News

2013

• April 24, 2013 - Martha Stewart was the Honorary Chairman of the Smithsonian Craft Show for 2013. She appeared at the opening of the show visiting most booths including mine. Click here to see photo: In addition, on the following day, I appeared on Martha’s live show on SiriusXM Satellite Radio. I was briefly interviewed by Martha’s craft editor, Hannah Milman. You can see 60 photos of the show here.
• April 2013 – The May 2013 issue of The Crafts Report contains an article entitled Stirring the Soul, Norm Sartorius Elevates Spoons to Fine Art. Pages 32 through 37. The Crafts Report is a trade publication in support of working craftspeople, their work and their careers. You may view the article and magazine cover here.
• January 2013 - Black silhouettes of two of my spoons are now part of a public art project decorating the outside of the Center for Art in Wood, Philadelphia. Titled Written in Wood, the mural is part of Philadelphia’s extensive Mural Arts Program. This work by acclaimed artist Benjamin Volta depicts selected works from the permanent collection of the Center. You can see how it looks from the street here as well as a postcard revealing the silhouettes used on the wall. This is a permanent installation. Additional information about the Center for Art in Wood may be found here.
• February 2, 2013 – April 6, 2013 - Three of my spoons will be part of a show at the Craft in America Study Center, 8415 W. Third Street, Los Angeles, CA. They are part of a show entitled Good Enough to Eat: The Fusion of Food and Craft (Food as Subject for Craft) None of these are for sale. Two are from Diane Bosley’s collection and the remaining one was generously loaned by William and Paula Mitchell for this exhibition. Click here for images of these spoons. Additional information about the exhibition and the Study Center may be found here.

2012

• September 2012 - “Homage” is donated to the Yale Art Gallery – My thanks to Ken Spitzbard for his willingness to give this piece to Yale.
• September 2012 - “Conquistador” is purchased by the Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum thanks to generous donations by Fleur S. Bresler, S. Bruce and Eleanor Heister, Patricia A. McCauley, James L. Pavitt and Carolyn K. Stettner, and Kenneth Spitzbard. This spoon was chosen by Nicholas Bell, The Bresler Curator of American Craft & Decorative Art at the Renwick Gallery during the 2012 Smithsonian Craft Show.
• Late September 2012 - Attended the 2012 CWA Forum in Little Rock, Arkansas. Visited the Arkansas Arts Center and the Clinton Library. Spent a day at Robyn & John Horn’s taking in their collection and participating in a 3 hour sale along with over 20 other artists. On Sunday we visited Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, AR. The architecture of this brand new museum is as much an attraction as the art it contains. It was a wonderful event shared with like minded collectors and artists.
• October 2012 – Two of my spoons, Madagascar Rosewood Spoon and Cocus Spoon, were donated by Robyn and John Horn to the Columbus Museum in Columbus, Georgia.
• Collectors of Wood Art Forum 2012 Little Rock, AR More than 60 member artists and collectors will return to the site of the founding event for the Collectors of Wood Art to enjoy a day at the home of John & Robyn Horn. In addition there will be visits to the Arkansas Art Center and the Clinton Library ( White House Craft Collection). Artists will show work during the weekend. Details here. 
• May 21 to June 10 – Poplar Culture – The Wharton Esherick Museum is sponsoring this fundraiser featuring 50 works of art made from a tulip poplar tree that grew next to Esherick’s studio. I have three spoons in this exhibition, all of which were inspired by Esherick sculptures and all made from that tree – the spoons may be viewed here. Additional information may be viewed here or from this website.
• April, 2012 – In early April, my wife, Diane and I visited our son, Andrew, in Japan for two weeks. He teaches high school English there. We saw many wonderful temples and shrines, some hundreds of years old. We also saw ancient Buddhist and Shinto wood sculpture that was as expressive and beautifully done as a Michelangelo stone carving. Trees in Japan are groomed and shaped much in the manner of Bonsai and are living sculptures. We also saw antique Japanese boxes, utensils for tea ceremony (bamboo), and even had the opportunity of buy a small sample of two beautiful woods for my work. Time will tell whether or not this visit will influence my own carving but we took a lot of photos of trees and wood objects for future inspiration. Everyone we met there was kind and generous far beyond our expectation.
• April, 2012 – My work received the Silver Award (effectively 3rd place behind Best in Show and the Gold Award) at the recent Smithsonian Craft Show. This was for the body of work presented rather than a single piece. The Awards judges were Nicholas Bell, Renwick Gallery Curator of Craft & Decorative Art, Dr. Oscar Fitzgerald, Professor, Smithsonian/George Mason University for Masters in the History of Decorative Arts, and Carol Sauvion, Executive Director of Craft in America on PBS. My thanks go to Lois and Richard England for donating funds for this award. For photo click here.
• April, 2012 – American Woodworker magazine # 160, June/July 2012, has an article about my work in their regular feature “A Great American Woodworker”. Thanks to author Spike Carlsen for considering me and to Senior Editor, Tim Johnson, for working with me to improve the entire presentation. A pdf of the article can be viewed here.
• February 1, 2012 - Ron and Kay Springwater have donated 44 of my letter openers to the Racine Museum of Art. Each carved from a different wood, this collection covers the evolution of handle and blade forms from 1993 to 2011. It represents well over half of the letter openers they have purchased during the that time. I am very grateful to the Springwaters for their consistent support and friendship. These are the first letter openers of mine in any public collection. Click here to see images of some of the donated collection.

2011

• August 25, 2011 - One of my spoons was shown and briefly discussed on the WTTW, Public Television show Chicago Tonight. You may view this 7 minute segment here. The woman speaking about my spoon is Carol Sauvion, the producer of the national PBS show Craft in America.
• July 1 – September 30 - Wood Moving Forward – Blue Spiral 1, www.bluespiral1.com
  This is a regional show and I will have 7 spoons included in the exhibition.   Another wonderful Asheville gallery, Grovewood Gallery will also feature wood art during the same time period.   See exhibition flyer here. June 30th at Blue Spiral 1.  
• June 22- 26 - I will be attending the 25th Annual Symposium of the American Association of Woodturners in St. Paul, MN. This will also be the site of the 2011 Collector¹s of Wood Art Forum. I will have one spoon, one letter opener, and two bracelets on display as part of the Historical Woods of America exhibit. My pieces are made from Mulberry Burl from George Washington¹s home, Mount Vernon as well as wood from a Poplar that was part of Thomas Jefferson¹s garden at Monticello. During this weekend there two new woodworking books will make their debut: The Cutting Edge: Contemporary Wood Art and the Lipton Collection: by Kevin Wallace I have not seen this book yet but I know that some of my spoons are shown.  Click here for an image of the cover.  Conversations with Wood: Selections from the Waterbury Collection ­ This is both a book title and an exhibition at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (MIA) - see the press release pdf here. I have one spoon (shown here) in both the book and exhibition.  This book will be available from the AAW, as well as from the MIA and the Yale Art Gallery bookstore.
• April 2011 – The Ashville Museum of Art (NC) has acquired three of my spoons thanks to a generous donation by Robyn & John Horn. These are all early works from 1990 and 1991. Your can click here to see them.
• March 2011 - Thanks to a generous donation by Ron and Anita Wornick, the Racine Art Museum has acquired one of my spoons for their permanent collection. Mahogany Ladle, 1996  – 2.75 x 4.12 x 18.25 inches.  In addition I learned that Mahogany Ladle, 1996 had been on display at RAM from September 26, 2010 to January 9, 2011 as part of an exhibition called Knock Wood, New Gifts to RAM’s Collection.  Mahogany Ladle, 1996 may be viewed by clicking here.

2010

• November – During the SOFA Chicago Show the Collectors of Wood Art held a special exhibition called “Is Ornament a Crime”. This show was curated by Cindi Strauss, then the decorative arts curator of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. The challenge to artists was to not embellish surfaces with color, texturing, burning, etc. Instead she wanted a return to more pure form and line on natural wood surfaces. My work “Homage” was biographical and expressed the debt I owe PA/NJ craft artist Emil Milan (1922-1985) Milan taught my first teachers and even though I never met him I believe my work has been greatly influenced by his style of work and tool use. This work was carved using a piece of Cocobolo discarded and recovered from Milan’s derelict barn studio near Thompson, PA. There was a catalog published documenting the show. Click here to see Homage and here to see the catalog cover.

• November 5 – 7 - del Mano Gallery’s exhibition at 2010 SOFA Chicago, .  del Mano is the leading gallery in the US focusing on wood art.  Click here to see the spoons included in this exhibition.

• September 24, 2010 – The long awaited exhibition A Revolution in Wood: the Bresler Collection will open at the Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC. In addition there is a book with the same title published by the Smithsonian which includes images of the 66 works of Wood Art donated by the Breslers to the Renwick. I have several spoons in this exhibition and book. http://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/archive/2010/bresler/ This show will travel to several museums in the United States starting in 2012. Click here and scroll down  to see my spoons in the collection. On the opening day of this show I will be a panelist for a roundtable discussion of the Bresler’s collection. Curator Nicholas Bell, collector Fleur Bresler, and wood artists Michelle Holzapfel and Mark Lindquist will also be on the panel. 

• July 31, 2010 – Diane and I visited Steve Keeble and Karen Depew in Chevy Chase, MD where they invited local fans of wood art to a couple hours of conversation about spoon carving and collecting. You can see some images of this event at: http://cwasplinters.blogspot.com/2010/08/norm-sartorius-visits-dc-cwa.html

• June 2010 – the small book A Gathering of Spoons, Selections from the Collection of Norman Stevens, becomes available from the AAW Gallery of Wood Art, http://www.galleryofwoodart.org , you may view the book here.

• June 2010 – I spent a wonderful day researching the exhibit history of Emil Milan at the Newark Museum of Art in the 1950’s and 1960s. He was the leading seller of craft over this period of time at the museum’s annual Christmas crafts show.

• June 2010 – I attended one day of the AAW Symposium in Hartford, CT primarily supporting Norman Steven’s spoon exhibit there. I was there long enough to understand that these are wonderful events and I should make an effort to attend future symposia where possible.

• May 2010 - I have 3 pages of text and photos in the new book Wood Art Today 2 by Jeffery Snyder, from Schiffer Publishing. This is an opulent coffee table book profiling the work of many of today’s leading wood artists. Click here to view the cover and my contribution.

• I have 3 spoons in the show Contemporary Wood Art: Collectors’ Selections presently on exhibit at the Wood Turning Center in Philadelphia, PA. Two are from the permanent collection of the WTC and one is for sale (Twig Spoon, 2007, Available Work) - this show will close on March 20, 2010.  Click here for more information.

• I have one spoon in the new exhibition A Gathering of Spoons at the Gallery of Wood Art operated by the AAW in St. Paul, MN -  - this same exhibition will be part of the Annual AAW Symposium in Harford, CT in June. There will also be a small book/catalog available in Hartford to accompany this exhibit. Both of these shows reveal part of collector, Norman Stevens, vast collection of 9 inch wooded spoons from in excess of 175 makers around the globe.

2009

• December 7, 2009 - We stopped at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh to see the newly re-opened decorative arts area; the Ailsa Mellon Bruce Galleries of Decorative Arts and Design. The entrance takes you past some very ornate French furniture then around a U shaped space where the display transitions to more contemporary work. At the end just before you pass through the exit doors are two wall cases with glass fronts. The one on the right has 4 of my spoons. The spoons are in with two Ellsworths, the 3 generations of Moulthrup, and two Hunters. The second case, even closer to the exit door, has Harvey Fein on the wall, Ron Kent and Rude Osolnik on upper shelves and Liam Flynn, Virginia Dotson, Ron Layport, Bin Pho, John Jordon, and Michelle Holzapfel going left to right. You can see images here. This decorative arts room of the Carnegie has been closed for a long time for renovation and restoration. More here.
• November 11, 2009 – Awarded Best in Show at the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show. Click here to see a very surprised and happy spoon carver.
• October 1, 2009 – Awarded $14,000 Craft Research Fund Grant from the Center for Craft, Creativity and Design. For 15 months I have (along with friends and research partners Phil Jurus and Barry Gordon) been researching the life and work of deceased woodworker Emil Milan (1922-1985). Phil Jurus was my first woodworking teacher in Baltimore in the mid 1970s. He studied under Emil Milan. We wanted to learn more about this undocumented carver and teacher and we wanted to make our findings available to museums and universities with an interest in Milan. This is an ongoing project which will end in early 2011. An article written by team member Barry Gordon recently appeared in the Winter 2010 issue of Woodwork magazine profiling Emil Milan’s life and work. You can read that article here. 
• June 3rd – June 6th, 2009 - Echo Lake – Buck County Community College - I was invited to participate in this wonderful annual collaborative event modeled on the Emma Lake International Collaborative in Canada. It was a fantastic event shared with imaginative and talented artists including Betty Scarpino, Malcolm Zander, Mark Sfirri, Michael Mocho, Bill Smith, and Derek Weidman. Click here to see images of the pieces to which I contributed.
• May 2 – June 6, 2009 – Turned Wood –Small Treasures – del Mano Gallery - This annual exhibition of small work included 3 of my spoons. You can see these spoons and the rest of this wonderful show here. 
• March 6 – April 11, 2009 – Selections From the Collection: Donations by Bruce Kaiser and Joe Seltzer - One spoon from the permanent collection (Amboyna Burl Spoon – Donated by Bruce Kaiser) and one new spoon which is for sale ( Mystery Spoon) are part of this exhibition. You may view the show online here. 
• January 2009 – John & Robyn Horn donated two of my spoons to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.  To view the spoons, click here.
• January 2009 – Bruce Kaiser donated my 1995 large Amboyna Burl Spoon to the permanent collection of the Wood Turning Center.  Click here to see it.

2008

• December 5, 2008 - February 13, 2009, In the Palm of Your Hand. I have 5 spoons in this show at the Messler Gallery which is part of the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Rockport, Maine. Click here to see these spoons.
• November 2008 – Thanks to the generosity of longtime collector and friend, Pat McCauley, three of my spoons were acquired by the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
• October 3, 2008 – January 17, 2009, dysFUNctional, Wood Turning Center, Philadelphia, PA. I have one spoon in this show called “Old & in the Way”. There is a book of the show. The entire show will tour for 3 years after it closes at the Wood Turning Center. You can see much more about the show at www.woodturningcenter.org. To see “Old & in the Way”, click here.
• Early August – I attended the Emma International Collaborative for the second time – it was a fantastic week of work outside my usual parameters shared with 100 wonderful artists from North America, Australia, and New Zealand – pieces I worked on appear in both the Archives and Available work sections. To see these pieces click here.
• Summer 2008 – An article about my work is featured in the Summer 2008 issue of The Hill, the alumni magazine of McDaniel College.  It largely repeats Terry Martin’s article from Woodwork June 2006 with some new photos and text.  See the Biography for the full article.
• March 22 - July 20 - Masters of Design - Mint Museum of Craft and Design - My work entitled "Sperm Spoons" is a part of this exhibition.  http://www.mintmuseum.org
• January – Attended CWA Forum in Scottsdale, AZ and exhibited 5 spoons in the del Mano Gallery display.
• January – The Art of Wood Jewelry , Lark Books, is published.  One of my bracelets is featured on the book jacket and I have a how-to article inside about the making of one design along with a couple more photos.

2007

• Gregg Museum of Art & Design, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, January 2007, three spoons donated to the permanent collection by Robyn and John Horn.
• Woodwork Magazine, Issue 104, April 2007, Page 18, Craft in America article, “Bee the Spoon” photograph.
• Turned Wood Small Treasures, Del Mano Gallery, March 17 through April 14, 2007, three spoons exhibited.
• American Craft Show in Baltimore, February 2007.
• “Bee the Spoon”, Craft in America touring exhibition, Little Rock, Arkansas, Portland, Oregon and San Diego, California, 2007.
• Michael Hosaluk: Containment Exhibition, Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, January 19 through April 2, 2007 - The exhibition was based on Michael Hosaluk providing a basic small wooden chair frame to 20 artists to change, enhance, adapt in any manner they wished. My chair sculpture reflected a health issue that became the dominant event in my life at the end of 2006.
• Regional 07, Parkersburg Art Center, May 6 through July 1, 2007, “Emma Perfect” from Emma Lake 2006 and a sculpture, “Spoon Dreams II” were exhibited. “Spoon Dreams II”, Second Place Award in the 3D category.
• Bethesda Public Library, Bethesda, MD, May 1 to June 3, 2007, a spoon exhibited from the collection of Arthur and Jane Mason.
• American Craft Exposition – August 2007
• American Craft Exposition, 2007 – Award of Excellence.
• WV Juried Exhibition 2007, “Spoon Dreams II” and “Pan’s Mandrake”.
• Merit Award for “Pan’s Mandrake” owned by Karen Depew and Steve Keeble.
• Parkersburg News and Sentinel, September 2, 2007, Article “Art Bias” – Photo with “Spoon Dreams II”.
• Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show – November, 2007.
• Washington Craft Show – December 2007.
• Nominated to the Board of Directors of the Collectors of Wood Art.