Rocky Mountain Symposium, just concluded

[Dean Center]

The 2025 Rocky Mountain Woodturning Symposium just wrapped up and it was fantastic. The group from the local club that has been putting these on for many years has all the bugs worked out and puts on a well run, fun, and educational 3 day event. If you're looking for something high quality but more manageably sized than the AAW symposium, this is one to consider for next year.

Reportedly, this was the first major symposium with all female demonstrators. They were all highly accomplished turner/artists, excellent teachers, and thoroughly enjoyable to be around. One of the demonstrators mentioned that a male turning acquaintance of hers commented, when explaining why he wouldn't attend, "Women demonstrators don't know what they're doing." That idiot really missed out.

The only substantive problem this year was that with the apparently doubled number of women attending, the bathroom situation at the venue was pretty tough. (Hey, Alan, maybe 4-6 porta-potties next year.)

Highly recommended.

Disclaimer: I have no financial interest in this symposium, but really like the people who have dedicated themselves to putting this on, and hope it continues to be successful and I can keep attending.

 

[Alan Weinberg]

That idiot really missed out.

For sure. Ignorant.

 

[John K Jordan]

Did you see Mike Hunter? Last I talked to him he was looking forward to interaction with the people!

Love that part of the country!

JKJ

 

[Mark Hepburn]

For sure. Ignorant.

I deal with offshore oilfield people and find that this attitude is more common among "old school" operators, tool pushers and even some facility managers. Ignorant is the word for sure.

 

[Odie]

this attitude is more common among "old school"

I remember a time when women were just arriving on the woodturning scene in numbers. Some of us "old school" men were a little too anxious to give high praise......instead of treating women as just other turners. That aspect is probably very minimal these days, but it was something I noticed at the time.

Socially, I suppose, women turners are different, but practically, we are all turners.....if that makes any sense!

=o=

 

[Mark Hepburn]

I remember a time when women were just arriving on the woodturning scene in numbers. Some of us "old school" men were a little too anxious to give high praise......instead of treating women as just other turners. That aspect is probably very minimal these days, but it was something I noticed at the time.

Socially, I suppose, women turners are different, but practically, we are all turners.....if that makes any sense!

=o=

Yes, it makes sense. We're all turners and I would say we judge on skill, creativity and other, more or less "quantifiable" traits. I can't hold a candle to Linda Ferber or Ashley Harwood, or for that matter to Trent Bosch's children.

I didn't want to go off on a rant about DEI and stuff like that; I just think that if someone is more capable than me, then I should have the grace to acknowledge it.

 

[Dave Landers]

The rationale in this year's demonstrator selection was that women are historically under-represented in the field. You don't fix that by continuing with the status quo. So we saw an opportunity to do a little bit towards starting to change that, and our invited demonstrators were women. Turns out the blind selection of regional demonstrators ended up all women too.

We did hear from some who felt we were either limiting our options, or else doomed to a sub-par slate of demonstrators. I guess the assumption is that either women are inferior turners, or there are just not enough women to select from.
This last weekend we proved both assumptions entirely wrong.

If you're interested, you can check the article in the June 2025 Issue of American Woodturner or this March 2025 @womenofwoodworking article.

 

[John K Jordan]

I'm more interested in the student end of turning.

I have had a number of students over the years, good and not so good. The absolute best was a female human nearly a 1/2 century younger than me. So smart it was painful! Amazing memory and focus, listened to every word, watched every move. Incredibly artistic, caught on immediately about what it takes for good tool control. Great coordination - her first try with a woodburner was better than I could ever hope to do.

I had a similar experience with another student, a girl I've known since she was a kindergartner - her dad brought her to the shop for lessons and she quickly started making things - she's a drummer and after the intro spindle lesson/practice the 1st thing turned was a pair of drumsticks. They were a perfect.



My observation is, from the student end, gender has makes little difference - what matters is the person, the opportunity, the ability to listen, the self drive, the time they invest, and maybe, just maybe a little - finding the right teacher.

I've had some of both genders that were all over the spectrum. I try to teach everyone equally without bias but I it's hard not to be a more encouraged towards someone who shows interest and the desire to learn. The most hopeless is someone with almost no experience who already knows everything and doesn't listen.

JKJ

 

[Dean Center]

Reviewing Kailee's AAW article cited by Dave above reminded me of the longest shaving contest. Last year, Yann Marot made an impossibly long shaving (with a bedan, I think) of 39 feet. This year, Natalie Groeneweg, using a borrowed bowl gouge, blew that record away with a 54 foot shaving. Dave did an amazing job of collecting the shavings and keeping them intact long enough to measure.

One of the remarkable things about this symposium was audience participation. In school, with boys and girls together in class, the girls are far less likely to speak up and actively participate. The same might have happened at the symposium, where commonly some sessions are dominated by one uninhibited guy in the audience. I was surprised to notice that the women present piped up and answered or asked questions just as freely as the men. Perhaps that reflects an increase in self-confidence among women, as opposed to girls, but it might also have been the gender of the demonstrator or the large presence of women in the crowd. In either case, ALL of those present were engaged and got their needs met.

Watching Ashley Harwood turning a 7" deep green bowl, shooting shavings into the third row of the audience, was just as entertaining as Glenn Lucas doing it. (And both former production turners provide clear, audience sensitive commentary)

 

[Dave Landers]

Watching Ashley Harwood turning a 7" deep green bowl, shooting shavings into the third row of the audience, was just as entertaining as Glenn Lucas doing it. (And both former production turners provide clear, audience sensitive commentary)

We had 3 volunteers working on cleaning that room Sunday afternoon. Took them about 45 minutes to get all the shavings out of that room.