The American Association of Woodturners (AAW) 36th Annual International Woodturning Symposium will take place in Chattanooga, June 23-26, with more than 1,000 makers from around the globe gathering to learn, share, and celebrate the timeless art and craft of woodturning.
Due to Covid-19, this will be the first live, in person AAW Symposium since 2019. The event will be held at the Chattanooga Convention Center.
Woodturning is a fascinating creative pursuit that engages individuals from age 8 to 108. In addition to educational sessions and demonstrations for registered symposium attendees, the conference offers events that are free and open to the public including woodturning exhibitions, galleries, benefit auctions, charitable projects, and a trade show AAW welcomes the public, all ages, to visit, explore, and absorb the woodturning experience.
Exhibitions of Lathe-Turned Works
- Thursday, June 23, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Exhibitions Reception & Opening
- Friday, June 24, 8:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
- Saturday, June 25, 8:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
- Sunday, June 26, 8:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Auctions of Lathe-Turned Works, Live & Online
- Friday, June 24, 7:00 p.m. in the Ballroom
- Saturday, June 25, 1:30 p.m. in the Exhibit Hall
Trade Show & More
- Thursday, June 23, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
- Friday, June 24, 8:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
- Saturday, June 25, 8:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
- Sunday, June 26, 8:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Woodturning is a contemporary craft with roots dating back 2,500 years. The process involves a lathe, a machine that securely holds and spins wood at high speeds, wherein artists and craftspeople shape objects using specialized gouges and chisels. Traditionally, woodturning has been used to create functional items, such as chair legs, candlesticks, and bowls.
Today, lathe-turned work is also understood as an art form and vehicle for individual enrichment, creativity, and expression, and embraces diversity in both genre and makers. The objects produced are just as varied as the people who turn them.
From functional objects, like bowls, to abstract sculptural forms, woodturning may include surface carving, embellishment, and finishing techniques, and specialized methods such as segmented, multi-axis, ornamental, pen turning. The art and craft of woodturning has a modest learning curve and engages people from age 8 to 108.
The American Association of Woodturners (AAW) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, headquartered in Saint Paul, Minnesota, dedicated to advancing the art and craft of woodturning worldwide by offering opportunities for education, information, inspiration, and community to those interested in turning wood.
Established in 1986, AAW currently has more than 13,000 members and a network of over 365 chapters globally representing professionals, amateurs, artists, hobbyists, gallery owners, collectors, and others.
The AAW possesses the single largest collection of woodturning information anywhere and its award-winning journal, American Woodturner, is the foremost publication on the art and craft of woodturning in the world. To learn more, visit woodturner.org.