Innovative classes in Baltimore

[Mike Davis]

Look at the class and workshop listings here, some interesting concepts.

http://www.aworkshopofourown.com/main

A Note from WOO's Founder:
I often return to a snippet of a quote, written more than a century ago, in 1877 by William Morris, about the fundamental importance of learning from “the best school, the school of successful practice going on around you.” I think the concept Morris promotes has profound ties to what Virginia Woolf was getting at, about 85 years ago, when she wrote the words that grace our welcome page: "For masterpieces are not single and solitary births; they are the outcome of many years of thinking in common, of thinking by the body of the people, so that the experience of the mass is behind the single voice." The work we make today stands on the shoulders of those who made before us, of those who are making around us. We need more women who are practicing furniture makers. We need to cultivate a diversity of voices in our field. And we need to willfully create dedicated workshops to support and champion these voices.
At the university level, it’s easy to forget how underrepresented women are in the field of furniture making. Many of today's furniture design programs enroll a predominance of woman-identifying students. But step out into the commercial world and you are reminded. At both of the last two major design and craft fairs at which I exhibited my work, I was asked if the work was made by my husband. I tried not to be offended. The askers were embarrassed when they realized their mistake. Their mistake is a manifestation of our larger, cultural understanding of furniture making. And we are the makers of our culture. We can choose to build workshops like we are building here in Baltimore. We can provide supportive creative environments to young people who might be overlooked for an apprenticeship, or treated differently, based solely on their gender identity. We can, in turn, produce and exhibit good work in our communities. In doing so, we have the opportunity to alter “the experience of the mass... behind the single voice.”
–Sarah Marriage

 

[zapdafish]

Kinda like a makerspace except just wood.

https://www.eventbrite.com/o/forge-greensboro-7374721199

 

[ehpoole]

I certainly like and admire the idea, but I guess I worry that at those prices many of the women who could perhaps gain the most will be largely priced out as $50/day or $200/mo is a lot for many, but especially those just starting out or have fallen on hard times. I also worry that as much as I personally advocate for greater participation by women, young, old and in-between, in our technical hobbies and professions we nonetheless lose something important when we begin be outright excluding a gender from participation as there is much women can learn from men, and much men could learn from women, which does not happen if the two do not have the opportunity to meet as both equals and students.

That is one of the things I really admire about NCWW as we have a number of women, not nearly as many as I would like to see, but a number, and I feel, and hope, that they are generally treated as equals here and that we both learn from one another as their skills and observations are every bit equal to the men's. I am grateful to have a number of women involved in this woodworking hobby and who are always willing to share their knowledge, skills, and creations freely with either gender and plenty of men who are also woodworkers whom are happy to share the same without any consideration to the others gender. Having both genders on equal footing and equally respected gives us all important insights as both genders have much to share and learn, and I think that is the basis of a great start. But I would very much like to see more female participation in this hobby, and in all my hobbies honestly, as every hobbyist brings unique skills and insight and the greater our diversity the greater and better off our hobby.

But that is just my $0.02.

 

[sawman101]

Definetly gives me some ideas. I'm not a carver, but we certainly have quite a few. So, how about a workshop on spoon carving or bowl carving? Pen turning, spindle turning, bowl turning etc. Basic power tools for newbies, What Is Wood? Might also be an interesting workshop. Just some ideas from Mike's post.

 

[Mike Davis]

While I agree with Ethan that the prices are too high, I think somewhat higher pricing is required when there is a brick and mortar structure to support and paid staff.

I have been trying to think how we can get more women involved since the very first clandestine women's workshop. Yes, clandestine, because I was told not to exclude men even though the women requested that particular qualification. That first workshop was a quiet success and started me on a path of thinking how we can be more inclusive. Most men seem to think there is no gender barrier to woodworking, but many women that I have spoken with do feel that they are not treated the same.

I hope to explore these differences and will try to promote more opportunities for women and children in the coming months. If anyone sees anything negative in my thinking please tell me now.

I'm going to quote Megan Fitzpatrick now since I am fast becoming a fish out of water here...
From several posts on Facebook:

As a woman woodworker, I have stories to tell – and I will soon – about how disheartening assumptions can be. Being able to work in a "safe" space and learn from those who don't make assumptions about you because of your gender? Priceless.

Please help WOO buy the shop building, ensuring the future of this good and necessary effort: aworkshopofourown.com.
My idealistic view is that classes and shops for women should not be necessary – but empirical evidence suggests otherwise. All woodworkers and would-be woodworkers should be equally welcome, be treated the same and be evaluated by the same metrics (ditto in any learning or work environment). But they (we) are not.

I tried valiantly to get all academic, with stats and studies showing how women learn better from other women, and in environments where gender is a non-issue, while touching on the dangers of patriarchy, etc. In the end, I went for gut and grammar: "Woman" should not be used as an adjective to modify "woodworker."

 

[nn4jw]

Teaching any skill can be a challenge, especially to adults, regardless of gender or other factors. In my long career in programming I routinely taught skills based classes every year. For me personally I learned that I do not enjoy teaching classes to beginners. Actually, let me clarify that; I don't enjoy teaching classes to beginners who don't understand and accept that they are actually beginners and need to start at the beginning. That's an all too common thing when teaching adults, especially adults who are skilled or educated in other non-related things. It's worse when you have a class where there are beginners and those with prerequisite skills mixed together.

When faced with a mixed group of adults, meaning they are at different skill levels, and a short course or seminar with limited time, you have to make a conscious decision whether to stick to the original lesson plan or try to quickly bring the beginners up to speed and get back to the lesson plan. Either way you are going to make people mad. If you stick to the original plan then the beginners will be lost and guess who gets the blame? If you change the plan and cannot provide the content that the rest of the class signed up for, then they will be unhappy and once again you will get the blame.

What does this have to do with teaching woodworking? Same issues, different subject matter.

When proposing a topic for a class it's really difficult to set forth the prerequisite skills a student must have to get anything out of the class, especially if you've had those skills so long that you don't even remember when you acquired them. It's easy to make the assumption that "everyone" already has those prerequisite skills. Here's an example but in no way the only possible one; which way do you turn a bolt or screw to tighten it? Everyone knows "lefty loosy, righty tighty", right? How do you react when you encounter an adult who demonstrates that they don't know that in practice, especially in a class setting? That's the top of the slippery slope, folks. All the other issues already mentioned, like but not limited to gender, are just the sharp rocks you'll hurt yourself on as you slide down that slippery slope.

One idea is to make up a beginning to intermediate to advanced set of classes and require at least some of the them as prerequisites unless the prospective student "tests out". That might be more work than anyone or group wants to take on. It has its own problems, such as irritating (insulting) semi-skilled or skilled potential students. For that matter, a beginner who actually needs to learn basic skills but refuses to recognize that fact would likely be insulted.

Another idea is to borrow a practice from amateur radio called "Elmering". An "Elmer" is an experienced licensed amateur radio operator who works one on one with beginners looking to obtain a license or less experienced licensed amateurs. There's no set curriculum. It's more like a mentoring program. The "Elmer" might suggest things to do, especially in the early stages, or just be a helpful resource answering questions or teaching both electronics theory and technical skills as the learner progresses.

In practice I'd actually suggest a combination of classes and Elmers (Woody's?). Both approaches have pros and cons but are quite complimentary to each other. That is actually the way it's done in amateur radio with both Elmering, formal classes and self study being readily available. That system has pretty much been in place since the beginning of amateur radio, well over 100 years ago.

 

[Jim M.]

From a young age I learned most of my carving skills and techniques from both men and women in a group setting. So working with women in the shop is second nature to me. That's one of the thing I love about NCWW, we are a diverse group.

One of my first woodworking classes was when I was 11yrs old. My Grandfather went to take a decoy carving classes with Ed and Esther Burns in St. Michaels Maryland and he took me with him. It was about a hour and half drive from his farm on the Eastern Shore of Virginia (where I now live). My Grandfather was a great decoy carver, but painting them was his Achilles heal. As he sat with Esther learning how to paint, Ed ask me if I could carve, I said I could whittle some, so he brought me back to this big table where there were a bunch of men and women sitting around carving and just chatting it up.

To make a long story short we went to the Burns shop once a week from then on until I left for college. They charged $5 a night for the both of us, but I couldn’t put a price on the skills and friendships I gain from going there. Even today when I pick up a knife and start carving, I can still hear the laughs, see their smiles and remember the stories those men and women told.

http://www.stardem.com/news/article_fe3a3ba8-c270-5f34-a1af-1de71afeb673.html

 

[Graywolf]

I for one feel what they are doing is great, the prices are competitive compared to other schools I've seen. The classes or workshops offered with our group are a wonderful resource for anyone wanting to take part. Helping Berta to use a hand saw was a lovely thing to experience, and I would love it if more women were interested in just that. The couple of classes I have taught this year have been a joy and look forward to doing more.