News
August 2020
Building a Pipeline To Participation In Crafts – Touchstone’s Open House Is Going Virtual!
Farmington, PA — Touchstone Center for Crafts is excited to announce a grant award from Center for Craft in Asheville, North Carolina. The Craft Futures Fund grant will be used to help fund Touchstone’s Virtual Open House on Saturday, September 26th.
Read More…
GO! List 8-20-20
Aug 20, 2020 – Uniontown Herald-Standard
Touchstone Center for Crafts For virtual studio tours, artist talks and demonstrations, visit https://touchstonecrafts.org/virtual-events/. Please join us online for a free Virtual Open House on Saturday, September 26 from 11AM-4PM.
Link to Article
Meet the 2020 Craft Futures Fund Recipients
Aug 11, 2020 – Center for Craft
Touchstone Center for Crafts Our Open House is going virtual. Nothing beats visiting our campus and watching live demonstrations, but perhaps touring our studios, watching demonstrations, and interacting with artists virtually will actually reach more people than our typical event does…
Link to Article
GO! List 8-13-20
Aug 13, 2020 – Uniontown Herald-Standard
Touchstone Center for Crafts For virtual studio tours, artist talks and demonstrations, visit https://touchstonecrafts.org/virtual-events/. Please join us online for a free Virtual Open House on Saturday, September 26 from 11AM-4PM.
Link to Article
July 2020
Things to do this week, from a discussion with Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz to Pittsburgh Glass Center reopening
July 19, 2020 – NEXT Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA —For its next virtual Artist Happy Hour event, Touchstone Center for Crafts is welcoming metalsmith, Marlene True, executive director of the Pocosin Arts School of Fine Craft in Columbia, N.C. …
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15 things to do this week in Pittsburgh, from a Charlie Chaplin picture show to an online nightclub
July 5, 2020 – NEXT Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA —For its next Artist Happy Hour, Touchstone Center for Crafts is welcoming jewelry designer Maia Leppo for a conversation, demonstration and studio tour…
Link to Article
June 2020
A Collaboration Announcement
- June 6, 2020; Touchstone Center for Crafts is excited to be part of a group of museums and cultural institutions from across Southwestern Pennsylvania that is collaboratively preparing our organizations for safe re-openings.
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#BlackLivesMatter
June 2, 2020; Touchstone Center for Crafts stands in solidarity with the Black community and condemns all acts of racism, discrimination, and senseless violence. We firmly believe that everyone has a right to dignity, respect, and equality without fear. As an organization, we commit to listen and learn and to grow. We will continue to work to empower people to use art as a means of expression, a way to build community, and a powerful voice for change.
May 2020
Touchstone Center for Crafts cancels season, reaches audience with virtual tours
May 28, 2020 – Uniontown Herald-Standard; By Alyssa Choiniere
UNIONTOWN, PA — Touchstone Center for Crafts made a difficult decision to close its doors for the 2020 season due to COVID-19, but the center is reaching a broader audience online via virtual tours with artists from across the country…
Link to Article
Things to do in Pittsburgh this week (at home and outside), from a zoofari drive-thru to a quarantine…
May 25, 2020 – NEXT Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA — Touchstone Center for Crafts and East End United Community Center are teaming up to host potter Dan Tomcik as part off their new virtual…
Link to Article
Things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend (at home and outside), from porch parties to the…
May 21, 2020 – NEXT Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA — Touchstone Center for Crafts is bringing the work of talented artisans right to you. During its new Artist Happy Hour Series, potter and Pittsburgh native…
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Touchstone After School Program for Teens
May 8, 2020 – Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau
LAUREL HIGHLANDS, PA — This week, take a virtual tour of Touchstone Center for Craft’s Studios (blacksmithing, ceramics, printmaking, drawing/painting, jewelry, glass…
Link to Article
March 2020
Airport Exhibition News Release…
- 03-09-20: Touchstone’s 2020 Instructor Exhibition Travels from Allegany County, MD TO Allegheny County, PA.
Touchstone Center for Crafts scholarships available
Mar 6, 2020 – Herald-Standard; By Amy Fauth
UNIONTOWN, PA — The officials of Touchstone Center for Crafts believe that anyone with artistic … especially by enriching their skills and knowledge of arts and crafts….
Link to Article
February 2020
Six KU Students Awarded Art Summer Workshop Scholarships
Feb 27, 2020 – BCTV.org
KUTZTOWN, PA — Kutztown University proudly announces the six art students selected and awarded the 2020 Summer Workshop Scholarships… Nieberlien will travel to Farmington, Pa., for Chasing and Repousse at Touchstone Center for Crafts. Nieberlien connects the acquisition of technique…
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Touchstone Center for Crafts Educators’ Retreat
Feb 23, 2020 – Remake Learning
Touchstone Center for Crafts Educators’ Retreat. Join other educators for five days of immersive learning and sharing professional art studios, …
Link to Article
6 KU art students earn scholarships for summer work
Feb 17, 2020 – WFMZ Allentown
KUTZTOWN, PA — A half-dozen Kutztown University art students are being given the chance to study under master artisans… Nieberlien will attend Touchstone Center for Crafts in Fayette County….
Link to Article
Local art, cultural assets receive grants to promote tourism
Feb 4, 2020 – Herald-Standard; By Amy Fauth
UNIONTOWN, PA — In addition, Touchstone Center for Crafts also received three grants – a $20,000 marketing grant, $2,106 capital grant and $5,000 operating grant….
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Touchstone Center for Crafts Exhibition
Feb 4, 2020 – Recreation News
MILLERS ISLAND, MD — Feb. 1-29. More than 20 of the region’s premier artisans will exhibit work representing the arts of blacksmithing, ceramics, metals and jewelry, glass…
Link to Article
January 2020
Allegany Arts Council presents exhibition from Touchstone Center
Jan 31, 2020 – Cumberland Times-News
CUMBERLAND — The Allegany Arts Council, 9 N. Centre St., will exhibit the work of some of the region’s premier artisans during its Touchstone Center for Crafts exhibition.
Link to Article
Exhibition News Release…
- 01-30-20: The Allegany Arts Council is pleased to be exhibiting the work of some of the region’s premier artisans during its Touchstone Center for Crafts Exhibition.
December 2019
Workshop – Touchstone Center for Crafts
Dec 4, 2019 – Jen Allen Ceramics Blog: jenallenceramics.com
Maia Leppo and I are once again teaming up to co-teach a ceramic jewelry workshop in the Laurel Highlands of PA. Minutes from Fallingwater (Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic home) ……
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Art center, educators team up to highlight benefits of art in education
Dec 1, 2019 – Herald-Standard; By Rachel Basinger
Touchstone Center for Crafts in Farmington recently held an event for educators with Remake Learning to highlight the importance of integrating art into education…
Link to Article
November 2019
WEB – The Craft School Experience for Jewelers
Nov 7, 2019 – Halstead Blog; by Kelli Vanyek Greene
The Craft School experience is designed to be a brief stay at a retreat campus where serious artists can explore a craft while enjoying a beautiful place and the company of like-minded peers…
Link to Article
October 2019
Visitors bureau honors Somerset distillery with Pathfinder award
Oct 14, 2019 – The Tribune-Democrat; Mark Pesto
The bureau’s 2019 Tourism Employee of the Year award was presented to Dean Simpson, the marketing manager for Touchstone Center for Crafts…
Link to Article
Out & About: Visitors bureau dinner lauds champions of tourism
Oct 9, 2019 – TribLive; Shirley McMarlin
Tourism Employee of the Year: Dean Simpson, marketing manager for Touchstone Center for Crafts. The award celebrates someone who goes above and beyond the call of duty in serving a business or organization.
Link to Article
Touchstone Center Creates A Retreat-Style Experience For Artists
Oct 12, 2019 – 90.5 WESA; The Confluence Podcast
On today’s program: Touchstone keeps traditional crafting alive in the Laurel Highlands; The Bellefield Tower is the last remnant of a community; …
Listen Online
WEB – 5 Organizations Improving Arts Education In Pennsylvania
Oct 11, 2019 – Wiki.ezvid.com, The World’s Video Wiki
Studying art can be engaging and fulfilling for kids and adults alike. Taking the time for creative pursuits boosts creativity, relieves stress, and keeps the mind active. The organizations listed here make it easier for people to be more artistic, no matter their skill level or financial situation. Whether you’re a Pennsylvanian looking for a new hobby or a patron of the arts, consider supporting these five groups…
Link to Wiki
Veterans to be offered connection, healing through art at Touchstone Center for Crafts
Oct 10, 2019 – Herald-Standard; By Rachel Basinger
Image courtesy of Frontline Arts
Administrators with Touchstone Center for Crafts in Farmington have desired to offer the benefits of arts and creating to as many groups as possible over the past years…
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Tourism Leaders Honored at Visitors Bureau Annual Dinner
Oct 9, 2019 – laurelhighlands.org; by Anna Weltz
LIGONIER, Pa., (Oct. 9, 2019) – Nearly 160 members of the tri-county’s tourism industry gathered Tuesday night in the lodge at Laurel Mountain Ski Area in celebration of the Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau’s 61st annual dinner…
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Tourism honors for Tall Pines, Touchstone Center for Crafts
Oct 8, 2019 – Daily American
…Dean Simpson, marketing manager for Touchstone Center for Crafts, was named Tourism Employee of the Year.
Link to Article
September 2019
Touchstone Center for Crafts hosting art exhibitions through September
September 5, 2019 – Herald-Standard; By Rachel Basinger
Those looking to see, not one, but two amazing art exhibits close to home, can take a drive through the scenic Fayette County hills to the Touchstone Center for Crafts …
Link to Article
August 2019
WEBINAR: Americans for the Arts
Supporting Individual Artists Coffee Chat: Creating a Retreat Style Experience for Artists
Recorded On: 08/19/2019 – Americans for the Arts
What do you need to think about when considering building retreat-style experiences for artists? This Coffee Chat with Lindsay Gates, Executive Director of Touchstone Center for Crafts, discusses the many configurations of artistic retreats and spaces, the unexpected benefits of such experiences for both artists and organizations, the realized benefits that professional and emerging artists experience, and more.
Link to Recording
Local teachers enjoy creative professional development through Touchstone retreat
August 15, 2019 – Daily American
Touchstone Center for Crafts recently welcomed more than 30 educators to the first educators’ retreat. This special week of programming is designed …
Link to Article
Educators Retreat News Release…
- 08-08-19: Educators gather at Touchstone Center for Crafts for a creative week of professional development
July 2019
New Touchstone Exhibit explores artists’ ‘Mutual Understanding’
July 31, 2019 – TribLive
Artists Adrienne Heinrich of Murrsyville and Judith Musser of Bedford will display their works in “Mutual Understanding,” a joint exhibition opening Aug. 2 at…
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WEB – Educators Retreat
July 16, 2019 – Remake Learning
The Educators’ Retreat at Touchstone Center for Crafts provides a week of professional development that will enhance an educator’s own creativity…
Link to Article
WEB – Community Foundation of Fayette County
July 3, 2019 – CFFC
The word “crafts” may bring to mind a childlike image of popsicle sticks, yarn, and glitter, but the “crafts” at Touchstone Center for Crafts refer to the…
Link to Article
May 2019
GO! List 05-30-19
May 30, 2019; Uniontown Herald-Standard
Touchstone Center for Crafts will host the 2019 open house from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 2. This event is free to visitors who can …
Link to Article
Touchstone Center for Crafts sets open house
May 29, 2019; Tribune-Review; By Mary Pickels
Touchstone Center for Crafts will hold an open house from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. June 2 at its Farmington, Fayette County, site. The free event will introduce visitors to…
Link to Article
Touchstone’s Community Open House
May 28, 2019; Pittsburgh Current
Visit Touchstone in the Laurel Highlands for a FREE Open House featuring studio demonstrations, artist pop-up shops, gallery exhibitions, kids craft activities, food vendors, and more!…
Link to Article
Open House News Release…
- 05-23-19: Touchstone’s community open house brings artists and organizations together for a fun, free, family-friendly event
Top events in Pittsburgh this weekend
May 21, 2019; NEXTpittsburgh
DC2 Symposium at Touchstone Center for Crafts … invited to retreat to the tranquil Laurel Highlands center for the first annual symposium presented …
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Touchstone Center for Crafts
May 16, 2019; Remake Learning
Touchstone Center for Crafts offers immersive learning experiences in seven fully equipped studios including blacksmithing, ceramics, glass, fine …
Link to Article
Professor Kristen Letts Kovak Exhibits at the Touchstone Center for Crafts
May 14, 2019; CMU School of Art – Carnegie Mellon University
“Vessels in Five Dimensions” explores the spatial fluidity between two-dimensional images and three-dimensional forms. Professor Kristen Letts …
Link to Article
April 2019
Hammer time: Local blacksmith shares his craft
Apr. 19, 2019; Observer-Reporter; By Dave Zuchowski
A year after his initial introduction to the craft, Shriver said he picked up … She enrolled in a blacksmithing course at the Touchstone Center for Crafts …
Link to Article
March 2019
Monmade: Growing a W.Pa. economy of artisans, crafters in smaller cities and rural areas
Mar. 18, 2019; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; By Joyce Gannon
Two high-profile arts centers in Fayette County — Fallingwater and Touchstone Center for Crafts — have also agreed to provide exposure to the…
Link to Article
February 2019
Regional artistic, maker opportunities abound
Feb. 3, 2019; Tribune-Review; By Mary Pickels
From sipping while painting to sketching with charcoal, molding hot glass, dyeing fabric or woodworking, opportunities exist for crafts people from novice to advanced to practice their artistic and making skills…
Link to Article
January 2019
Fayette County awards tourism grants to 26 entities
Jan. 23, 2019; Uniontown Herald-Standard; By Frances Borsodi Zajac
East End United Community Center, Uniontown, $5,650 tourism education … Touchstone Center for Crafts, Farmington, $13,500 marketing grant for…
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Officials with Touchstone Center for Crafts excited for upcoming 2019 season
Jan 3, 2019; Uniontown Herald-Standard; By Rachel Basinger
The blend of favorite workshops and the addition of some new events have officials with Touchstone Center for Crafts in Farmington excited about the upcoming 2019 season…
Link to Article
April 2018
News Releases…
- 04-09-18: Makers Gather Together: Makers Symposium Weekend Including Alchemist Picnic V
- 04-09-18: For the Love of Iron: Tenth Annual Jim Campbell Hammer-In with Rivers of Steel Iron Pour
March 2018
News Release…
- 03-07-18: Touchstone Center for Crafts Board of Directors Selects Lindsay Ketterer Gates as New Executive Director
