Mel Lindquist

Mel Lindquist
Born	July 5, 1911 Kingsburg, California
Died	November 24, 2000 Quincy, Florida
Nationality	American
Field	Wood Turning, Engineering
Training	Oakland Polytechnic College of Engineering
Movement	American Studio Wood Turning
Awards	Fellow American Society of Quality Control New England Living Art Treasure, University of Massachusetts at Amherst,1983 The First "National Woodturning Conference Award" for outstanding achievements in Studio Woodturning, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, 1985 Lifetime Member American Association of Woodturners, 1993

Mel Lindquist (born Melvin Benjamin Lindquist, July 5, 1911-November 24, 2000) was an engineer and renowned pioneer of the American Studio Wood Turning movement.^{[1][2][3][4][5]} Foundational to the studio woodturning movement, Mel Lindquist applied his master machinist techniques and background in engineering, pioneering hollowing techniques called "blind boring", or "blind turning", widely used today.^{[5][6][7][8][9]} Mel Lindquist discovered spalted wood on his land in the upstate New York Adirondacks in the 1950s^[5][10] and together with his son Mark Lindquist, popularized its use as a material for woodturning and woodworking. Mel Lindquist is widely credited as being the first to seriously explore the use of spalted wood for wood turning,^{[5][8][11][12][13]} and his son Mark wrote groundbreaking essays in journals of the 1970s.^[14][15] The effect was widespread according to Fine Woodworking: "...Melvin and Mark Lindquist unleashed spalted wood upon the world...."^[13][16][17] In addition to his numerous technical innovations, Mel Lindquist is also widely credited for developing an aesthetic foundation for the studio woodturning movement based on translating ancient ceramic ideals into the medium of wood, incorporating bark inclusions and imperfections as decorative elements within the turning integral to design.^{[8][9][11][18]} In 1981, Mel and his son Mark initiated the wood turning program at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts,TN, and in October 1985, Mel won the first award honoring the pillars of the studio woodturning movement at the national conference: Woodturning: Vision and Concept at Arrowmont School, TN.^[11]

Lindquist signed his work with a simple script "L" including the date and type of wood from the early 1950s until 1980. After 1980 he signed his work with an incised script signature "Mel Lindquist" on the bottoms of his pieces.

Mel Lindquist's work can be found in numerous public and private collections in the US and abroad, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum, San Francisco, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C., the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, TX, and the White House Collection of American Crafts.

References

1. ^ "Melvin Lindquist Biography". Smithsonian American Art Museum. 1995. http://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/online/whc/whc-noframe.html?/exhibitions/online/whc/lindquist2.html. Retrieved 2009-02-12. 
2. ^ Duncan-Aimone, Katherine; Wallace, Kevin, Leier, Ray, Peters, Jan (September 1, 2004). 500 Wood Bowls. US: Lark Books. pp. 7–9. ISBN 978-1579904838. http://books.google.com/?id=Xl0xkSb7714C&pg=PA6&lpg=PA6&dq=Mel+Lindquist+woodturning. 
3. ^ Wallace, Kevin; Vessery, Jacques (September 2007). "An Evolutionary View of Contemporary Woodturning". Center for Furniture Craftsmanship. http://www.woodschool.org/gallery/farfromthetree/index.html. Retrieved 2009-02-12. 
4. ^ Bartoluci, Marisa (09/01/2005). "Passion Investments". Worth Magazine. http://www.worth.com/Editorial/Thought-Leaders/Culture/Passion-Investments-Collectibles-Bowling-for-Dollars-2.asp. Retrieved 2009-02-12. ^{[dead link]}
5. ^ ^{a b c d} Wallace, Kevin; Leir, Ray, Peters, Jan (1999, November 27, 2000). Contemporary Turned Wood. US: Hand Books Press / Guild of Master Craftsman Publications Ltd. pp. 8, 10,29,80,126. ISBN 978-1861081865. 
6. ^ Monroe, Michael; Diamonstein, Barbaralee, Broun, Elizabeth (1995). The White House Collection of American Crafts. US: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. New York. pp. 19, 97, 98, 120. 
7. ^ Fike, Bonita; Mendelson, Mike (2000). The Fine Art of Wood. US: Abbeville Press, NY, London, Paris. pp. 13, 14,. ISBN 0-7892-0680-3. 
8. ^ ^{a b c} Nish, Dale (1985). Master Woodturners. US: Artisan Press. pp. 63–77. ISBN 978-0934327008. 
9. ^ ^{a b} Martin, Terry (October 2008). Icons: A Tribute to Mel Lindquist. Hong Kong: Shore Design / Rakova Brecker Gallery. pp. 8–12, 25–28. 
10. ^ Hammel, Lisa (November 19, 1975). "Wood Sculptors Mel and Mark Lindquist". The New York Times. 
11. ^ ^{a b c} Adamson, Glen; Cooke, Edward S., JR. (July 1, 2003). Wood Turning in America Since 1930. Milan, Italy: Wood Turning Center and Yale University Art Gallery. ISBN 978-0894670947. 
12. ^ Roberta, Smith (September 1, 1989). "NY Times Review: Art; The Many ways of Turning Wood". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE2DC1130F932A3575AC0A96F948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2. Retrieved 2009-02-12. 
13. ^ ^{a b} Jacobson, Edward; Herman, Lloyd E., Nish, Dale L., Turk, Rudy H. (1985). The Art of Turned-Wood Bowls. US: E.P. Dutton Inc., New York. pp. 12, 63–77. ISBN 0-525-24328-3. 
14. ^ Lindquist, Mark (1977). "Turning Spalted Wood". Fine Woodworking 2 (1). 
15. ^ Lindquist, Mark (1978). "Turning Spalted Wood". Fine Woodworking Summer, 1978. 
16. ^ Kelsey, John (January/February 1982). "The Turned Bowl". Fine Woodworking 1982 (32): 54. 
17. ^ Tradition/Innovation.org (2008). "Lindquist on Trees - Choice of Wood". Southern Arts Federation. http://traditioninnovation.org/galleries/artist_popup/lindquist.html. Retrieved 2009-02-13. 
18. ^ Leach, Mark Richard; Monroe, Michael W.; Ramljak,Suzanne (2000). A Passion for Wood (Monroe essay) Turning Wood into Art : The Jane and Arthur Mason Collection. US / Japan: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. New York. pp. 44. ISBN 978-0810944831. 

Persondata
Name	Lindquist, Mel
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	July 5, 1911
Place of birth	Kingsburg, California
Date of death	November 24, 2000
Place of death	Quincy, Florida