The Center for Art in Wood, Art museum in Old City District, Philadelphia, United States.
The Museum for Art in Wood, renamed on 30 January 2023, occupies a building in Philadelphia's Old City District, where it moved in 2011. It holds a permanent collection of more than 1,300 pieces, from turned vessels to studio furniture and sculpture, alongside changing exhibitions, a research library, artists files and a museum store.
The museum was founded in 1986 and grew from earlier international woodturning symposiums that had brought artists together. These roots in craftwork traditions shaped the institution's focus on contemporary artistic exploration with wood.
The museum's name changed three times: it opened in 1986 as the Wood Turning Center, became The Center for Art in Wood in 2011, and took the name Museum for Art in Wood on January 30, 2023. Its publications and artist files document wood turners, studio furniture makers and sculptors from around the world.
The museum sits in the historic Old City neighborhood and is easily accessible on foot with several gallery spaces to explore. Groups can arrange guided tours with specialists who discuss the artistic techniques and background of the works on display.
The Windgate Arts Residency Program in Wood, formerly the International Turning Exchange, was established in 1995. A newer Winter Residency, created in 2021 with the maker-space network NextFab, is reserved for wood artists of the Greater Philadelphia region who show a commitment to sustainable practices.
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