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how do we take wood turning i to the future

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Turners cabin:
please discuss

woody:
By all of us who turn teaching our children and grandchildren and doing local demos for the next generation

thebowlerhattedturner:
I think wood turning is being taken into the future very well by the AWGB. With the youth training program and the wood turning qualification courses that are being trialed, the opportunity for turners to have bespoke training from experienced professionals and the chance to attend seminars and compete in national competitions. There are more clubs now than there has ever been and brown and round is a thing of the past(well nearly).
       With a membership increasing all the time guided by an active and committed core of forward thinking turners who encourage the participation of their fellow members and welcome constructive comments from others regarding their work and who never fail to explain thinking behind design ideas the diversity and quantity(and quality) of turners will increase, and that is the life blood of our craft.            
            Yes we could do with younger blood coming into the craft and re-shaping the attitude of the British public towards hand made items and we could do with more funding and training and different ways of thinking,but the biggest impact can be made by the existing turners,just by taking part and don't forget The Worshipful Company of Turners who are hosting Wizardry in Wood which gives "rank and file" turners the opportunity to take part alongside the professionals. There is a lot going on in turning that sometimes perhaps does not get the mention it deserves but it is going on none the less.
         I don't think we are doing too bad at the moment but there is always room for improvement.
Regards
John BHT

Bryan Milham:
How do we take woodturning into the future?

My first problem is understanding the meaning of the question.

Are you asking us to consider how we get the next generation interested in woodturning and perpetuate the art,

or,

Are you asking us how we think the art of woodturning can be expanded into the public psyche to make it a recognised art form in its own right.

These two ways at looking at the question  may also be considered opposite sides of the same coin. The more Woodturners there are, the more ‘other people’ that will become familiar with non-function turned work and the more it will become accepted.

So what am I trying to say.

To start with, as Woody says, teach our children and grandchildren. No they won’t all get bitten by the bug immediately, but in years to come some of them will remember and come to it naturally. Schools should also have their part to play but nowadays many of them only teach the design and process of handcrafts, actually doing it – far too dangerous, sharp tools, rotating objects, they are risk too averse.

The days when clubs take in the local Scout or Guide groups, Youth training days and all those events are becoming terribly important. But too few and too brief to do more than show a possibility to the attendees. Dad’s or Granddads workshop with its repetition of work, interesting corners, strange tools and smells. Look back at how ‘you’ came to it, what lead or prompted you to ‘have a go’ and get bitten by the bug. 

The problem is, unlike when many of us were younger, nowadays there are very many more distractions and pursuits for people to use to while away their free time – computers and the next generation of ‘pads’ being some of the worst.

As for the second possible question meaning, I think (can’t prove) that our three biggest challenges are;

 a. Stopping people thinking of woodturning as a ‘Trade’, producing chair legs, salad bowls and wooden spoons etc..
 b. The population of the UK are not naturally drawn to owning Art, we’re barely out of the 3 ducks on the wall or poster (without frame) stage.
c. It’s only a bit of wood, it can’t be worth much – or similar!

John, you mentioned the Worshipful Company of Turners, somewhere in the last couple of weeks I’ve read about the wonderful pieces of turned work they’ve been keeping hidden away and are now putting on show (albeit briefly). It’s these things from our past that should be visible all the time to show it’s not all Salad bowls and spoons.

Turned work is available in the UK but I’ve never seen it outside of Craft Galleries, where it is considered a ‘Craft’ item despite the level of work some items require. We need to get Art Galleries to stand our work alongside paintings (splodge on canvas!) and sculpture (piles of bricks and unmade beds!) as something for the general public to own. This leap has been made in America and I think to some extent Australia (I can’t speak for other countries).

So there is my initial thoughts – your turn, support me or argue against, but please, don’t read and pass on. All thoughts on this question  have much value and worth.

bodrighywood:
I agree with most of what has been said so far but think that we woodturners have to share the blame in some ways in this country for the general idea of woodturning being a craft only and not an art form. I do craft fairs (much ignored by many turners) and am dismayed by the artistic element or lack of it available. Pens, bowls bottle stoppers and that's about it generally. I try and have more artistic pieces as well as a wide variety of different things available and am usually greeted with comments such as 'ooh that is different' or 'did you make all these things.' We need to expose Joe public to the wide variety of things that can be made by turning, let them see that even mundane objects can be things of beauty. There are so many ways of letting people see that wood is a beautiful medium and not just a practical one. A classic example is in treen. I make rolling pins from anything that is food safe apart from beech and sycamore for example allowing the grain and figuring to be seen. It isn't other turners we need to convince and educate it is the public many of whom are actually unaware that people really do still make things on a lathe let alone artistic pieces. Galleries are all well and good but have a limited audience as do 'arty' shops etc. Farmers markets, village fairs etc etc etc are how we show people how fantastic our art is. Also make sure we price things properly. I get sick of seeing people selling things for the cost of the wood alone, not allowance for the time, skill and thought that has gone into it. Selling cheap undermines the value of the art and tells people it is nothing special.
Right...off my hobby hoss and into the workshop LOL

Pete

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