Student and School Programs

Programs for Schools and Students

Teachers

Are you a teacher looking for a personalized art experience for your students? Let us build a unique program with you!

We will work with you to customize the group program to fit your goals or curriculum, ensuring a fun, creative, and memorable experience. Find out more about our educational group program offerings for schools, libraries, nonprofits, girl/boy scouts, community centers, and homeschool groups below.

Students

Are you interested in technology and its role in the world of craft?  We are looking for teens in grades 9-12 who want to explore the intersection of craft in technology as part of our TACT Program (Teen Apprentice in Craft and Technology).  This is a FREE after school program that takes place once a month at Contemporary Craft.  Find out more by reading below.

For questions about any of our programs for schools and students, please contact Program Associate, Jamie Boyle, at jboyle@contemporarycraft.org.

Custom Workshops

Come make something with us in The Studio! We offer hands-on programming in woodworking, metal, fiber, and clay. With the instruction of professional artists, students will use the tools and equipment in our studios to design and make their own functional objects or works of artistic expression.

Read on for examples of our hands-on experiences. All activities can be customized to meet individual needs and/or interests.

Program Examples

  • Block Printing: Carve your own linoleum block using cutting tools of various shapes and sizes!  Then, print your design with ink on tea towels, bandanas, or your own clothing.
  • Paper Making: Learn the process of turning paper pulp into unique, handmade sheets of paper.  You can use your paper for journaling, greeting cards, collage, or anything else you like!
  • Enameling: Want to try something a bit more fiery?  In this workshop you’ll sift colored glass powder onto small copper shapes and fire them in a kiln.  Choose between a pair of earrings or a pendant/keychain.
  • Metal Stamping: Let’s swing a hammer!  Our instructor will teach you how to cut, form, and stamp designs into copper and brass.  You’ll create rings, bracelets, or keychains in this metalsmithing workshop.

Prices range from $25 -$35 per person.

There are additional options for hands-on experiences in our Studio.

Group Tours

In conjunction with each exhibition, a range of multi-cultural, educational programming is available for students and teachers. Group tours in our gallery encourage seeing, participating in hands-on activities and learning about the innovative use of materials.

While we have a few suggestions below, customized experiences are also available. Staff is able to scaffold programs in order to meet the needs of students in grades 6 through college.

Program Examples

  • Exhibition Tour: Walk through selected works featured in our current exhibition with a guided exhibition tour. Learn how to examine formal and conceptual elements in an artwork through Visual Thinking Strategies.
  • Scavenger Hunt: In this activity students are encouraged to look closely at the exhibit by searching for the answers to a series of questions. This will help them learn about how artists choose their materials and what they expect their piece to communicate.

Pricing: $15 per student

TACT | Teen Apprentice in Craft and Technology

The TACT program will begin with its third cohort of 10 teens from the Pittsburgh region in October 2023.  They will explore the intersection of Craft and Technology while working in Contemporary Craft’s three Studios.  By the end of the program all participants will be certified to use the Rabbit Laser Cutter and will have completed a capstone project of their own design to be showcased at our Community Day in May 2024.

Learn More and Apply