David Ellsworth

David Ellsworth (born June 25, 1944) is an American studio woodturner and educator who developed tools and techniques for creating thin-walled hollow wooden vessels.

Early Life and Education

Ellsworth was born in Iowa City, Iowa. He first encountered woodturning in 1958 during an eighth-grade industrial arts class, where he crafted a walnut platter for his mother. After high school, he served three years in the U.S. Army, performing with the Army Air Defense Command Choir in Heidelberg, Germany.

Post-military service, Ellsworth pursued studies in architecture at Washington University in St. Louis (1965–1966) and fine arts at the New School for Social Research in New York City (1966–1970). He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in sculpture in 1971 and a Master of Fine Arts in 1973 from the University of Colorado at Boulder. During his graduate studies, he explored various media, including ceramics, cast metals, and polyester resin, which informed his later approach to woodturning.

Career and Innovations

In 1974, Ellsworth established the woodworking program at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass Village, Colorado. The following year, he opened his first private woodturning studio in Boulder, Colorado. During this period, he developed specialized bent turning tools and techniques for creating thin-walled hollow forms, a method he termed “blind turning.” This innovation allowed for the creation of vessels with walls as thin as 1/16 inch, extending possibilities within woodturning.

Teaching and Influence

Ellsworth has taught at Anderson Ranch, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, and Penland School of Craft. In 1990, he founded the Ellsworth School of Woodturning in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, later relocating it to Weaverville, North Carolina, in 2017.

Ellsworth was a founding member of the American Association of Woodturners (AAW) and served as its first president from 1986 to 1991.

Artistic Style and Philosophy

Ellsworth’s work is characterized by minimalist forms that emphasize the natural beauty of wood. His vessels often feature narrow openings and delicate walls, challenging traditional notions of functionality. He draws inspiration from Native American pottery, the architecture of the American Southwest, and the inherent qualities of wood, which he describes as “the most perfectly imperfect material to work with.”

Collections

David Ellsworth’s wood-turned vessels and sculptures are in the permanent collections of numerous museums.

Museums in the United States

• Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
• Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA
• Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
• Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Los Angeles, CA
• Smithsonian American Art Museum – Renwick Gallery, Washington, D.C.
• Museum of Arts and Design (MAD), New York, NY
• High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA
• Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO
• Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI
• Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN
• Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA
• Currier Museum of Art, Manchester, NH
• Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA
• Mint Museum of Art + Design, Charlotte, NC
• Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX
• Museum of Fine Arts, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
• Sheldon Museum of Art, Lincoln, NE
• University of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor, MI
• Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT
• Racine Art Museum, Racine, WI
• Museum for Art in Wood, Philadelphia, PA
• Allentown Art Museum, Allentown, PA
• Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock, AR
• Asheville Art Museum, Asheville, NC
• Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, PA
• Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, Cedar Rapids, IA
• Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati, OH
• Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, GA
• Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, CA
• Mobile Museum of Art, Mobile, AL
• Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA
• Westum Museum of Fine Arts, Racine, WI
• World Forestry Center Museum, Portland, OR
• White House Collection of American Crafts, Washington, D.C.

International Collections

• Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK
• Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, France
• Kunstindustrimuseet (Museum of Decorative Arts), Copenhagen, Denmark

Exhibitions

David Ellsworth’s wood art has been in numerous exhibitions across the United States:

Museum Exhibits

• American Craft Museum
  • "Craft America-Poetry Of The Physical." 1987
  • "The Art Of Woodturning." 1983
  • "Tea Service." 1993
  • "New Acquisitions". 1999
  • "Expressions In Wood: The Warnick Collection".1998

• Arkansas Arts Center - "Moving Beyond Tradition: A Turned-wood Invitational". Little Rock, AR 1997

• Museum of Fine Arts, Arizona State University - "Turned Wood Now: Redifining The Lathe Turned Object". Tempe, AZ 1995, 1997

• Bishop Museum Of Fine Arts - "Hawaii Craftsmen", Honolulu, HI. 1986, 1997

• Museum For Art In Wood - “Eight ACC Fellows”. October, Phila, PA

• Corning Museum Of Glass - "Woodturning." Corning, New York. 1979

• Craft & Folk Art Museum - "The Vessel: Studies In Form & Media", Los Angeles, CA. 1989

• Fine Arts Museums Of San Francisco — "Contemporary Works From The Saxe Collection San Francisco, CA. 1999

• Greenville County Museum Of Art - "Gallery Of Turned Objects." Greenville, SC. 1982

• High Museum Of Art
  • "By The Hand:Twentieth Century Crafts". Atlanta, GA. 1990
  • "Shop Traditions/studio Expressions". Atlanta, Ga. 1988
  • "Permanent Collection". Atlanta, Ga. 1993

Hunterdon Museum Of Art - Clinton, Nj. 2018

Huntington Museum Of Art - "New Masters Workshop". Huntington, Wv. 1991

James A. Michener Art Museum - "In Our Circle". Doylestown, Pa. 1991

Jesse Besser Museum Of Art - Alpena, Mi. 1985

Kunstindustrie Museum Of Art - "Celebrating American Craft". Copenhagen, Dm. 1997

Mitchell Museum - "Past & Present: Ongoing Traditions In American Craft Art." Mt. Vernon, Il. 1993

Monmouth Museum - "Contemporary Arts: An Expanding View". Lincroft, Nj. 1986

Musee Des Arts Decoratifs - "Crafts Today Usa" Paris, France. 1989

Museum Of Art - "Aha Hana Lima". Honolulu, Hi. 1997

National Gallery Of American Art - "The White House Craft Collection", Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.c., 1995

Nueberger Museum Of Art - "Jacobson Collection", Suny, Purchase, Ny. 1993

Oakland Museum Of California - "Expressions In Wood: Masterworks From The Wornick Collection". Oakland, Ca. 1997

Peabody Essex Museum Of Art - Salem, Ma

Philadelphia Museum Of Art - “vessel” Philadelphia, Pa. 1989

Port Of History Museum - "International Turned Objects Show." Philadelphia, Pa. 1988

Port Of History Museum - "Challenge IV". Philadellphia, Pa. 1991

Renwick Gallery Of The Smithsonian Institution - "The Jacobson Collection Of Turned Wood Bowls". Washington, D.c. 1986

Renwick Gallery Of The Smithsonian Institution - "Renwick At 25", Washington, D.c. 1997

Sheldon Memorial Art Museum - Lincoln, Ne. 1979

SOFA Chicago - November 6-8. William Zimmer Gallery

Tifton Museum Of Art & Heritage - "From Ancient Craft To Fine Art". Tifton, Ga. 1997

Trenton City Museum Of Art - "The Forest Refined." Trenton, Nj. 1992

University Art Museum - "Redefining The Late-turned Object". Arizona State University. Tempe, Az. 1993, 1995, 1997

Woodmere Museum Of Art - "Pennsylvania Lathe-turned Objects: 1700-1990". Philadelphia, Pa. 1999

Solo Exhibits

Bellas Artes Gallery - New York City, NY. 1991

Bellas Artes Gallery - Santa Fe, NM. 1989

Cooper-lynn Gallery - New York City, NY, 1985

Del Mano Gallery - Los Angeles, CA. 1997, 2000

Great American Gallery - Atlanta, GA. 1984, 1987

Hand And Spirit Gallery - Scottsdale, AZ. 1994

Hunterdon Museum Of Art - Clinton, NJ. 2018

Materia Gallery — Scottsdale, AZ. 1999

Mendelson Gallery - Washington, CT. 1992, 1997

Metropolitan State College - Denver, CO. 1973

Okun Gallery - Santa Fe, NM. 1995

Pritam & Eames - Easthampton, NY. 1983

Pro Art Gallery - St. Louis, MO. 1988

Sheldon Memorial Art Museum - Lincoln, NE. 1979

Awards and Recognition

Ellsworth has received several awards, including:

• National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship
• Pennsylvania Council for the Arts Fellowship
• PEW Fellowship for the Arts
• Honorary Lifetime Member, American Association of Woodturners.
• College of Fellows, American Craft Council
• James A. Renwick Alliance “Master of the Medium” Award (2009)
• Smithsonian Institution’s Visionary Award (2021)

Publications and Media

Ellsworth published the first article on hollow-form turning in Fine Woodworking magazine in 1979. He published an article on turning a pool cue under the pseudonym “Colorado Slim” in 1986. Ellsworth has written numerous tips, shop notes, and short articles for the publications of the American Assocition of Woodturners including American Woodturner magazine.

In 2008, Ellsworth published the book “Ellsworth on Woodturning: How a Master Creates Bowls, Pots, and Vessels,” offering insights into his techniques and philosophy. He has also produced instructional videos covering various aspects of woodturning, including tool use, shop setup, and hollow-form creation.

Personal Life

Ellsworth met his wife, Wendy, an accomplished bead artist, in Colorado in 1975; they married in 1980. The couple resides in Weaverville, North Carolina, where they continue to engage in their respective artistic practices.

Suggested Readings:

• Ellsworth, David. Ellsworth on Woodturning: How a Master Creates Bowls, Pots, and Vessels. Fox Chapel Publishing, 2008. ISBN 1565233778.
• Wallace, Kevin. 2004. David Ellsworth: The Spirit of the Wood Vessel, Craft Arts International, 62, pp. 40-45.
• Martin, Terry; Wallace, Kevin V. (2008). New masters of woodturning: expanding the boundaries of wood art. East Petersburg, PA: Fox Chapel Pub. ISBN 978-1-56523-334-8. OCLC 182735564 &.

References

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