The summer sure got away from me so I'm just now getting around to adding to my symposium coverage. It was really a fun meeting, especially after three years since our last in-person symposium. The event always starts on Thursday and ends on Sunday. This year, for the first time, we had a first-time attendee reception. I was on the planning committee for this and was in charge of the icebreaker. As a prize to the table that had the most points from a game about woodturning experiences, I gave away eight of my glass spin tops. I made these in the hot shop from molten glass. They seemed to go over well, as did the many others I gave to friends.
First-time attendees, playing with my glass spin tops
Examples of my glass spin tops, right out of the annealer.
Making a wooden spin top on a lathe is pretty easy, but it's not particularly easy to make one out of molten glass. I made a bunch of these as skill-building exercises for tool and glass control. Just last week I taught myself how to make spin tops flameworking the glass - wow! That is SOOOOOO much easier!
I had a piece in the Bridging the Gap exhibit, AAW's annual juried exhibition, which starts at the symposium and then travels to The Gallery of Wood Art in St. Paul, MN. My artwork, Ambrosia, received The People's Choice Award. People viewing the exhibit can vote for one piece for this award. It was nice to receive this confirmation about my artwork. It's certainly one of my favorites.
Ambrosia - People’s Choice Award
I'm also on the AAW Women in Turning (WIT) Committee. We had a session on Thursday evening about mentoring. For the first time in AAW history, we did a hybrid format for this session. Our panel moderator was remote while our three panelists were at the symposium. We also had a number of guests attending remotely. The WIT Committee is often leading the way in terms of trying out new ideas (e.g., our WIT in-person and virtual exchanges, WIT Presents, liaison program, etc.). Our committee started in 2015. It has been an honor to be part of this innovative program.
Women in Turning hybrid panel session.
As I previously mentioned, it's always great to see old friends at the symposium. David Ellsworth is AAW member #1, and he, along with John Jordan, have been to every AAW symposium. David is really good about mentoring new turners who are becoming "known", and it's always a pleasure to see him at a symposium.
