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ISSUE NO. 318
August/September 2025 p. 20
I’m a 50-year Positive Woodworking subscriber (yep, received all of them) and a retired 40-year skilled woodworker. I’m astounded that you just uncared for to say Wendell Fortress in “Exceptional Mentors.” Moreover Wharton Esherick, who influenced Fortress, who influenced Silas Kopf . . . , with apologies to Nakashima and Maloof and Krenov, I nonetheless contemplate Wendell Fortress to be the daddy of the American studio furnishings motion. Fortress had, and continues to have, an excessive amount of affect on a technology of woodwork/furnishings design builders.
As evidenced by the truth that Wendell Fortress’s work is featured within the everlasting collections of many distinguished artwork museums in our nation and overseas, how FWW didn’t give credit score to the whole thing of Fortress’s breadth of affect to American studio woodworking over the previous 50 years was baffling and disappointing to this devoted reader. —DAVID D. DOERNBERG, Warwick, R.I.
Editor replies:
I’ll take successful on this one. On the threat of spoiling the shock, we have now extra retrospectives in retailer for you as we proceed to have a good time our fiftieth yr. The unique idea was to function a pair of articles in our anniversary problem, one noting rising makers and the opposite one long-time contributors to the craft. When deputy editor Jon Binzen set about figuring out up-and-coming makers, he was confronted by much more worthy candidates than would slot in a single article. Consequently, on this problem, we’re that includes a second installment on the topic. Even so, I’m assured that there are numerous extra deserving makers we have now missed.
In the identical regard, when senior editor Anissa Kapsales started engaged on a listing of woodworking giants of the twentieth century, she got here away with much more names than we had room for. As a substitute of a single article, we determined to interrupt it into three installments. The primary, which you referenced, centered on influential mentors. A second installment will give attention to furnishings makers who pushed the boundaries of the craft, and Wendell Fortress is included in that group.
Lastly, we need to acknowledge the significantly vital contributors to the journal, and thus the craft, over time. This, I concern, would be the most daunting of the duties, contemplating the 1000’s of authors we have now had. We’ll attempt to honor as many as we will, however relaxation assured, there can be many we’re sure to miss as effectively. Please maintain your pen on the prepared and tell us who we’ve missed!
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