Young Carvers

[BobD]

In another thread, people talked about declining show attendance...and they brought up how carving seems to be an aging market...so what can we do as a community to introduce more young people???

I'm loosely associated with a few Boy Scout troops to teach carving and woodworking...

And Fox Chapel tries to sponsor the youth division of carving shows...

And I know Rick Ferry gives an award to young carvers at shows...

Dale Helgerson, a scroller/woodworker that I've introduced to carving spends a lot of time working with his local 4-H...

But what do you do???

Bob Duncan
Technical Editor

[chuckt]

Bob - I replied in the other thread at the same time that you were posting this one. My post there was more of an analysis of what I see as some possible reasons for a decline in carving.

I think that this is a multi-faceted problem actually. One problem is educating the public to the art form and its value (compared to resin casts and duplicarved "carvings"). Another is the "cheap import" problem. And another is the problem you've focused on in this thread which is how to attract additional younger participants.

I think the suggestions you made above are excellent - working with Scout (Boy and Girl) and 4H type organizations. But another I think - would be to simply get out and carve more often in public. Simply seeing someone actually carving and creating something by hand from raw wood can create a spell of awe that I find many are fascinated by. We live in an age where everything that we have is bought in a store - our food, our everyday items, our art, our entertainment. Very few people nowadays actually make anything. I think there is a fascination that happens when we see people creating that is VERY attractive and awakens the desire within us to CREATE!

Once that spark is ignited - it may lie dormant for a time due to time or $ contraints, but you've planted that seed that many will return to when they are able. Then you start by showing how simple it can be to get started with simple doable "5 minute" (or in my case 5 DAY <sigh>) carvings that don't require hundreds of dollars in tools.

Well - that's my thought. I guess I better get back to work for "THE MAN" so I can pay my bills.

Cheers!
ChuckT

[mikeg]

Being 42, I'm still in touch with a lot of young kids. I taught my 15 y/o son the basics of carving a couple of years ago and bought him a basic set. Unfortunately, he hasn't touched it in at least a year.

During our last college reunion I showed the 9 y/o son of a friend how to carve a basic face. We'll see what comes of that. The neighbor's son likes to watch me carve.

But yes, we have to keep exposing the kids to carving so that they know it's out there.

I had to edit mine since Chuck's came through while I was typing. I just wanted to say to Chuck that I think you're right about the mass produced products 'cheapening' the unique hand carved items produced by a carver.

mikeg

[RUssL.]

My 12 year-old son and I attended the Green Mountain Wood Carvers Exhibition this past Saturday. We had a great time.

He was the one that got me into "whittlin'" a couple of winters ago. While I have continued with a growing interest and practice in wood carving he lost interest after the first couple of months.

On the way home in the car while we talked about how much we enjoyed the exhibition he told me that he really wanted to get back into whittling; specifically to make a ball-in-a-cage.

I told thim that I thought that was great and that maybe he should also complete a couple of projects that he left unfinished at the end of our first winter months of "whittlin'", just to get a little practice. He agreed.

Tonight I'm going to remind him of his Saturday-epiphany, make him a basswood ball-in-a-cage blank...and keep my fingers crossed! :-)

All the best,

RussL.

[BobT]

We (Club Members of a club no longer in existance) used to do carving demonstrations at the County Fair. We also held soap carving classes for the kids. We all chipped in and bought bars of Ivory soap, and had them carve with plastic picnic knives (not wanting the liability if a kid cut themselves). We were very surprised how many parents started showing up at the club and got into carving, many parents and kids showed up together. It was a successful venture.

[DADDIO]

chuck i think you nailed it both here and the other thread,i'm about the same age and have been carving about 4-5 years i joined a club when i first got started and am still a member though i don't go as much as i would like because it is about 1 1/2 hour drive there and back but found the same thing kind of true,i was kind of the younger one there plus these people all knew each other for a long time,don't get me wrong everyoner is very nice and i enjoy it but for a long time i think you still kind of feel like an outsider... if that makes sense.
as for exposing people to carving i have several people i have started carving and all seem kind of intrested in starting an informal carving group here and i'm considering doing that.but i also started setting up at our local farmers market which has expanded to cover handmade crafts,my wife and i have done very well there she sells hand sewn items and baked goods and i sell my carvings plus i'm always working on something while i'm there,usually a smaller carving where i just use my pocket knife,and your right people are amazed!! i've had several teenagers wanting to learn and are full of questions as well as others.even i you don't think your carvings are that good (me) people are amazed you can do that,i can't count the times every sat morning that i hear how talented i am or how blessed i am with this gift.i had a friend who died a year ago we played in the same band for several years,he was a welder also and created all inds of neat art pieces,when i showed him my carvings when i first started he went on and on about how good they were,when i knew better,and i said man as creative as you are you can't tell me my stuff is that good,and then he broke it down for me.he said i'm no good with a knife,i can weld,it's the same thing...you look at my work and say how good it is cause you don't know how to weld....i look at yours and am just as amazed cause i'm no good with a knife...same goes for other people when they see our creations.....(thank you melvin,miss you brother) sorry for being long winded got caught up in the moment i guess,dang think i got something in my eye!!

[TommyPhillips]

The Colorado Carvers Club is seeing the same thing: mostly older members, at least at the meetings, and some of them fading away. I'm still in my 40s, and I'm one of the youngest people attending when I go to a meeting.

Part of the problem is that in 21st Century America, we are too stinking busy. We don't have lives, we have jobs. Between working 50+ hours every week, dealing with all the issues of life, chores, kids, etc., who has time to attend meetings? It's a rare week when I spend as much as three hours carving, much less attend a meeting.

Of course, one of the attendance problems we have is that meetings are on Sunday mornings, and some of us just don't want to skip church that often, so I only get to two or three meetings a year. It took me a couple of years to join, just because it seemed silly to join if I wasn't going to meetings. I finally realized that joining to support the club was better than lurking and leeching.

I think I got a little off-topic, there ...

[muskysucker]

I think one way is to have a junior part in all of the competitions. This is what has my two girls carving. I am going to a fish decoy competition in Maplewood MN on September 8. My girls are making fish for this show. They are going to compete in two juniors classes. If they like it now but don’t stay with it, it is some thing they may come back to later. One more thing is to make sure that the kids come to the shows. If kids see kids doing some thing "cool" they tend to want to do it too.

[Tom-H]

I am an older newer carver. I belong to two organized carving groups. One group meets every week in a Senior Center, the other about every two weeks in a different Senior Center. Beginning to see a pattern here? In each of these two carving groups the question has come up about teaching some young kids the basics. Without question, the whole idea is dropped as soon as someone mentions liability. I think it's a crutch. If the carving clubs and groups that we belong to were really serious about offering classes and lessons to young people we would find a way. Look how many "pee wee" football groups are out there. Sorry bout the soapbox....I can get a lot of young kids interested. And I do. I've got several that stop by every now and then with their dad and we go over a few things. We go over safety, and the basic cuts with a pocket knife. Each time a kid and his/her dad stops by for about an hour they finish something to take home. I get these kids interested by setting up a small table in local gift shops between now and Christmas. At the table I whittle/carve little ornaments, 5 minute owls, small Santa's, etc. I have a whole basket full of the same carvings that are painted, that I give to the kids. I also have a small Christmas tree with carved ornaments on it that are for sale. Last year I sold over 100 ornaments, but more important, had 8 kids and 5 adults start carving....Sorry to be so long winded.

Tom H

[Eddy-Smiles]

There are a lot of good ideas in this thread and probably twice as many other ideas that could be investigated to promote carving.

However, I strongly disagree with Tom H. In today's society, liability is an issue that can't be ignored. Let one kid get cut at a club activity, with or without his parent being present, and the club and who ever is supervising that activity and representing the club can kiss there assets goodbye (that is unless the club has a good insurance plan in place).

But with that said, I don't think that clubs should or do roll-over on promoting carvering. From what I've read on this forum and from observing my own club's activities and shows, there are always carver's out there who take great enjoyment into providing non-lethal carving experiences and/or hand out carved objects to interested kids.

My recommendation is to start at home either with your own kids or with grandchildren. Not everyone is suited for dealing with the children of others.