Contemporary Craft

...And that's a wrap on our very first season of Summer Week-Long Workshops!

We want to extend our sincere gratitude to everyone who joined this exciting new endeavor in the Studios—from students to teachers, CC staff and assistants, those who came to celebrate at the end of each week, and those of you who couldn't join but cheered us on from afar—you helped make our first Summer Week-Long season the incredibly special time that it was!

So many new skills were shared and rich friendships were formed, and we already can't wait for next summer! To be the first to know about our Summer 2027 Week-Long schedule, fill out the Week-Long contact form HERE:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdq612ipldinn2WXlmUaHNdT-Fj95yImREEPet1jwVIzbGHtw/viewform

And in the meantime, we hope to see you soon in the Studios!

Hi Everyone, it’s Rachel and I’m here to share an amazing experience that I had yesterday. Brittany Reilly co-curated an exhibition that is currently at Romance Gallery in Oakland, and did a brilliant job putting some focus on our founder, Elizabeth “Betty” Rockwell Raphael.

Not only was Betty the founder of Contemporary Craft, but prior to that she owned and operated a gallery called Outlines. And while I think that Betty absolutely made a revolutionary impact on the field of craft, focusing on craft as a materials based approach to fine art in the 1970’s - it is important to talk about all that Betty did. A woman before her time, Outlines was an experimental and educational approach to modern art - showing some of the brightest and most well known artists of that time.

I cannot do it justice to dive into the legacy of Betty, she was an absolute visionary, but Brittany sure did an impressive entry into sharing with us all who this woman was and what her contributions were to the world of art.

Kudos to Brittany and Margaret Kross for this exhibition, please head to Romance to have a look in person before it closes + they have objects on loan from the Contemporary Craft permanent collection for you to see!

It may only be August, but we're already looking forward to fall workshops here in the Studios!

Here's just a small sample of what we have planned for you—but check back regularly, new workshops are added weekly.

Learn more register for these, or any of our upcoming workshops HERE: https://contemporarycraft.org/studio-2/upcoming-workshops/

From the Permanent Collection: Quilt Reproduction by The Sociable Workshop

Designed by Jerome D'Angelo for reproduction by The Sociable Workshop, this multicolored, 56-square quilt was made using the 'trapunto' technique, creating its unique dimension and texture.

The Sociable Workshop was created in concert with The Store for Arts and Crafts and People Made Things (CC's earliest iteration) to create job opportunities for local artisans and craft artists. The Workshop helped artists design objects that would be reproduced by artisans for sale, but because of the labor-intensity and complexity of the quilt's design, this is the only reproduction that was ever made.

"Quilt Reproduction" by The Sociable Workshop is currently on view at Romance, in "Things to Come: OUTLINES, 1941–1947," a 3-part exhibition series which revisits the history and impact of Outlines, an experimental gallery created by CC's founder, Elizabeth “Betty” Rockwell Raphael.

See this and other works from our Permanent Collection—and learn more about Contemporary Craft's history as The Store for Arts and Crafts and People-Made Things—at Romance, on view through August 28.

And don't forget that you can browse our Permanent Collection any time online, HERE: https://contemporarycraft.org/archive-and-permanent-collection/

Image 1: "Quilt Reproduction" by The Sociable Workshop c. 1973. Dye painted (procion fiber reactive) on cotton velveteen and trapuntoed, 81 x 72 in. Contemporary Craft Permanent Collection.
Image 2: Archived photo documentation of the original quilt design
Image 3: "Quilt" byJerome D'Angelo, 1975. Dye painted (procion fiber reactive) on cotton velveteen and trapuntoed. 81 x 72 in. Contemporary Craft Permanent Collection.

Looking for new ways to share your craft?

Contemporary Craft is currently seeking skilled craftspeople to join our teaching roster and help grow a dynamic, inclusive, and creative community!

This is a great opportunity to teach in a well-equipped space, connect with enthusiastic makers, and contribute to the growing community in our Metals, Wood and Fibers Studio programming.

We are primarily looking for instructors from Pittsburgh or the greater Western PA area to teach one-day Saturday classes, and/or evening weekday series classes.

Learn more + apply HERE: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfWLYs1J-AD_YT8c_7WDHxjMgvliUhDQ2KZn2VQK8pVHn48DA/viewform

Photo by John Henley.

You may have noticed that there's a tent in the middle of our Main Gallery right now—but have you ventured inside it?

This piece is called "The Temple of Our Survival: Rituals of Repair" by Alisha B Wormsley and is part of our current exhibition, "Revolutionary Care." The tent is not only handmade, draped with hand-printed textiles and quilted with African American quilting motifs, but is also furnished with pillows and altars.

If you go inside, you can find a seat on a bench or the floor and watch "A Visual Manifesto: Rituals for Repair," an experimental video piece that speaks to care, repair, kinship, and collective memory.

Alisha B Wormsely will be presenting a free screening from this film and other recent video work at Contemporary Craft this Saturday, August 15 at 11 AM.

You can learn more and register to attend HERE: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/screening-and-artist-talk-with-alisha-b-wormsley-tickets-1987837150428?aff=oddtdtcreator

"Revolutionary Care" is on view now through September 5. We're open Monday–Saturday, and admission to our galleries is always free.

The Store's Charmed event may be coming to a close, but the Charmed shop will stay online! Visit our online shop to add one of these special handcrafted, artist-made charms to your collection today.

Shop Charmed online HERE: https://contemporarycraftstore.com/pages/charmed

Psst—a little secret:
The Charmed display has gotten a few bonus days and is still up in our Store. Come in today to take advantage of your last chance to shop Charmed in-person! We're open until 7 PM on Thursdays, so it's the perfect day to swing by!

We are very excited to invite you to join us for a special lecture + demonstration with the amazing Rae Gold () ! Part demo, part lecture, The Art of Three-Dimensional Weaving will introduce you to the world of three-dimensional weaving on a four-harness loom.

This is a very special event for the Studios! Learn more and register HERE: https://contemporarycraft.org/event/the-art-of-3-dimensional-weaving-with-rae-gold/