Contemporary Craft finds new home
Site of facility will be announced next week
The Society for Contemporary Craft, a mainstay in the Strip District that will be displaced by the redevelopment of the produce terminal, has found a new home.
Just where, they aren’t saying yet.
Contemporary Craft said Thursday that it will announce its new location at a news conference next week.
“Our new home represents a transformational moment for Contemporary Craft,” said Janet McCall, executive director, in a press release. “We have an opportunity now to reach an even wider audience for our diverse range of nationally renowned exhibitions, further our commitment to local artists, and expand our extensive public and student education and outreach activities.”
The new location will be a $5.5 million, 13,500 square-foot facility expected to open in March 2020.
Construction on the facility, which will also include a 2,500square-foot gallery and exhibition
space; 1,800 square feet of flexible studio space; and 1,100 square feet of retail space, will begin in July. The current facility is 15,000 square feet.
The Society for Contemporary Craft is a free museum and exhibit space that offers classes and a drop-in studio for the community, focusing on contemporary art in craft media. It was founded in 1971 in Verona and has been located in the produce terminal in the Strip District since 1986.
Contemporary Craft had hoped to stay in the produce terminal, despite the $62.6 million redevelopment project that will transform the terminal into a food-centric market, with restaurants, brewpubs and offices. Under an agreement negotiated last June, Contemporary Craft agreed to relocate by the end of 2019, which they still intend to do. Developer McCaffrey Interests agreed to contribute toward their relocation costs. The amount of that contribution has not been disclosed.