Connections: International Turning Exchange 1995 – 2005

Connections: International Turning Exchange 1995 – 2005 is a celebration of the tenth anniversary of the International Turning Exchange (ITE) residency program. The exhibit and catalogue document the transformation of established artists, furniture makers, writers and photographers before, during, and after their residency. The result is an exhibition that brings together a decade of artists’ work as well as showing the impact the program has had on the international community of wood turning and wood art. In a broad sense, these adventurous artists have helped this art form develop international recognition, changing the perception of the field as one of utilitarian objects to sculptural expression.

Established in 1995, the Wood Turning Center’s ITE program is an eight week, internationally competitive, residency dedicated to emerging and established artists and scholars. Every summer, a new group of residents spends eight weeks working and living together in Philadelphia. Usually, four lathe turners, one furniture maker, one scholar and one photojournalist representing several different countries are selected. The artists exemplify cutting edge creativity and craftsmanship linked to lathe art sharing collaborative experiences as well as technical processes.

An exhibit catalogue covering the full ten years of the ITE program is available. At 300 pages and printed in full color, this book provides a comprehensive look at some of the most influential wood and lathe artists in the world and the journey they have shared together through the ITE program. Representative works by each of the over 60 participating artists and scholars and many of the collaborative works they created together while in the program are complemented with statements by the artists, profiles of the artists by Glenn Adamson, and informative essays on the ITE program by an international team of scholars.

Exhibition, Publication, & World Turning Conference, Philadelphia, PA, USA

In 2005, the Wood Turning Center celebrates 10 years of a highly successful, international Artist residency program, focused on wood and other lathe-turned art, furniture, scholarship, and documentation of this art. Established in 1995 as the International Turning Exchange (ITE) by the Center, it has become a highly competitive development experience for professional lathe turners, furniture makers, scholars and photojournalist from around the world. Every summer, a new group of International Turning Exchange resident fellows spends eight weeks working and living together in Philadelphia. Usually, four lathe turners, one furniture maker, one scholar and one photojournalist representing several different countries are selected. To celebrate the end of each summer session, the Center sponsors an amazing exhibition of "before" and "ITE" work by each artist. The associated one-day conference, allTURNatives: Form & Spirit, invites the public to hear directly from the artists and participants about the depth and breath of their experience. The ITE exhibition tours to museums and art centers around the USA.

The 2005 ITE: Ten Year Retrospective exhibition, publication, & World Turning Conference will showcase and document the impacts of this program on artists, furniture makers, photojournalists, and scholars over its first decade. By 2005, over 50 artists from 10 countries and 17 U.S. states will have participated. The participants challenge themselves and each other to study, explore new work, and diffuse this freshness in their approaches when they return to their native countries.

Artists report that the ITE experience radically transforms their outlook and their work. The curated Exhibition will showcase "before", "during" and "after" ITE work by the resident fellows. The accompanying World Turning Conference will reconvene the past ITE resident fellows, along with international scholars, curators, collectors and the public to recount how the ITE and other similar experiences stimulate artists, their work, and that of others. The exhibit will first tour the United States, and then travel to the artists' native countries. This might include Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

International venues can participate by helping with the following:

1. Find venues in your country to host the ITE Retrospective Exhibition

2. Identify funding for shipping art work to and from Philadelphia to the host country and to the next country

3. Identify funding to help artists from your country attend the 2005 ITE Retrospective in Philadelphia