The Greater Pittsburgh region is home to a range of artist residencies, some well-established and others nascent. By providing time and space to grow, residencies help our arts ecosystem to remain vibrant and welcoming, while relieving some financial pressure on artists. At their best, area residencies introduce national and international artists to affordable studio space. Locally-based artists can more deeply engage their practice in the community. National and Regional Artists-In-Residence programs at Contemporary Craft exemplify the importance of providing flexibility within a framework of trust. Whether supporting emerging artists gaining new skills, or allowing mid-career artists time for supported focus, Contemporary Craft centers residencies as responsive and dynamic.

We sat down with Rachel Rearick, Executive Director, and Liz Lenthe, Development Manager, to talk about their National and Regional Artist-in-Residence programs.

Artist Residencies can be trajectory altering experiences for artists at all stages of their careers. What’s the key to ensuring that resident artists experience what they need during a residency?

Rachel Rearick: Asking them - that's the key to success of this program! We have created it in a way that can be tailored to the individual. Where it's completely open-ended; it's not something where we're expecting a specific outcome from anybody. They might choose to work towards an exhibition here or elsewhere. They might choose to work towards a body of work that they will sell. They might choose to spend time researching, reading, and sketching.

The success of this program is that we are completely in relationship with the artist from the very beginning. We ask “How do you want to use this time?” “How can we support that?” “What connections can we make for you while you're here?” Being completely open but then also trying to plug in whatever they identify as a need.

Another thing that also makes residencies successful - and more specifically the national residencies – is really important to us: the stipend. It's hard for an artist to be an artist when they're also having to work and pay their bills. Sometimes their practice has to come second to them. By providing resources, we're able to give them a stipend for either a month or the 6 months as well as cover their housing. While they’re here, they are able to focus on their practice for that time period, without having to worry about finances as much.

Liz Lenthe: Building relationships, not just for the time that they are in residence, but seeking to deepen and strengthen that through the future. Get them when they first come in the door and make them feel comfortable and able to execute their artistic vision. When they complete their residency, we are still part of their artistic practice and their trajectory.

What does it mean for the future of Contemporary Craft to have a living space for National Artists-in-Residence?

Liz Lenthe: It gives us so much flexibility and opportunity and really there is no substitute for working directly person to person with artists and having housing available. It addresses basically every need that we have.

Rachel Rearick: With the house that we own, there are opportunities that we hadn't necessarily planned for that we're learning from. When a recent artist in residence used the residency specifically to make work for an upcoming exhibition with us, it was an incredible chance for her to actually spend time and have a very rich and robust experience with the region prior to making the work. She was able to actually be in the community with people before beginning. Now we think “Oh, what if we did that intentionally? How does this open the doors to people from further away in the future?”

There’s always been a lot of debate about whether nonprofit should own property or not own property and I think for us it's a huge strength to know that there's longevity and security in this program.

Arts, Equity, & Education Fund™ supports Regional and National Artists-In-Residence programs at Contemporary Craft with a multi-year grant.

In Gratitude

As we complete our 2024 grantmaking, the entire AE&E Fund Team extends thanks to our applicants and partners for sharing their innovative ideas that uplift underrepresented voices in our community. We appreciate the kindness and honesty you extend to us as we work to make a positive impact on the Greater Pittsburgh Region.

Grantmaking Update: Thank you for making our new, streamlined LOI process a success. We are delighted to support new and continuing partners over multiple years on exciting initiatives in fine and performing arts. Our complete list of partners is available on our website.

Partner Events

Kelly Strayhorn Theater (KST) - Suite Life 2024

Photograph: Jefferson Evans

Suite Life, KST’s annual celebration of namesakes and Pittsburgh entertainment legends Billy Strayhorn and Gene Kelly is back with a brand new beat! This Fall, musical director Hugo Cruz brings Latin percussion to Strayhorn’s music and imagery from Kelly’s film career. Directed by Fall 2023 Freshworks artist Pria Dahiya, the evening performance promises to invigorate your favorite jazz standards with fresh vitality.

Saturday, November 30, 2024

5:30pm – 7:00pm: VIP Soundcheck
7:30pm – 9:30pm: Concert

Contemporary Craft - 芸 [gei]

芸［gei]: The Beauty of Ephemeral and Eternal invites viewers to explore the captivating duality of Japanese Sogetsu Ikebana and craft, highlighting the profound cultural connections woven through these art forms.

Arts, Equity, & Education Fund™ strives for a better reflection of the real world in arts and education.