Pittsburgh creatives featured in Smithsonian online market
Three Pittsburgh-based creatives will be featured among makers and artisans from across the country in the Smithsonian’s Craft Optimism online contemporary craft show and marketplace. Pieces will be available to browse and buy at craftoptimism.si.edu Saturday through May 1.
Money raised will go toward grants for education, outreach and research programs throughout the Smithsonian.
The Pittsburghers who will be participating are Nisha Blackwell (Knotzland bow ties), LaVerne Kemp (LaVerne Kemp Studios artistic textiles) and Christina Roselle (handbags). Beyond their ties to the region, another thing they have in common is their work is rooted in sustainability — which is a focus of Craft Optimism.
The concept came about in response to COVID-19, said co-chair Twig Murray. Since 1982, the Smithsonian Women’s Committee has sponsored the annual Smithsonian Craft Show in Washington, D.C., revered by many as a premier American craft show. Because of restrictions prompted by the pandemic, it couldn’t be held in person. Last fall, an online alternative was held for the first time.
“We learned a lot from it,” Murray said, “and in December we just kind of thought we could do another virtual craft show and sale to raise money for the Smithsonian, but we need to differentiate ourselves.”
The desire to stand out from other online marketplaces motivated the sustainability theme. Craft Optimism is co-sponsored by Honoring the Future, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit that uses art to educate and empower the public to engage with climate change. Since 2015, Honoring the Future has presented a sustainability award to an artist at the Smithsonian Craft Show.
To curate artists for the show, organizers encouraged past craft show participants whose work aligned with the theme to apply. Input also was sought from museums and craft events and organizations from across the country. That list of recommendations was used to invite makers to submit an application.
To be eligible, artisans’ work had to either be created in a way that helps to address climate change (for example, uses recycled or repurposed materials) or the work itself addresses or reflects the impacts of climate change. Craft Optimism also strived to have a lineup that included not only a mix of mediums but also was diverse and inclusive.
“It was fun for us to get some totally new artists who had never been associated with the Smithsonian,” Murray said.
Those who will be representing Pittsburgh are excited for the opportunity to spotlight their work and their commitment to sustainability.
“Because I have always disliked the habit of wasting, I purposely use what is already here and appreciate the character and uniqueness that it creates,” said Roselle, of Turtle Creek. She makes bags out of repurposed materials, including vintage carpets, worn denim, leather jackets and shower curtains. “I believe the customers appreciate that they now own an accessory that they won’t see anywhere else.”
Kemp, of Highland Park, grew up seeing that old materials are filled with new possibilities. Two of her uncles were “junk dealers,” she said, in Cecil.
“I never saw discarded things for what they were, but what they could become,” said Kemp, a trained weaver and designer who turns hand-woven fabrics into garments, jewelry and home decor.
Knotzland’s founder Blackwell, of Wilkinsburg, has been expanding her product line recently but said she will focus on her signature bow ties during Craft Optimism. Since 2014, Knotzland has prevented more than 3,000 pounds of textiles from going into landfills by transforming them into bow ties.
“I knew that growing a business for me meant growing one that would be for the greater good,” she said.