'Turning Turns 40'

‘Turning Turns 40’

A Celebration of the Irish Woodturners Guild 40th Anniversary

Craft NI Gallery is delighted to host and celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Irish Woodturners Guild (IWG) with a curated exhibition featuring 40 exceptionally turned wood forms that demonstrate excellence in craftsmanship and design, as well as carrying a message about the threat to the native Ash tree from Ash Dieback disease. Members from Chapters across the country including the local Chapters are represented including makers from Ulster Woodturning and the Crossborder Chapter. The exhibition runs from September 4th – 26th, 2024 and is free for all to attend. It will then travel to other venues in England and the US. 

The exhibition, entitled, ‘Turning Turns 40’, combined a technical challenge for all participants as well as the chance to mark this moment in the progress of Ash Dieback and its impact on ash trees on the island. Emmet Kane, President of the IWG said, ‘throughout my career as a maker, I have always relished the challenge of making to a certain scale and size’. It was from this initial idea that the challenge was passed to all of the IWG members. They were required to work from a uniform sized block of Ash which in itself, presents a set of its own technical and design challenges. 

Over 360 cubes of Ash 15cm3 in size were distributed from which 40 final pieces were selected by an independent judging panel comprising Stephen O’Connell (Ireland) and woodturners Barbara Dill (USA) and Ulf Jasson (Sweden). The curated exhibition demonstrates the individual creativity and woodturning expertise of members.

The Ash is native to the island of Ireland, however it is Ash dieback, a serious disease caused by the fungal pathogen Hymenoscyphus fraxineus that threatens its 

future. First detected in Ireland in 2012, the disease is now prevalent throughout the island and across Europe. In celebrating the IWG anniversary, the Guild also commemorates the offering and history that the Ash has provided to the Irish landscape through this lasting collection of native Ash crafted works of art.

Participating makers: 

Patricia Berns, Sean Byrne, Imelda Connolly, John Deaton, Stephen Dowie, Harry Emerson, Paul Finley, John Flynn, Kevin Geaney, Mike Gray, Graham Griffith, Eugene Grimley, Oliver Hackett, Philip Hart, Ger Hennessy, Emmet Kane, Anthony Keenan, Charley McCarthy, Tom McCosh, Sean McGann, Martin McNamara, David Miller, Alan Monaghan, Patrick Murphy, Hugh Nolan, Paddy O’Connor, Liam O’Neill, Seamus O’Reilly, Padraig Phelan, Jack Quearney, Liam Quirke, Kieran Reynolds, Noel Roche, Tom Ronayne, Donal Ryan, John Sinnott, Paul Spiers, Rob Steen, Jim Stevens, Louise Wilde