Minnesota, San Diego guilds prep for annual shows

The Minnesota Woodworkers Guild will host its 2023 Northern Woods Exhibition, April 27-30, at the Eden Prairie Center in Eden Prairie, Minn. The annual show and competition features work by professional and amateur woodworkers, including furniture, turnings, carvings, and sculptures.

Guild president Ed Neu says the show provides a great opportunity for members to display and discuss their craft, and for the community to view the best in woodworking design and construction. It also helps to promote the organization.

“Education is one of the principal goals of the Minnesota Woodworkers Guild. Many of the pieces in this show reflect skills learned at monthly meetings, workshops, and seminars sponsored by the guild. If you are a woodworker who wants to learn new techniques and meet with others who are willing to share their knowledge, please be our guest at a meeting and consider becoming a member,” Neu said in a statement.

The competition part of the show awards cash prizes in 13 categories, which include Best in Show, Best Original Design, Best Traditional Piece, Most Technically Accomplished, Woodworking for Pleasure, and the Peer and People’s Choice awards.

Participants are asked to submit their applications online by April 16. For more, visit mnwwg.org.

The San Diego Fine Woodworkers Association will host its 40th annual Design in Wood competition and exhibition, June 7 through July 4, at the San Diego County Fair in Del Mar, Calif.

The event will feature woodworking demonstrations, including one on using digital tools, according to show coordinator Ed Gladney.

The juried exhibition averages 350 entries, up from 45 at the first show in 1982. The competition offers 26 categories and $20,000 in prize money. The entry deadline is April 28. For more, visit sdfwa.org.  

This article was originally published in the February 2023 issue.