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Norm Sartorius

@nsartorius

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Carved wooden spoons as decorative art. My spoons are sculpture, my sculptures are spoons.

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Happy birthday @nsartorius ! The whole family here in New York is celebrating your day. You’re one of the most love filled humans we could imagine. Your passion for family, your craft, gardening, and so much more is contagious. You’re an incredible father, great friend, and the very best granddad. The world needs more gentle leaders like you. I always felt so lucky that you were my dad. I hope your day is filled with good foods, great friends, time to relax, and all the love you always share to the world around you! You’re the best Dad. #birthdayboy #normsartorius #family #granddad #storytime

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Sculptor Norm Sartorius (@nsartorius) created a large variety of objects—canes, cutting boards, shoe horns—before focusing almost exclusively on spoons. In addition to the voice of intuition, he draws inspiration from sculptural spoons produced in cultures around the world.

If you’d like to learn more about spoon carving, @vesterheim.museum is offering two virtual spoon-making workshops as part of #Handwork2026! On January 25, log on for an introduction to Japanese spoon carving with artist and designer Melanie Abrantes. And on March 21, artist and Instructor James Johnson delves into the history and cultural significance of spoons among the indigenous Alaskan Tlingit people. Learn more at the link in our bio.

Video from @craftinamerica’s COLLECTORS episode. Two still images at the end from @vesterheim.museum via handwork2026.org.

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7 months complete with our sweet “pumpkin face” ( a nickname given by nana). He has 4 teeth, said mama once! crawls like a pro, loves standing and freaking out the adults with his brave ways, he really enjoys eating all the foods and getting messy, and celebrated his first Halloween with sweet friends in their cozy home.

Our family and community continues to love and support one another, showing Rowan the important things in life. He loves cuddling, giggling, singing and laughing, and really loves meeting all our people and playing with other babies.

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Firings are days of communal effort. Shared experiences of people coming together for a common goal. To coax incredible color and surfaces from earth and flame. The crew from @gasworksnyc put in maximum effort to guide our anagama through a cone 11 firing for 100 hours. They stoked, and stirred, and ate plenty of kiln snacks to keep their spirits up. It was a great firing. #theokidokistudio #anagamaworkshop #anagamafiring #woodfiredworkshop #asartoriusceramics

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This past week feels a little like a blur. @theokidokistudio we had a great crew from @gasworksnyc come up to fire the anagama with me. They were an incredible firing crew, and they should feel really proud of their efforts. Along with all the busy that is running an anagama firing, my folks came up for a visit to help @tanyaleeceramics and me with Rowan. They were so helpful, and Rowan loves seeing Grandma and Grandad so very much. Amidst all the stoking shifts, good meals and great times a particular moment of joy came when @delaine50 and @nsartorius visited the anagama for the first time. In 12 years of firing they’ve seen a gas kiln being fired and made it to @newpaltzceramics for an anagama unload, but never a firing. I really loved watching my dad do his first stoke! He might have walked away from the kiln shed with a few firewood logs of curly cherry and buckthorn burl as well. Excited to see what comes from those in the future. Thanks for all the memories and help this week you two! You’re incredible. #normsartorius #finewoodenspoons #theokidokistudio #anagama #dadsfirststoke #firststoke

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Juglans cinerea, a design inspired by @nsartorius
#spooncarving #woodcarving #tree #juglanscinerea

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See the photos from Spring Craft Weekend, where we celebrated the prestigious Master of the Medium, and One-of-a-Kind Awardees with a Carnival of Wonder! 🎪
@michaellucero125 @xenba_xenba @nsartorius @dolorescanard @centerforcraft.

A special shoutout to @districtharvests for the delightfully crafted centerpieces at our final Brunch event!

📸 See the photos by clicking the link in our bio page.

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Rowan’s 2 months and 11lbs and 11 oz! And it’s easy to say, all who meet him think he’s the bee’s knee’s. He is safe, healthy, lucky and strong, this was the mantra i said and say every night as we go to sleep.

He continues to love the water and has even discovered that his hair moves under water and enjoys swaying his head back and forth with a little smile of wonder.

He has officially met all the grandparents and just adores our family, chosen and given.

He is a tummy time pro, enjoying the challenge with a giggle and curiosity. And has created a new language of coos that is the best to listen to.

@asartoriusceramics and I have been enjoying all this focused time together as a family, learning our new rhythm and tune. We have spent a lot of time on walks, gardening, singing and dancing to songs that give noise to our lives, cuddling in bed as a big dog pile, and attempting to slow ourselves down.

Parenthood is the most your brain grows and learns as an adult, and we are totally feeling that, but now with a little more grace and comfort.

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🥄 Introducing Norm Sartorius, one of our Masters of the Medium at this year's Spring Craft Weekend! Renowned for his exquisite hand-carved spoons, Norm has spent over 30 years transforming the humble wooden spoon into an art form. Working with rare and exceptional woods, he creates sculptural pieces that blend natural forms, abstract designs, and rich textures.

His works are housed in prestigious collections, including the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Yale University Art Gallery, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

✨Norm will be one of the four artists speaking at the Honoree Symposium and honored during the Gala and Brunch events at Spring Craft Weekend, April 25-27. Get your tickets today! Find the link in our bio. 🔗

📸 Photos by Jim Osborn.

Retusa Galaxy, Cocobolo Burl, 11 x 6 x 5 inches, 2015. Collection of Fleur Bresler. Photo by Jim Osborn.

Mutation - Mexican Oak - 9 x 4.25 x 3 - 1999 - Smithsonian American Art Museum, Renwick Gallery.

Spoon From a Forgotten Ceremony, Dogwood, 1994, 18 x 3 x 1.5, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Renwick Gallery. Photo: Jim Osborn

Conquistador - Honduras Rosewood Burl - 16 x 8 x 7 inches - Collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Renwick Gallery.

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a most excellent mail day, exotic (to me) woods from @nsartorius!
thank you again Norm, i hope i can do this lumber justice.

#mailday #woodworking #spooncarving #carving #wood #craft #woodturning

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A new episode of the great PBS series Craft in America on “Collectors,” has a segment on Spoon carver Norm Sartorius.

For over 40 years, Norm has been on a mission to elevate the humble wooden spoon to the level of art.

In his journey through uncharted territory, he has radically explored the concept of the spoon producing more than two thousand wonderful spoon-Iike sculptures.

His creations now reside in the permanent collections of numerous museums and, as this episode explores, he has enjoyed the friendship and patronage of many leading collectors of American craft including Fleur Bresler, Judy Chernoff, Jeff Bernstein, Pat McCauley, and Ken Spitzbard.

Check out Norm‘s website at normsartorius.com and learn about his 300-page biography and art book Spoons to Stir the Soul. It makes a great gift for anyone interested in art in wood and American craft. The hardcover edition is sold out worldwide, but Norm has a few softcover copies left to sell.

Resources

Wikipedia article “Norm Sartorius”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norm_Sartorius

Martin, Terry. (2006). “The spoonish sculptures of Norm Sartorius, Woodwork Magazine, June 2006, pp.22-28

Carlsen, Spike. (2012) “Norm Sartorius” (Great American Woodworker series) American Woodworker, Issue #155 (June/July
2012), р.30.

#woodcraft #woodcarving
#woodworking# #woodartist #carved #artinwood #woodart
#spooncarving #woodenspoons #spooncarver #woodspoon
#woodenspoon #spoonart #spoonarts #artspoon #nsartorius #sloyd #woodenspooncarving #smithsoniancraftshow #pmacraftshow #museumforartinwood

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You are hearing it early from us! Craft in America Collectors episode premiering on PBS broadcast December 27, 2024 (check local listings) with early streaming on the PBS App November 12, 2024.

The episode highlights collections from Chicano art to teapots to wooden spoons, looking at what drives collectors and how their support furthers artists at all stages of their careers. COLLECTORS reveal the essential role that craft appreciators play in the community, examining how collectors affirm and inspire the artists they support.

The featured collectors, artists and institutions include Fleur Bresler , Judith Chernoff & Jeffrey Bernstein, Yolanda González, Sonny & Gloria Kamm, Cynthia Lockhart, Cheech Marin, Carolyn Mazloomi, Francisco Palomares, Frank Romero, Norm Sartorius, Peter Shire, Sara Vance Waddell, Jaime “Germs” Zacarias and the American Craft Council Show.

#chicanoart #cheechmarin #teapots #woodenspoon #quilts #africanamericanquilts #craftshow #artcollecting #artcollector #americanartist #pbs #pbsapp #craftinamerica #artists #artsandcrafts

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