David Ellsworth

"As a maker, I find myself drawn to the privacy of the interior of these forms, for it is here that I discover the origin of their force, their spirit, their pulse, elements that engender the same qualities of mystery that one finds within one's self."
–David Ellsworth

Over the past thirty years, woodworker David Ellsworth has become known as a premier wooden vessel form designer. Though initially trained in ceramics, Ellsworth became fascinated with wooden vessels by mid-1975 and began to use his training in clay to develop a process called hollow turning. The wooden vessels he produces are thin and hollow and are considered both craft objects as well as formal sculpture. Ever inspired by his prior experience working in clay, his love of wood, and Native American ceramic and basketry forms, Ellsworth believes his creations express the spirit and pulse of his raw materials. Ellsworth's turned wooden forms can be found in museums throughout the world. He has lectured and taught workshops throughout the United States, Canada, and England in addition to his annually holding intensive wood turning courses in his home and studio.

His work has been exhibited at the Michener Art Museum in The Contemporary Eye, at the museum’s New Hope, Pennsylvania location in 2005 and in 2012 in Parting Gifts: Artists Honor Bruce Katsiff, Director/CEO 1989-2012. His work is included in the permanent installation Intelligent Design, which opened in 2012 and was part of the exhibition Creative Hand, Discerning Heart: Form, Rythm, Song in 2013.

Education and Training
Washington University, St. Louis, MO, Architecture, 1965-1966
New School for Social Research, New York, NY, Fine Arts, 1966-1970
University of Colorado, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Sculpture, 1970-1971
University of Colorado, Master of Fine Arts, Sculpture, 1971-1973

Teachers and Influences
David Ellsworth is influenced by Native American ceramics, as well as Paul Soldner (ceramics artist), Mary Frank (sculptor) and Jerry Kunkle (painter).

Connection to Bucks County
David Ellsworth moved to Haycock Township from Colorado in 1981 with his wife, artist Wendy Ellsworth. They continue to spend their summers in Colorado.

Colleagues and Affiliations
David Ellsworth considers Steve Tobin (glass), Ric Hanisch (architecture), and George and Mira Nakashima (friends) colleagues in the Bucks County art world.

Major Group Exhibitions
Woodturning, Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY, 1979
American Craft Museum, New York, NY, 1983, 1987, 1993, 1998
Renwick Gallery of The Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 1986, 1997
Bishhop Museum of Fine Arts, Honolulu, HI, 1986, 1997
High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA, 1988, 1990, 1993
Port of History Museum, Philadelphia, PA, 1988, 1991
Craft & Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles, CA, 1989, 2004
Crafts Today USA, Musee Des Arts Decoratifs, Paris, France, 1989
Pennsylvania Lathe-Turned Objects: 1700-1990, Woodmere Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA, 1990
In Our Circle, Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, PA, 1991
The Forest Refined, Trenton City Museum of Art, Trenton, NJ, 1992
Redefining The Late-Turned Object, University Art Museum, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 1993, 1995, 1997
The White House Craft Collection, National Gallery of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., 1995
Turned Wood Now: Redefining The Lathe Turned Object, Arizona State Art Museum, Tempe, AZ, 1995, 1997
Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock, AR, 1997
Kunstindustrie Museum of Art , Copenhagen, Denmark, 1997
Expressions In Wood: Masterworks From The Wornick Collection, Oakland Museum of California, Oakland, CA, 1997
Contemporary Works From The Saxe Collection, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 1999
Wood Turning in North America Since 1930, Minnesota Institute of Art, Minnesota, MN, 2001
The Contemporary Eye, Michener Art Museum, New Hope, PA, 2005
Intelligent Design, Permanent Installation, Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, PA, 2012
Parting Gifts: Artists Honor Bruce Katsiff, Director/CEO, 1989-2012, Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, PA, 2012
Creative Hand, Discerning Heart: Form, Rythm, Song, Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, PA, 2013

Major Solo Exhibitions
Metropolitan State College, Denver, CO. 1973
Sheldon Memorial Art Museum, Lincoln, NE. 1979
Pritam & Eames, Easthampton, NY. 1983
Great American Gallery, Atlanta, GA. 1984, 1987
Cooper-Lynn Gallery, New York City, NY. 1985
Pro Art Gallery, St. Louis, MO. 1988
Bellas Artes Gallery, Santa Fe, N.M. 1989
Bellas Artes Gallery, New York City, N.Y. 1991
Mendelson Gallery, Washington, CT. 1992, 1997
Hand And Spirit Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ. 1994
Okun Gallery, Santa Fe, N.M. 1995
Del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. 1997, 2000
Materia Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ. 1999
Patina Gallery, Santa Fe, NM. 2004

Major Collections
Allentown Art Museum, Allentown, PA
Arkansas Center For The Arts, Little Rock, AR
Contemporary Museum of Art, Honolulu, HI
Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO
Detroit Institute of Art, Detroit, MI
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA
Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, CA
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, PA
Mint Museum of Craft + Design, Charlotte, NC
Museum of Contemporary Art & Design (Formally American Craft Museum) New York, NY
Museum of Fine Arts, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
Museum of The South, Mobile, AL
Philadelphia Art Museum, Philadelphia, PA
Racine Art Museum, Racine, Wisconsin
Renwick Gallery of The Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
School of American Craftsmen, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY
The White House, Washington, D.C.
University of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor, MI
Wood Turning Center, Philadelphia, PA
Wustum Museum of Fine Arts, Racine, WI
Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT

Teaching and Professional Appointments
University of Colorado, Sculpture

Major Awards
Colorado Artist/Craftsman Award, 1977
National Endowment For The Arts, $15,000 Fellowship Grant, 1984
Pennsylvania Council For The Arts, $5,000 Fellowship Grant, 1988
Pew Foundation, $50,000 Fellowship Grant, 1999
Lifetime Achievement Award, Collectors of Wood Art, 2002

Affiliations and Memberships
President, American Association Of Woodturners, 1986-1991
Lifetime Membership, American Association Of Woodturners, 1992
Fellow Of The American Craft Council, 2001

Publications
Oral History with Richard Polsky, Special Collections, Columbia University Libraries, Columbia University, New York City, NY, 1987
Cambridge Dictionary Of American Biography by John S. Bowman, Cambridge University Press, 1995
Ellsworth on Woodturning, by David Ellsworth, Fox Chapel Publications, 2008