium will be
held at two venues. Symposium I and related programs will be held in
Minneapolis October 25-28, 2001 and Symposium II at Yale University Art
Gallery September 20-21, 2001.
Symposium I Friday, October 26 & Saturday, October 27 The exhibition gives
us a capsule history of seventy years of work. The Symposium brings together
the leading artists, scholars, and collectors in the field. In Symposium I,
artists, curators and museum and gallery directors will each present what
they believe to be significant issues from their unique perspective. They
will explore unresolved issues from the past and discern where the art lathe
field is heading. Symposium I has been organized by the Collectors of Wood
Art, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Wood Turning Center, and Yale
University Art Gallery. Advance registrations will be accepted between July
1 and October 18, 2001. For further information, please call the Visitor and
Member Services at (612) 870-3131.
Collectors of Wood Art Forum 2001 Thursday, October 25 through Sunday,
October 28 The museum welcomes the Collectors of Wood Art, whose Forum 2001
is being held in conjunction with the symposium. Registration includes the
symposium. If you would like to register for both please register through
the Forum.
Family Day - "reTurn to Wood" Sunday, October 28, noon to 5 p.m. Meet wood
artists and listen to them discuss their work. Learn from the artists how to
design turned wood legs and make your own turned wood sculptures. There will
be a wood lathe demonstration as well as stories set in forests throughout
the world. Free.
Organized by The Wood Turning Center and the Yale University Art Gallery.
The exhibition is made possible by grants and support from The Barra
Foundation, Inc. Center for the Study of American Art and Material Culture
at Yale, Chipstone Foundation, Robyn and John Horn, The McNeil Fund for
Graduate Study at Yale, Jane and Arthur Mason, National Endowment for the
Arts, Ruth and David Waterbury, Windgate Charitable Foundation, The Wornick
Family Foundation, Inc. Presentation at The Minneapolis Institute of Arts is
sponsored by Gabberts Furniture & Design Studio, Rockler Woodworking and
Hardware, and the Marbrook Foundation.
Admission is free
The publication accompanying the exhibition features two essays
that provide a historical and critical analysis of the wood turning
movement, as well as a description of the attributes of wood as an artistic
medium. The 192-page book also includes 157 color illustrations with
analytic captions of all 134 works in the exhibition, glossary, index, and
finally, biographies of the 67 artists in the exhibition, an index of
important exhibitions of wood turning, and an extensive bibliography. The
publication is available in both softcover ($35) and hardbound ($65)
editions at the venues or through the Wood Turning Center Museum Store
(215-923-8000; or
) and Yale University Art Gallery
Museum Shop (203-432-7421; art.museumshop@yale.edu).
It is also available in our online store!
Exhibit Information: Download (in Adobe Acrobat format) the
 Brochure from the show, the Poster, and the Events list of talks, music, featured turners and more. |
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