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PATHWAYS*
Contemporary Juried Woodturning Exhibition
Exhibition Curated by Gene Kangas
*Exhibition hosted by Cleveland State University Art Gallery, Cleveland, OH USA
Introduction by Steve Loar
Much like the grass–roots effort of Fall 1997 that produced OUT OF FOCUS, turners' first Internet salon de refuse, PATHWAYS was an independent venture. It received support from a variety of private and public sources, and suggests the potential of what can be accomplished by a few dedicated individuals with vision and enthusiasm. For the first time, practitioners were offered an exhibition opportunity with distinct categories which acknowledged the variety of attitudes and avenues within the field. Sculpture was recognized as having distinct and separate intentions from other work which addressed utility, scale, material, or the major vessel types. The Peaseware component of the exhibition presented a portion of the field's past in the belief that history helps to nurture contemporary investigations; an attitude that was integral to the American Association of Woodturner's 1997 TURNED FOR USE exhibition, and is very much a part of the Wood Turning Center's mission. This catalog continueed the interest in documentation via the affordable black/white format which was established by the two previous AAW exhibitions while it raised the standards for size and presentation quality and adds a distinctive color component.
The jurying process for both TFU and PATHWAYS, were as bias–free as I can imagine possible. The integrity and the varied experiences of the jurors were brought to bear in the selection of the best work — not what they "liked," but a body of work which spoke to the jurors' common understanding of terms, concepts, processes, and issues which form the foundation for all that is good, effective, and intriguing in art and craft. The show, like the group of jurors, was an exciting, high-quality mix. The work ultimately required four viewings, with a large number requiring repeated discussions to arrive at a compromise concensus for each piece's acceptance or rejection.
For the second year in a row, there appeared to be very little turned work that was innovative or inventive in the areas of "use" — utilitarian housewares, furniture, and architectural elements to name a few; or very little interest in exhibiting that work if it did exist. Investigating the union of utility and sculpture or enhancing items of "use" to please the senses, attributes common to works produced by most pre–industrial cultures, seemed rich with potential — but apparently with few contemporry advocates.
Even though the most intense investigations continue to take place in the crowded and competitive spectrum of platters, bowls, vessels, and containers, there are many pathways available to turning. PATHWAYS offers a look at where we are now on a few of those paths, with the promise of an exciting future of exploration.
JURORS: Henry Hawley, Gene Kangas, Steve Loar, Betty Scarpino, and Alan Stirt.
SELECTED ARTISTS: Frank Amigo, John D. Anderson, Donald Bash, Brenda Behrens, Mark Allen Blaustein, Trent Bosch, Michael J. Brolly, Phil F. Brown, Marilyn Campbell, Kip Christensen, Jim Christiansen, Donald Derry, Judy Ditmer, David Ellsworth, Melvyn Firmager, Douglas Finkel, David Fry, Satoshi, Fujinuma, Dewey Garrett, Laurence K. Groves, Peter Hromek, Richard Hooper, Robyn Horn, Lyle Jamieson, Gary Johnson, Ray Jones, John Jordan, Gene Kangas,* Max Krimmel, Glenn W. Krueg, Michael Lee, Steve Loar,* Peter Lowe, Bert Marsh, Hugh McKay, Judd Mosser, Bihn Pho, Randy Reid, Gary Sanders, Betty Scarpino,* Leonard Scherock, Alfred Sils, Alan Stirt,* Yosh Sugiyama, Jacques (Jack) Vesery, and Trent Watts.
*Invitational
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