Woodturners mark a milestone in Maine

“Turning Twenty,” an exhibition celebrating the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship’s 20th anniversary, opened Sept. 20 at the Messler Gallery in Rockport, Maine and will run through Jan. 15.

The exhibit celebrates the art of woodturning with contributions from more than 20 noted turners from across the U.S. and Canada. The work explores the theme of celebration, the No. 20 and the personal experience of exhibitors as instructors and students at the center, according to executive director Peter Korn.

“With the recent opening of our new Whittington Turning Studio and the expansion of the curriculum to include a 12-week turning intensive, it seems appropriate to mark our 20th anniversary by showcasing the diverse talent and brilliance of the American woodturning community.”

Exhibitors in “Turning Twenty” include Haley Smith (Ariz.); John Beaver and Michael Cullen (Calif.); Chris Hoehle (Colo.); Binh Pho (Ill.); Stephen Gleasner and Malcome Ray (Maine); Beth Ireland (Mass.); Rob Chamberlin (Mich.); David Belser (N.H.); Harvey Fein and Michael Scarborough (N.Y.); Michael Mocho (N.M.); Mark Gardner (N.C.); Christian Burchard, Marjin Wall and Dale Larson (Ore.); Mark Sfirri (Pa.); Michael Hosaluk (Saskatchewan); Barbara Dill (Va.); Michael Foster (Vt.), and Bill Luce (Wash.).

Mastery Showcase

The Northwest Woodworking Studio in Portland, Ore., presented select furniture pieces from the school’s mentoring students in its annual “Mastery Showcase” exhibition on Oct. 3.

The school, run by Gary Rogowski, offers traditional-based woodworking classes as well as local, distance and resident mentoring programs. The distance program runs for a period of two years, while up to four students are admitted to the nine-month resident program.

Fearless Furniture

“Fearless Furniture,” a juried exhibit of 30 benches, tables, chairs and clocks, opened Oct. 5 at the Indiana State Museum in Indianapolis.

The show features 21 artists with Indiana connections and was juried by Wendy Maruyama, a studio furniture maker and professor in the woodworking and furniture design program at San Diego State University.

“The show illustrates not only the immensely diverse talent associated with our state, but also the artists’ fearless approaches to making a living from something they love doing,” curator David Buchanan said in a statement.

The exhibit runs through May 27, 2014.

CONTACTS

Indiana State Museum, 650 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN 46204. Tel: 317-232-1637. www.indianamuseum.org

Messler Gallery, 25 Mill St., Rockport, ME 04856. Tel: 207-594-5611. www.woodschool.org

Northwest Woodworking Studio, 1002 SE 8th Ave., Portland, OR 97214.Tel: 503-284-1644. www.northwestwoodworking.com

This article originally appeared in the November 2013 issue.