I went to see a locally produced play last weekend in which one of my former students had a big part. As we visited afterwards he told me that in college other students would come into his room to play with the collection of tops he had turned in school and that he kept on his desk. His fellow students were fascinated by the tops as most had never had that kind of chance to create.
He and his brother recently purchased a lathe and plan to get started turning again. I urged them to come to ESSA for classes, and I am beginning to see it as my duty to allow my former students opportunities to sustain the interest they discovered in school.
I have my own small collection of tops that are kept near my desk. These are kept in a small cherry bowl turned by my uncle, Ronald Stowe. My uncle had become an avid woodturner and would bring bowls he had turned to family reunions to be distributed among family members. Each and every man, woman and child would be given the chance to select one or more pieces Uncle Ron had turned on the lathe. He and members of his club would go to Arrowmont each year to receive instruction from one of the great wood turners. I am excited that our own new studio at the Eureka Springs School of the Arts will serve in the same manner.
Make, fix, create, and increase the likelihood that others learn likewise.
No comments:
Post a Comment