The art of the master woodturner is a delicate balance between precise control and the forces of chance. With the skilled touch of the craftsman, the inherent, natural beauty of the wood is revealed and enhanced. Turning Wood Into Art: The Jane and Arthur Mason Collection, on display July 3 – September 27, 2009 at the Currier Museum of Art, features 65 exquisitely crafted objects from one of the world's foremost collections of contemporary lathe-turned wood and highlights the aesthetic achievements in this medium.

See for yourself how wood is turned into art on Saturday, July 11 during a FREE day of wood-themed activities. The day features family art activities relating to the exhibition from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm; a docent-led exhibition tour at 11:30 am; and a reception celebrating the exhibition Turning Wood Into Art from 1:30 to 3:30 pm. The reception features light refreshments, demonstrations of woodturning by New Hampshire Furniture Master Jon Siegel and turner Scott Ruesswick, and a tour of the exhibition with Chief Curator Andrew Spahr.

Turning Wood Into Art showcases the work of well-known, first-generation turners like James Prestini, Bob Stocksdale, and Ed Moulthrop and important younger artists such as David Ellsworth and Philip Moulthrop. An international collection, it includes artists from Great Britain, Germany, the Netherlands and the United States with representatives from the West Coast, Southwest and eastern states as well as Vermont artists Alan Stirt, Johannes Michelson, Michelle Holzapfel and former New Hampshire resident Mark Lindquist.

Through their imagination and technical mastery, these turners have created three dimensional canvasses for the exploration of the drama of wood's color and pattern and the surprising intricacies of its grain. Familiar woods like maple, ash, and walnut and exotic species including orangewood and manzanita have been turned, carved, laminated, burned, gilt and painted to form beautiful vessels and decorative sculptures.

The exhibition is generously supported by Patrick and Kendra O'Donnell and by David and Barbara Roby. This exhibition is courtesy of the Mint Museum of Craft + Design, Charlotte, North Carolina. Tour management by Smith Kramer Fine Art Services, Kansas City, Missouri.

About the Currier
The Currier Museum of Art (http://www.currier.org) in Manchester, NH is home to an internationally respected collection of European and American paintings, decorative arts, photographs and sculpture. New galleries showcase the collection of over 11,000 objects, including works by Picasso, Matisse, Monet, O'Keeffe, and Warhol. Visitors of all ages will enjoy the engaging traveling exhibitions, a series of dynamic programs ranging from music to lectures to hands-on art-making, an expanded gift shop and an airy new café filled with light and equipped with Wi-Fi.

The associated Art Center offers studio classes, art camps and intensive workshops for all ages. The museum also owns the Zimmerman House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, complete with the original furnishings and the owners' fine art collection.  The Zimmerman House is the only Wright-designed house in New England open for public tours which are offered April – December. To book a tour or get more information, visit http://www.currier.org or call 603.669.6144, ext. 108.