Untitled - MetosExpo - Free

The Inte rnationalT urned Objects ShowNew signs of the turning tideby Michael PodmaniczkyWhen Fine Woodworking reviewed the first TurnedObjects Exhibition seven years ago, former editor JohnKelsey said that one of dle exhibitors, Robert Leung, "is atthe beginning of a journey, and it will be fascinating to see where hegoes." Now that we are well into that journey, not only one individual'swork, but the entire craft of woodrurning has exploded intosomething that could only have been a dream at dlat first exhibition.There is no better evidence of dle ascension of woodturning inthe last decade than dle 1988 International Turned Objects Show(ITOS) at the Port of History Museum in Philadelphia, Penn. Theexhibition is organized by Albert LeCoff and the Wood TurningCenter, of which he is chairman. The ITOS is a rich smorgasbordof turned innovations and an important update of what has beengoing on in the world of turning. The show, which opened concurrentlywilli the American Association of Woodturners Conferencein Philadelphia (see p. 116), is scheduled to tour the UnitedStates and several countries through 1992.The ITOS features the work of 39 turners from around theworld who were invited by LeCoff, with selection assistance fromAmerican turners David Ellsworth and Rude Osolnik. These wellknownturners (many of whom appeared in the first show) arejoined by another 68 exhibitors who had their work juried byOsolnik, Jonathan Fairbanks, the curator from the Museum of FineArts in Boston, Mass., and Lloyd Herman, the founding director ofthe Renwick Gallery in Washington D.C.Containing more than 300 pieces, the ITOS exhibit displays aneclectic variery of what the lathe has to offer, bodl as a primaryfabrication tool and as an incidental technique for turning objectsmade from wood, alabaster, ivory, plastiC, metal and other materials.There is a staggering array of different kinds of turned pieces inevidence: vessels of all sorts, tables, stools, pens, boxes, instruments,jewelry, games and objects d'art.Bowl turning remains the touchstone of the turner's craft in thisshow, and as far as materials go, burls still seem to command theinterest of most turners. Turner Robyn Horn of Little Rock, Ark.,emphasize material over form with her "Redwood Geode,"above, by contrasting a rich and lusciously finished interior vesselwith surfaces that become coarser in texture and blander in coloras the eye moves from the core to the outside.Box turning has always allowed a lot of design and craftsmanshipto be packed into a pint-size object, and dlere are few disappointmentshere. A collection of exquisite boxes by M. Dale Chase, adecorative turner from Chico, Calif., are shown above. These boxesare turned from exotic woods and ivory, and their decorative elementsare machined on an antique Holtzapffel ladle. Chase's workreminds me of the simply turned, carved and lacquered boxes ofthe late Japanese master wood craftsman Tatsuaki Kuroda; hiswork was highly decorative, yet not overdone.The turned furniture in the show includes Bob Ingram's diningtable, above on the facing page, which is made of bird's-eye maple,bubinga and wenge. Ingram, a Philadelphia, Penn., furnituremakerwho only does occasional turning, joined the wishbone-shaperurned-and-cut-apart brackets to the tapered legs with a jig he designed10 years ago while building a Shaker-sryle table.84 Fine Woodworking