Pennsylvania Creative Industries, powered by Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA), announced $87,000 in seed funding through PCA’s Activation and Promotion grant program to launch Pittsburgh IS Craft — a first-of-its kind, multi-year initiative with national reach aimed at positioning Pittsburgh as a premier destination for craft in the United States.
Pittsburgh IS Craft is a collaborative initiative led by the Pittsburgh Glass Center (PGC), Contemporary Craft, and Union Project — three well-established Pittsburgh-based organizations offering world-class facilities, exhibitions, and programming across fiber, wood, metal, ceramics, and glass media. The initiative will help drive tourism to the Pittsburgh region for people to see, make, and buy craft through collaborative marketing efforts, elevate Pittsburgh artists in markets across the country, and build meaningful partnerships that ultimately contribute to the local economy.
“Pittsburgh IS Craft is a wonderful example of the types of innovative creative sector projects we’re excited to support,” said PCA Chair Susan S. Cohen. “We cannot wait to see how this project helps elevate artists and Pittsburgh’s contributions to our Commonwealth’s creative sector.”
Last month, PCA announced new and expanded opportunities to support projects and programs that raise the visibility of and strengthen the creative sector in Pennsylvania, which contributes more than $30 billion to the Commonwealth’s economy and supports nearly 190,000 jobs.
PCA’s support provides critical funding to launch the three-pronged Pittsburgh IS Craft initiative, which includes:
● Creation of a promotional video to be used at national engagements, and as a dynamic, digital component of the initiative’s comprehensive promotional materials.
● Inclusion of 20+ Pittsburgh artists’ work at the 2026 Seattle Art Fair (SAF), a highly respected national showcase of modern and contemporary art.
● Attendance at and presentations by the Pittsburgh IS Craft project partners at three national craft conferences, to reach attendee audiences from all over the country and world.
The launch and funding announcement took place at Contemporary Craft’s blacksmithing studio and brought together PCA Council members with local leaders, organizations, and representatives from arts institutions across the region. Elected officials in attendance include Senator Pat Stefano, Senator Lindsey Williams, staff from Senator Jay Costa’s office, Representative La’Tasha Mayes, Representative Lindsay Powell, Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato, staff from Mayor Corey O’Connor’s office, and Contemporary Craft and Pittsburgh Glass Center Board Member Rich Fitzgerald.
