PARKERSBURG, WV – Woodcraft Supply is among industry sponsors of a national juried exhibition designed to encourage the growth of the next generation of woodworkers and to advance the careers of those with exceptional promise.

Woodworkers who will be younger than 30 as of Sept. 16, 2011, may apply for “Regeneration: Fine Woodworkers Under 30,” co-hosted by Fine Woodworking magazine and the nonprofit Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Rockport, ME.

Submissions should be made online at WoodSchool.org/regeneration, where full details are posted. Deadline is April 1, 2011. Approximately 22 entrants will be selected to show their work in the juried exhibition scheduled for Sept. 16 - Nov. 22, 2011, at the Center’s Messler Gallery.

“Providing high quality tools, supplies and instruction has always been Woodcraft’s mission, so we are excited to join in this effort to promote fine woodworking among younger craftsmen,” said Woodcraft President Jeff Forbes. Woodcraft, Irwin Tools and the Rohlen Foundation are providing free round-trip shipping to the Messler Gallery for entrants selected to show their work in the exhibition. Woodcraft is also providing a $20 gift coupon for each entrant.

The Best in Show and six other winners of top honors will be awarded major pieces of woodworking machinery from Powermatic, Jet, and Festool USA, as well as hand planes from Lie-Nielsen Toolworks. All exhibitors will receive clamps from Irwin Tools, saw blades from Freud, compact routers from Porter-Cable, and diamond honing stones from DMT.

“We are delighted to partner with top-quality manufacturers and tool companies to encourage the growth of the next generation of fine woodworkers in America,” said Peter Korn, executive director of the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship. Korn, who founded the Center in 1992, said several factors prompted the organization of the “Regeneration” exhibition, including the center’s mission of “transmitting the skills and rewards of craftsmanship to future generations.”

Also, Korn said, “I well remember being a woodworker in my early 20s, and how frustrating it could be to try to get good exposure. That is even more true today, with so many older, established woodworkers dominating the top craft shows, galleries, and museum exhibitions.”

In addition to publicity in national media, selected entries will receive publicity on the Fine Woodworking Web site, and top honors winners will be featured in the Fine Woodworking Readers Gallery. All work in the exhibition will be permanently archived on the Messler Gallery’s Web page, and exhibitors have the option of making their work available for purchase.

Exhibition jurors are John Dunnigan, professor of furniture design at the Rhode Island School of Design; Garrett Hack, noted Vermont furnituremaker, author, and contributing editor to Fine Woodworking; Bill Hunter, renowned California studio wood artist; and Anissa Kapsales, associate editor of Fine Woodworking.

For more information about “Regeneration,” contact Messler Gallery manager Beth Sauer at (207) 594-5611 or [email protected].

Woodcraft Supply, LLC, is the industry leader in providing a wide variety of top quality products, educational opportunities and one-on-one guidance to woodworkers of all skill levels. For more information about Woodcraft, please contact the store nearest you, visit Woodcraft.com or call (800) 535-4482.

Source: Woodcraft Supply