AAW Symposium - Part 2

The summer sure got away from me so I'm just now getting around to adding to my symposium coverage. It was really a fun meeting, especially after three years since our last in-person symposium. The event always starts on Thursday and ends on Sunday. This year, for the first time, we had a first-time attendee reception. I was on the planning committee for this and was in charge of the icebreaker. As a prize to the table that had the most points from a game about woodturning experiences, I gave away eight of my glass spin tops. I made these in the hot shop from molten glass. They seemed to go over well, as did the many others I gave to friends.

First-time attendees, playing with my glass spin tops

Examples of my glass spin tops, right out of the annealer.

Making a wooden spin top on a lathe is pretty easy, but it's not particularly easy to make one out of molten glass. I made a bunch of these as skill-building exercises for tool and glass control. Just last week I taught myself how to make spin tops flameworking the glass - wow! That is SOOOOOO much easier!

I had a piece in the Bridging the Gap exhibit, AAW's annual juried exhibition, which starts at the symposium and then travels to The Gallery of Wood Art in St. Paul, MN. My artwork, Ambrosia, received The People's Choice Award. People viewing the exhibit can vote for one piece for this award. It was nice to receive this confirmation about my artwork. It's certainly one of my favorites.

Ambrosia - People’s Choice Award

I'm also on the AAW Women in Turning (WIT) Committee. We had a session on Thursday evening about mentoring. For the first time in AAW history, we did a hybrid format for this session. Our panel moderator was remote while our three panelists were at the symposium. We also had a number of guests attending remotely. The WIT Committee is often leading the way in terms of trying out new ideas (e.g., our WIT in-person and virtual exchanges, WIT Presents, liaison program, etc.). Our committee started in 2015. It has been an honor to be part of this innovative program.

Women in Turning hybrid panel session.

As I previously mentioned, it's always great to see old friends at the symposium. David Ellsworth is AAW member #1, and he, along with John Jordan, have been to every AAW symposium. David is really good about mentoring new turners who are becoming "known", and it's always a pleasure to see him at a symposium.

AAW Symposium 2022 - Part 1

It has been three years since the American Association of Woodturners got together in person for a symposium. This year it was held in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The attendance was around 1000 - a bit smaller than usual, but still vibrant and abuzz with reunions among friends. There were a lot of fun interactions all through the weekend.

I was the event photographer again this year. I’ve been doing this for the past decade or so. I always enjoy meeting new people, interacting with them as I make photos, and the challenge of finding dramatic lighting and compositions.

The highlight of the symposium for me in terms of making photos was the Battle of the Bowls, which was held after the Saturday night banquet. Stuart Batty and Mike Mahoney have been doing this for years, and I’ve seen several renditions. The set-up and lighting for this particular edition was spectacular for photography. I selected some of my favorites to put into a video set to music. Please enjoy, and feel free to leave a comment either here or on my YouTube video.

American Woodturner – April 2022 issue

The April 2022 issue of American Woodturner features my Acer Embrace on the cover. J. Paul Fennell wrote a lovely 8-page feature article about me called "Connections – the inspired art of Andi Wolfe."

I'm thrilled to be featured in this journal. I hope you can check it out.

Earth, Water, Air, and Fire - auction is live!

The American Association of Woodturners POP (Professional Outreach Program) auction is online right now. It will be live as of 7:30 pm EDT tonight, July 17, 2021. Here's the link to this piece:

https://auction.woodturner.org/Andi-Wolfe-Earth-Water-Air-Fire-2020_i41819671

The AAW Benefit Auction

Ceremony. With Clay Foster. 9.5 X 3.5 X 3.5 inches. Bronze bowl atop a plinth.

The American Association of Woodturners 2021 Benefit Auction is now posted online. The online bidding begins July 2, 2021. The live auction is Friday, July 16, 2021 beginning at 6:30 pm eastern time.

The link to this piece in the auction is: https://auction.woodturner.org/Andi-Wolfe-and-Clay-Foster-Ceremony-2021_i41808475

Just an update as of July 16, 2021: This piece sold for $2,300.00, and the proceeds go to an excellent cause.

My first collaboration with Clay Foster

I have been an admirerer of Clay Foster's sculptural work for a couple of decades. Over the years we have become friends and correspondents but we had never collaborated on a piece. The opportunity arose this year, and I'm very happy to present our piece, Ceremony, which combines my cast bronze bowl and Clay's architectural stand that is inspired from African cultures.

I learned how to make a two-part rubber and plaster mold for glass casting, which is also useful for bronze casting. I used a bowl I had previously turned from maple for the mold. Part of the two-part mold includes a reservoir that can hold the glass pieces for melting in the kiln. When I cast the first of the wax replicas of my bowl, the reservoir made it appear to be sitting on a stand, which, in turn, reminded me of Clay’s wonderful ceremonial bowl series.

After the bronze casting was released from the mold and separated from the reservoir, I asked Clay if he would be interested in doing a collaboration. Luckily for me, he said “yes.” I worked on achieving a patina on the bowl and then sent it off to Clay.

His stand is beautiful, I think. I hope you agree. The piece is 9.5 X 3.5 X 3.5 inches (24.1 X 8.9 X 8.9 cm), made from cast bronze, wood, brass brads, and grout. The bowl is solid, which means it’s heavy (3 lbs!).

This will be in a live auction on Friday, July 16th during the American Association of Woodturners (AAW) virtual symposium 2021. I’ll post a link when it’s available for bids. In the meantime, here are our artist statements and background information:

Clay's Statement:
Ceremony is born deep in the belly of ancient stories, and lives on in the emblems of ritual, becoming sacred by generations of use.

Andi's Statement:
Working with bronze has an element of ceremony in that the coordination of the team during the pour feels ritualistic. The steps are always the same: melt the wax out of the mold, put the mold in the sand pit, remove the crucible and carry it to the pit, pour the molten metal, wait for it to cool. It's highly choreographed with each participant's role clearly defined - very akin to ceremonial activities.

Andi: I recently learned mold making for glass casting at The Ohio State University, and used one of my wood-turned bowls for the exercise. While in the process of glass casting I was given the additional opportunity to learn bronze casting. The wax castings from the 2-part mold I made reminded me of Clay's Ceremonial bowls. When I removed my bronze cast bowl from its casing I knew I wanted to collaborate with Clay to bring the piece to life. We both love old bronze artifacts and African art, and have bronze pieces from Africa in our personal collections. We wanted to emulate the patina found on these artifacts, with areas that are worn and shiny from much handling.

Clay: This is the first collaboration piece by Andi Wolfe and Clay Foster. It is also the first piece Clay has made in over two years because of health reasons, and future production will be limited.

Donate Life organ donation registration (https://www.donatelife.net)

Clay received an AAW Honorary Lifetime Member Award in 2017. You can read the article about it and find out more about his incredible work here: https://www.woodturner.org/common/Uploaded%20files/POPMeritAward/2014Foster.pdf

AAW Symposium 2020 has been cancelled due to COVID-19

I received the following email today from Phil McDonald. I know this was a difficult decision for the AAW board to make, but it was the right thing to do to ensure the safety of the AAW members who would have tried to attend the symposium in Louisville, Kentucky.

The cancellation is unfortunate on many fronts: 1) for the revenue loss that AAW will face, 2) the revenue loss by venders and artists, 3) the economic impact the loss of a large convention will have on Louisville, 4) the loss of opportunity faced by the demonstrators, and 5) the loss of community for attendees. This symposium is a highlight of the year for many woodturners from around the globe. I know I will miss seeing everyone. We live in difficult times right now, and I hope everyone is staying safe, social distancing, and practicing good hygiene.

Here's the letter from AAW:

Hello Andi:

Speaking on behalf of the Board and staff, we are humbled by the outpouring of support we have seen since announcing the cancellation of the AAW Symposium. I thank you for the patience and empathy you offered while the AAW went through the process of making this difficult decision.

While the financial outcome of the symposium cancellation remains uncertain, we are confident that any negative effects to the AAW organization will be manageable. The AAW Board provided strong leadership under difficult circumstances, working with experts who helped to guide us through the process. We are heartened by your offers of financial support. AAW is gracious for all charitable donations and please keep us in your plans during our fall 2020 fundraising campaign.

At present, there are many others who will be impacted more severely than AAW by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the AAW Symposium cancellation. Now is a time for all of us to focus our emotional support where it will be needed most, on friends, neighbors, and families who may fall victim to the virus.

The AAW Symposium cancellation, together with proper social distancing, is impacting the livelihoods of our vendors, demonstrators, and artists, and has disrupted our local chapter functions. Think about spending part of your symposium fee, airfare, and hotel to support our vendors, demonstrators, and artists, or organizations working to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Your online purchases could tip the scales for small businesses, keeping them afloat in these very challenging times.

Here’s how you can help: Make online purchases from businesses who would have been exhibitors in the 2020 AAW trade show (see attached list). Make online purchases from woodturning artists. Gift an AAW membership to a friend or colleague to keep them connected as part of the woodturning community. Purchase gift certificates to support the businesses you care about. Encourage your chapters to look into scheduling demonstrators who are available to deliver interactive remote demonstrations. Donate any unused N95 masks and respirators, and eye protection to local hospitals, medical facilities, or organizations. Donate blood locally. Thank grocery store clerks, nurses and doctors, police officers and fire fighters, sanitation workers, delivery people, and the list goes on. Check in with elderly friends, neighbors, and chapter members by regularly calling, video chatting, or sending a text. Support your local food bank.

In the coming weeks, we will be staying in regular communication about alternative ways of offering woodturning content and engagement online to keep the AAW Symposium spirit going strong. Let us know your creative ideas by sending a note to memberservices@woodturner.org.

We’re facing these uncertain times together and are rallying to help the woodturning community stay safe, informed, active, and connected. Please continue to make and create, which will help you keep active and strong.

Yours respectfully,

Phil McDonald, Executive Director on behalf of the AAW Board and staff

American Association of Woodturners 222 Landmark Center 75 5th St W, Saint Paul, MN 55102 651-484-9094 | memberservices@woodturner.org