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A Layered Approach: Philip M. Soucy and Brian Peters

September 23, 2021

Two Pittsburgh artists will bring their work to ClayPlace@Standard for “A Layered Approach,” a joint exhibition this coming October. Philip M. Soucy and Brian Peters share a similar technique of stacking clay coils but have a vastly different approach to the method. Soucy’s organic works are built by hand; Peters’ precise pieces are created using a 3-D printer. Each reveals a respect and affection for the material and creates pieces that challenge our ideas about humanity’s history of building and altering its environment.

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Fabio J. Fernández Joins Greenwich House as Pottery Director

July 20, 2021

Greenwich House’s new Director of the Pottery Fabio J. Fernández measures his life against the maxim, “Realize your values in your work.” This immigrant son of a carpenter and a seamstress brings his desire to do good to an organization that has stood for over 120 years, doing good for countless New Yorkers. Established in 1902 as part of the “settlement house” movement, Greenwich House served Irish and Italian immigrants, offering social services and education to help them assimilate into American life. The art education programs grew out of training that provided young people with needed technical skills for employment in trades. Drawing on Italian culture, programs in woodworking, stone cutting, and technical drawing were some of the first courses offered. Pottery was introduced in 1909 and by the 1920s was an integral part of Greenwich House’s developing mission: to improve quality of life through creative work. Fernández stands ready to carry on this tradition, bringing his fifteen years of experience as Curator and Executive Director of Boston’s Society of Arts+Crafts.

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New Chapter at Contemporary Craft

June 21, 2021

Pittsburgh’s Contemporary Craft begins its second half-century this year with a new Executive Director in a new facility in a new neighborhood, carrying on the tradition of what began as The Store for Arts and Crafts and People-Made Things in 1971. Southwest Pennsylvania native Rachel Saul Rearick steps in to take her place among the leaders of the organization founded by Elizabeth Rockwell Raphael. Begun with the intention of providing support for artists working in craft materials, Contemporary Craft retains that mission, with fifty years of showcasing work, supporting artists, and encouraging the Pittsburgh community to explore creativity through craft.

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