Rumriver Art Center is pleased to present a new exhibition in the Jan Johansen Gallery: Minnesota Woodturners Community Service, featuring work by members of the Minnesota Woodturners Association (MWA). This Minnesota-based nonprofit brings together woodturners from across the Twin Cities region to celebrate woodturning as both a craft and an art form. The exhibition highlights pieces created through the organization’s community service initiatives, reflecting the generosity, skill, and creativity of its members.
The exhibition opens March 21 and runs through April 18, 2026, with an opening reception on Saturday, March 21 from 2–4 PM, including live woodturning demonstrations by MWA members.
More Information on Minnesota Woodturners Association:
What inspired: Our chapter has been committed to community service since our start in 1987. As individuals, our members have prompted MWA to find continuing and expanded opportunities to apply our interests and talents for the greater good. Several of our longest running community service programs got their start through the commitments of individuals with an affiliation to a cause. And, their work has inspired a broader club interest. As such, our community service philosophy manifests itself both through individual contributions and full-chapter commitments.
Implementation: Our specific, full-chapter service foci have varied over time. As a chapter, our community service leadership has us focused on:
Beads of Courage (BoC). In the past ten years members have made and donated boxes, bags and toys for this incredible organization. MWA has been with the BoC program since 2006. In that time MWA donated thousands of lidded boxes, hundreds of bead bags and hundreds of toys and tops for children undergoing treatment for cancer and other serious illnesses. Our exhibition at Rumriver will highlight 12 hand crafter BoC boxes.
Wig Stands for Cancer Patients, an extension of our Women In Turning (WIT) participation. This is a recent addition to our mix in partnership with American Association of Woodturners programs focused on WIT. We have started hosting monthly makers sessions in our facility classroom. We have space for 12 members to work together fashioning wig stands. Individuals make components and enjoy mixing and matching their pieces in new designs. We find this collaborative approach is incredibly productive, it also builds community within our chapter. In the first year and half we have over 100 wig stands delivered. Our exhibition at Rumriver will highlight 12 hand crafted wig stands.
Splinter Groups. Ours is an exceptionally large chapter; 300+ members. In an effort to build community within MWA, small ‘splinter’ group meetings are held throughout the Twin Cities area. These encourage sharing and hands on experiences in an informal, interactive meeting.
Safety: The chapter has a strong focus on safety that is reflected in our approach to community service. Meetings frequently begin with a safety message or near miss reminder to encourage safety practices. All classes include safety tips. The chapter has purchased face shields and safety glasses for use by anyone who doesn’t bring his/her own.
Innovation: Two examples of our innovation are demonstrated in our approach to wig stand production. 1) hosting events for community-based service project turning. 2) encouraging community-built wig stands where members mix/match the pieces from different turners to create new designs during assembly. On their own initiative several of the members partners have knitted caps to add to the wig stands, our community service has included members families. We have partnered with two organizations for free distribution of our wig stands: ebeauty Community (serves Hennepin County Medical Center in the metro area) and Wigs for the Cure (serving central MN.)
Results: This organization is committed to action rather than measuring results. Still, we have several three ring binders filled with pictures and thank you notes from the recipients of member generosity.
Supporting Evidence. The sheer volume of what MWA has produced is a tribute to the chapter’s commitment to community service. This level of production would not be possible without a great breadth of the membership making contributions, and repeated contributions.
Links for additional information:
- MWA – https://mnwoodturners.com/#!event-list
- AAW https://www.woodturner.org/
- WIT – https://woodturner.org/Woodturner/WIT/WIT-Home-Page.aspx?
- Boc – https://beadsofcourage.org/
- Ebeauty – https://ebeauty.com/
Wigs for the Cure – https://wigsforthecure.com/