A Pittsburgh Initiative Aims to Promote the City as a Craft Hub

Pittsburgh IS Craft, a new initiative spearheaded by Contemporary Craft, the Pittsburgh Glass Center, and Union Project, draws on the city’s industrial history to support craft artists. 

Artists working at Pittsburgh Glass Center, one of the key partners in Pittsburgh IS Craft. Photo by Nathan J Shaulis/Porter Loves.

Pittsburgh once produced more than half the country’s steel, glass, and aluminum. Now, the local craft community believes they have a big role to play in the cultural and economic future of the city.

Pittsburgh IS Craft, a new initiative launched publicly in April, aims to promote the city as a national and international craft destination. Spearheaded by Contemporary Craft, the Pittsburgh Glass Center, and the Union Project ceramics center, the initiative will also support local artists, engage the community, and work to create a central “craft district.”

“Pittsburgh has always been a city that makes things,” says Rachel Saul Rearick, executive director of Contemporary Craft. “And right now, a lot of what we’re making is craft.”