WHAT’S NEW
In Memoriam: Nish & MOORE
Dale Nish was the patriarch of contemporary turned wood, greatly responsible for the growth of woodturning to what we see today. He published the first true instructional book on lathe turning—Creative Woodturning (1975)—which was based on his teaching materials at Brigham Young University (where he taught for more than 30 years). His second book—Artistic Woodturning (1980)—addressed the decorative potential of the craft, while his third book—Master Woodturners (1985) gave exposure of the featured artists to the greater community. Dale was primarily an educator, conducting more than 200 lectures and demonstrations across the country and around the world. In 1979, he organized the first Utah Woodturning Symposium, which has become the longest running conference of its kind featuring a star-studded list of demonstrators every year. And his sons have been supplying tools and supplies to the turning and carving communities through Crafts Supplies USA and Treeline. Furthermore, he was also a recognized artist, mostly known for his natural-edge, sand-blasted Wormy Ash vessels. Only last year, Woodworker West profiled Dale, in celebration of his 80th birthday (May-June, 2012). We lost Dale in May, doing what he loved. According to his son Darrell, he was turning in his shop, when he began to feel ill. He was taken to the hospital with a blood clot, where he passed away that evening. Eudorah Moore was not as well-known as Dale, but she certainly impacted the emergence of studio craft. As Curator of Design for the old Pasadena Art Museum, she brought contemporary craft into the museum environment. Through the series of California Design shows, wood and other craft artists (including Sam Maloof and Bob Stocksdale) had a vehicle for exposure to the greater art community, and the shows became an essential marketing avenues for their careers. When the Pasadena Art Museum became the Norton Simon Museum (1974), she tried to keep California Design alive, but it ended with the 1976 show at the newly opened Pacific Design Center. Sam Maloof said of Eudorah, “Somehow her eyes see things that other eyes may not. But it's her enthusiasm that matters most.” Eudorah was 94. July-August, 2013
smithsoniaN HONORS KRENOV
Many people felt it was a slight that James Krenov’s work was not represented in the collection of the Smithsonian Institute’s Renwick Gallery in Washington, D.C. Besides being known as a Master Craftsman for his iconic cabinetry work, he became the voice for aspiring furnituremakers working alone in their shops, through his series of books beginning in the mid70s. He then established College of the Redwoods Fine Woodworking (CRFW) in Fort Bragg, CA in 1981, where he shared his craft with students for more than 20 years. In Oscar Fitzgerald’s 2008 book Studio Furniture of the Renwick Gallery, he cited the lack of a Krenov cabinet in the Gallery’s collection as an oversight. As a result, he began a search for a rightful piece and found it with CRFW graduate Roger Moore, who wanted “others to enjoy the company of Krenov’s work.” With donations from Oscar and more than 60 CFRW graduates and friends, the Ash cabinet (1986) was acquired by the Renwick and installed on display in an informal ceremony in Krenov Ash Cabinet March.
Woodworker West
Page 13