Donna Banfield
TOTW Team
My choice for Turning of the Week is titled 'Archaeological Record' by Walker Westbrook.
This piece was part of the Instagram Collaborative Exchange. This exchange started originally in Louisville, KY at the AAW Symposium in 2023, an idea by Symposium attendee and maker Marie Anderson. The idea was to randomly pair two makers who exchanged unfinished pieces, for their collaborative partners to complete. The completed pieces appeared at the following AAW Symposium, Portland in 2024. The event was so successful, that over 100 people joined to participate following the Portland Symposium.
Walker received the 'half section of burl' from partner Bill Karow. Walker's contribution was ingenious. An architectural background led him to create the cherry rings to fulfill the remaining 'ghost image' of the decayed burl he received from Bill Karow. Copper wire was used to support the turned cherry rings, resulting in a futuristic image of a dwelling that one might see in real life decades in the future.
It is important to note that this piece was selected for inclusion in the Instant Gallery Critique Panel session at the 2025 AAW Symposium in St. Paul, MN. It is a great honor to have work chosen for inclusion in this panel. This session, a hallmark of the annual Symposium, has experienced designees/panelists who walk the Instant Gallery, sometimes multiple times, to choose a few pieces among the nearly thousand on display, that warrant discussion for a number of reasons, including creativity, design, presentation, form, intentional yet successful deception, and sheer impossibility in making. Walker did an outstanding job in making Archaeological Record. Amazing work, Walker! I look forward to seeing what you create in the future!
This piece was part of the Instagram Collaborative Exchange. This exchange started originally in Louisville, KY at the AAW Symposium in 2023, an idea by Symposium attendee and maker Marie Anderson. The idea was to randomly pair two makers who exchanged unfinished pieces, for their collaborative partners to complete. The completed pieces appeared at the following AAW Symposium, Portland in 2024. The event was so successful, that over 100 people joined to participate following the Portland Symposium.
Walker received the 'half section of burl' from partner Bill Karow. Walker's contribution was ingenious. An architectural background led him to create the cherry rings to fulfill the remaining 'ghost image' of the decayed burl he received from Bill Karow. Copper wire was used to support the turned cherry rings, resulting in a futuristic image of a dwelling that one might see in real life decades in the future.
It is important to note that this piece was selected for inclusion in the Instant Gallery Critique Panel session at the 2025 AAW Symposium in St. Paul, MN. It is a great honor to have work chosen for inclusion in this panel. This session, a hallmark of the annual Symposium, has experienced designees/panelists who walk the Instant Gallery, sometimes multiple times, to choose a few pieces among the nearly thousand on display, that warrant discussion for a number of reasons, including creativity, design, presentation, form, intentional yet successful deception, and sheer impossibility in making. Walker did an outstanding job in making Archaeological Record. Amazing work, Walker! I look forward to seeing what you create in the future!