Holly Grace
Holly Grace

Contemporary Craft
On view through February 17, 2018
Various times

Did you know that according to The United Nations, 65.3 million people were uprooted in 2016 alone?

A timely new exhibition opening this weekend at Contemporary Craft is addressing the pressing issues of human displacement and housing insecurity.

In curating Shelter, Contemporary Craft invited 14 artists to share their ideas about and experiences with insecure housing and its impact on local and global communities.

Featuring 40 works, Shelter features traditional and innovative craft media — such as glass, wood, fiber and clay — along with pieces incorporating found objects, film and video and assemblage.

Friday’s opening celebration — where you will be the first to see the show, meet the artists and participate in engaging public programs — is also a stop on the annual neighborhood-wide Stroll the Strip event.

Head back on Saturday to visit Daniel See’s pop-up shop featuring mugs incorporating hand impressions made by residents of Pleasant Valley Shelter, enjoy behind-the-scenes artist talks and attend an interactive performance by Pittsburgh Playback Theatre.

The latest exhibit in Contemporary Craft’s series of socially engaged art initiatives, Shelter invites the public to examine the basic human need for safe housing, while using art to spark meaningful conversations and solutions.

Learn more about Shelter: Crafting a Safe Home.

Jennifer has worked at the Mattress Factory, Brooklyn Museum of Art and Dahesh Museum of Art and is co-author of Pittsburgh Signs Project: 250 Signs of Western Pennsylvania. She also is co-coordinator of Handmade Arcade. Musically, she is in a band called The Garment District and is a founding member of Brooklyn's The Ladybug Transistor.