Forty year Flashback by Albert LeCoff
as recounted to Tina LeCoff
2016 is such a personal and professional milestone. Through this year,
the Center celebrates its 30th anniversary as a nonprofit, and I celebrate
40 years focusing on promoting wood art. It feels like my veins now flow
with sweet sawdust and shavings.
The story of the nine George School symposia, dating from March 1976
to 1980, has been told and recorded in detail. Organized in partnership
with
my twin brother Alan and teacher/turner Palmer Sharpless and called Woodturning Symposium: Philosophy and Practice, these ten symposia
brought many together in an era when people communicated by land line
and road trips. I drove around to meet potential teachers; Alan took care
of all the registrations and business, and Palmer secured wood and
prepared the shop for the weekend.
In 2015, as Philadelphia and other major US communities blossom with workshops and cooperatives in the last several years, artists are busy
working with their computers and their hands again. This is exciting and different and radiates the colors of the future.
The studios and workshops of today recall the independent artistic spirit
and determination of the 1970's and 1980's. Basic principles shaped Philosophy and Practice:
Instructors were selected for their diverse philosophies, procedures
and results. Now this list is a who's who as many became known for
their artistic work.
The 50 participants each weekend were split into groups of 12 and
were required to rotate to all five instructors during the weekend. Not negotiable. That way, they were nudged to see, hear and experience
many ways to think, design and work.
An Instant gallery of work was set up at each symposium. At first,
it was easy to tell the work of the instructors from the participants. Over time, the quality of the work merged as the lessons had their effect.
Sharing was encouraged: Turn and Tell Sessions were held at the end
of each weekend. This gave the participants opportunities to share their techniques, gigs and designs.
By the end of Philosophy and Practice, instructors came back as participants and participants became instructors.
My passion for documentation started here: by the end of the
symposium tremendous artistic growth had occurred and I wanted the public to see it. For the tenth symposium, held at Bucks County
Community College to accommodate the crowd, I organized an
exhibition called
the Turned
Object Show
, which toured to
7
venues. I
also published an exhibition catalog called A Gallery of Turned Objects (Brigham Young University, 1981).
BONUS:
Click here
for rare photos from the George School symposia.
Click here for the review of the last symposium and
click here for a review of the Turned Objects Exhibition, both from
Fine Woodworking magazine, January/February 1982, No. 32.