Independent Arts News Reporting Museum for Art in Wood Presents Cinders: Burned, Scorched, & Pyrographed Works in Wood
Reported Thursday, June 26, 2025.
Pictured Above: Untitled, Material: Unidentified Wood. By Andrew Potocnik. Credit: John Carlano.
NEWSROOM POST: PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA
The exhibition presents works of installation, sculpture, and woodturning that experiment with the generative possibilities of fire - featuring works from the permanent collection
Philadelphia, PA – Now through September 21, the Museum for Art in Wood (141 N. 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106) presents a new exhibition, Cinders: Burned, Scorched, & Pyrographed Works in Wood (Cinders), featuring a curated selection of artworks largely drawn from its permanent collection. The exhibition presents works that revel in the incendiary properties of wood as a medium, with each piece delving into the enigmatic tension between permanence and fragility that materializes in fire-treated wood. Curated by the Museum’s Assistant Curator Amrut Mishra, the exhibition is on display in the Museum’s Fleur and Charles Bresler Research Library now through September 21, 2025.
For Cinders, Mishra selected 26 objects by 22 artists that illustrates the many possibilities of fire in contemporary art in wood. Many of the artists in the exhibition use a technique known as pyrography or wood wood burning, which involves using heated tools to burn markings into the wood. For artists seeking to embellish wooden surfaces, pyrography and scorching offer nuanced textures and elaborate designs.
Contemporary pyrographic artists use a stylus with an adjustable, heated metal tip – known as a woodburning pen – to singe the surface of their material. With controlled pen strokes that modulate temperature, pressure, and time, the pyrographic artists represented in Cinders achieve intricate and bold linework.
Pictured Above: “Hemispherical Bowl Form #7” by Hayley Smith. Credit: John Carlano.
Among the works featured in Cinders is “Flamenco” by American wood sculptor Hayley Smith, which exemplifies her work creating organic yet structural pieces defined by their rich color and intricate designs. Another piece by British woodworker Jim Patridge, “Blood Vessel Series,’ is a completely scorched vessel that demonstrates how artists can use fire to alter the texture and appearance of wood. A stunning example of pyrography is American woodturner John H. Williams’s “Solar Storm,” an orange vessel with carefully scorched designs that resemble the burning surface of the sun. For visitors who want to learn more about an object in Cinders, the Museum uses special QR Codes displayed in the exhibition that directs to a Smartify page with additional details such as the materials or wood used by the artist.
The other artists featured in Cinders include: Canadian sculpture artist Steve Bishop; German visual artist Christian Burchard; Pennsylvanian contemporary artist Miriam Carpenter; German wood sculpture artists Gaynor Dowling and Malcolm Martin; North Carolina-based woodworker Melissa Engler; Australian-based furniture maker and woodworker Ashley Eriksmoen; Pennsylvanian sculptural furniture artist Amy Forsyth; Pennsylvanian visual artist Giles Gilson; North Carolina-based multidisciplinary artist and jewelry designer Morgan Hill; Arizona-based contemporary sculpture artist Todd Hoyer; Wisconsin-based woodworking artist Katie Hudnall; Pennsylvania-based woodturning artist Dennis Mueller; Australian woodworker Andrew Potocnik; North Carolina-based sculptor and woodturner Graeme Priddle; Oklahoma-based visual artist Jack Slentz; Indiana-based wood sculptor Betty Scarpino; Maine-based furniture maker Michaela Crie Stone; and Thai woodworking artist Nucharin Wangphongsawasd.
Pictured Above: Museum of Art in Wood. Photo Credit: John Carlano.
Visitors to the Musuem for Art in Wood can view one of the most extensive institutional collections of contemporary art in wood. Admission is free, allowing guests to view its permanent collection comprising over 1,200 objects and rotation exhibitions in the Gerry Lenfest Gallery. The Museum’s collection is a testimony of this thriving field and includes turned objects, sculptures, studio furniture, installations, videos, and more.
In addition to the permanent collection, the Museum maintains an extensive archive documenting the field of art in wood and curated exhibitions in the Fleur and Charles Bresler Research Library. Consisting of over 1,000 books, manuscripts, and journals, the research library preserves the history of wood- turning and woodworking. The library also includes the Earl Powel Artist Research Files, which contain over 25,000 images and international artists’ records. The library provides a detailed look at the art form’s continuing evolution within the broader field of contemporary art. Members of the Museum have free access to the archives for research.
Cinders: Burned, Scorched, and Pyrographed Works in Wood is generously supported by the Cambium Giving Society of the Museum for Art in Wood, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, The Bresler Foundation, The Klorfine Foundation, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Philadelphia Cultural Fund, and Windgate Foundation.
Pictured Above: “Collecting Women by Morgan Hill. Credit: John Carlano.
About the Museum for Art in Wood:
The Museum for Art in Wood is the international leader for contemporary art and creativity in the material of wood. The Museum engages, educates, and inspires the public through the exhibition, collection, and interpretation of contemporary art in wood. Founded in 1986 and sited in Philadelphia, the Museum for Art in Wood serves a local and international community. It has built its reputation by providing opportunities for makers and visitors to experience craft directly, through participatory programming; seminal exhibitions and documentation; and the growth, conservation, exhibition, and care of its permanent collection. The Museum’s practice of keeping these resources free and available to the public emphasizes its commitment to building a democratic and inclusive community. Visit museumforartinwood.org to learn more.
