Grassroots Grantee Highlight: Southern Piedmont Woodturners

“The Grassroots Grant is really important for us.”

Southern Piedmont Woodturners is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the art of woodturning through education, hands on learning, and community. Based at ClearWater Arts Center & Studios in Concord, the club brings together woodturners of all experience levels, from people just discovering the craft to experienced turners looking to learn new techniques.

With monthly demonstrations, workshops, mentoring, and community outreach, SPW is all about sharing knowledge and keeping the craft growing. Members regularly demonstrate woodturning at community events, including the Cabarrus County Fair, where they make wooden spinning tops for kids. Each year, they prepare about 800 tops in advance, and by the end of the fair, they are usually gone!

Board President Larry Nottingham discovered woodturning somewhat by chance after moving to Virginia. A neighbor who was a woodturner invited him to a meeting, and he quickly found himself drawn to both the craft and the community around it.

Today, that same spirit of sharing is at the heart of Southern Piedmont Woodturners. Members teach one another through open turning, demonstrations, workshops, and a mentoring program that helps pass skills from experienced turners to newer members.

As an organization that relies on fundraising, Grassroots funding provided through the N.C. Arts Council and granted by the Cabarrus Arts Council helps SPW cover essential operating expenses, including studio rent and lathe maintenance. That support helps ensure the organization can continue providing opportunities for people to learn, practice, and share the craft of woodturning.

Interested in trying woodturning? Membership is a great way to get hands on, learn from experienced turners, and become part of the community. Visitors are welcome to attend monthly meetings which are held the fourth Saturday of each month at 9 a.m. in Studio 122 at ClearWater Arts Center & Studios.

Learn more about Southern Piedmont Woodturners and becoming a member at spwoodturners.com.

This organization is supported by the Grassroots Arts Program of the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural & Cultural Resources.

Want to see art in your community? Please consider making a gift to the Cabarrus Arts Council: Help keep art alive in our region through a donation of any size. Visit cabarrusartscouncil.org/donate