Contemporary Craft Executive Director Rachel Saul Rearick knew her program needed more space, but she didn’t anticipate finding it right away. “We did a space allocation study for Contemporary Craft, and we landed in a place of knowing that to reach our full potential we needed more space,” Rearick remembered. “The Hunter Saw building came on the market after that.” It’s just across the street from Contemporary Craft and perfectly suited the organization’s mission of craft as a connection to tradition and a path to the future. As of February, the Hunter Saw building will be the Contemporary Craft Timmons Studios.
Contemporary Craft to Expand into Hunter Saw Building
Architects Doug and Liza Cruze renovated the original building—a factory that produced saw blades—into an events space. Part of what attracted Rearick to Hunter Saw was that it represented the craftsmanship she and her team value so deeply. “When we say craft, we mean what is made from traditional materials. When you walk in there, it just sings quality craftsmanship. There is not a more immaculately crafted space. [Doug and Liza Cruze] brought it back to life with their design,” Rearick said.
In the new studio spaces, Contemporary Craft will be paying homage to the building’s history with a brand-new offering: blacksmithing. But the most prominent part of the programming expansion will be in fibers and textiles. “Fibers have seen a great deal of growth,” Rearick said. “We want to bring in dyeing, embroidering, and quilting. We’ll be planting a garden in the building courtyard for our natural dyes.” Rearick also noted that when Contemporary Craft originally moved from the Strip District to Lawrenceville in 2019, they had to downsize significantly and get rid of their woodshop. The Timmons Studio will revive that part of the studio programming with woodworking materials, another callback to the Hunter Saw building’s original purpose.
This expansion will also allow the 5645 Butler Street space to grow laterally. “What happens when we have a second space is that it frees up a little bit of space in our main building. We want to build out a gallery specifically for regional artists, since our main gallery is mostly national and international,” Rearick said.
Anyone looking to learn blacksmithing, woodworking, or fiber arts will be able to in the Timmons Studios with a scaled onboarding of programs starting in March. Rearick believes not just in bringing international talent to Pittsburgh through Contemporary Craft’s studio residency, but in fostering what Pittsburgh has to offer in its local arts community. “I’m always on my soapbox that Pittsburgh has been a city that makes things,” Rearick said.
Story by Emma Riva
Photography by Alexis Fatalsky, courtesy of Contemporary Craft
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