How Contemporary Craft is supporting tourism and creative connection in Pittsburgh
Greg Gehner’s metal studio hums with heat and purpose. Surrounded by the tools of his trade, he shapes metal into functional, elegant pieces — including fixtures destined for the new terminal at Pittsburgh International Airport. His work is rooted in the city’s industrial past but shaped by his relationship with Contemporary Craft, where he has sold pieces for more than a decade.
“Contemporary Craft started carrying my work in the earliest days of my business,” said Gehner. “It gave me exposure within the Pittsburgh area where most of my current work is commissioned, including the sale of a piece of my hand-built furniture, which led to my first international client. And Contemporary Craft continues to connect me with the vibrant craft community.”
Pittsburgh’s makers movement, past and present
Gehner’s path reflects a larger story: Pittsburgh is and traditionally has been regarded as a city of makers. The materials may be timeless (clay, fiber, glass, metal, wood) but the expressions are contemporary.
Rachel Saul Rearick, executive director at Contemporary Craft, said craft connects us to tradition and function, while offering new ways to see the world.
Contemporary Craft has been fostering those connections since 1971. Through exhibitions, workshops, a retail store and a national artist residency program, it brings people together across background and geography. While some visitors drop in for a class or browse the store, others travel from across the country to participate in residencies or attend opening receptions.
A creative economy with room to grow
In the wake of the pandemic, the power of those connections has only grown. Tourism in Pittsburgh saw a $3.6 billion drop in revenue since 2020, according to Visit Pittsburgh.
Craft is uniquely positioned to help bring people back, Rearick said. It’s tactile. It’s personal. It’s familiar, like the plates and mugs we use in the dining room to the windows we gaze through. Craft invites participation and conversation, whether you’re learning to weave, watching an artist forge steel or picking up a handmade gift.
Contemporary Craft is seeing that renewed interest firsthand. “We’ve grown from just under a $1 million operating budget to a projected $1.4 million next year,” said Rearick, attributing the growth to the doubling of students in Contemporary Craft’s workshops. “And with our recent acquisition of the former Hunter Saw industrial complex in Lawrenceville, we’re reinvesting in Pittsburgh’s legacy as a place that makes.”
The site will become the Timmons Studios, a 13,000-square-foot space for learning, creating and community-building. Visitors can take a one-day weaving workshop or dive into multi-week classes. A blacksmithing studio will offer drop-in projects, like forging your own bottle opener, and deeper skill-building courses. And when you walk through the door, you’ll be greeted by a logo sign made by Gehner himself.
A creative economy with room to grow
Craft isn’t only about utility. It’s a medium for storytelling and dialogue.
“Contemporary Craft is one of only a handful of organizations in our country that is focused on showcasing the most cutting-edge and contemporary artwork made from craft materials,” Rearick said. “I believe these exhibitions change lives, as they spark critical understanding about our world and the people in it.”
In “Self,” a recent exhibition, artists matt lambert and Erika Diamond explored gender identity and cultural expectations. Contemporary Craft and the artists partnered with local organizations to host gallery talks, film screenings and community forums, bringing people together to reflect on identity, inclusion and creativity.
Craft may still feel like a niche area of the art world, but that’s changing. Television shows like “Blown Away” and “Forged in Fire” are drawing new audiences. People want to get their hands on the same materials Pittsburgh has known for generations.
“The spark for our city, “ Rearick said, “is that our grit and our history combined with the resurgence of the craft scene means that Pittsburgh is poised to become the heart of craft.”
To learn more about Contemporary Craft’s expansion, workshops, retail shop and more, visit their website.
This article first appeared on PublicSource and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
