Delmar Clay Studio Renovations!

Craft Alliance's Clay Studio on Delmar had the patina of 40 years of constant use. Every year, 17,000 students spend hours throwing on the wheels, sculpting at the hand-building tables, glazing their pieces in the glaze room, loading and unloading the kilns, engaging in the long and careful process of turning clay into art. Over time, heavy use has taken a toll on the conditions of our studio. We have cleaned out the studio space and begun our renovations to enhance the experience of the students and artists who learn and work in our studio. We will be repairing and painting the walls, refinishing the floors, repairing the potter's wheels, replacing the blinds, stools and the spray booth! We are very excited about these renovations and can't wait to see the finished studio!

Smarter/Faster/Higher

We had an opening on Friday for the much anticipated Smarter/Faster/Higher: Works by Elizabeth Keithline. An amazing exhibition featuring woven wire sculptures of human figures in an array of poses that feel like 3-D gestural drawings.

Using a wire weaving technique, that she has employed since 1990, and in collaboration with her husband Jeff, Keithline has created an installation of full-scale woven wire human beings and wire trees. Some of the figures are frozen in a crawl, some in a walk, and some in a run as they spread out across the gallery. The figures merge upon a ‘pool’ of monitors placed on the floor in the center of the room. The monitors depict an image of a wire figure that constantly divides, repeating over and over the idea of population and progress through replication.

Human beings are biologically programmed to evolve – to become “Smarter/Faster/Higher”. Technology has given us new tools with which to accomplish this end. We can potentially increase our mental capacity, and thus our ability to survive, simply by opening up a laptop. Keithline observes that the technological system we have created, whose principle strength is replication, mirrors the natural world.
Like Narcissus, one of the figures gazes into the pool, absorbed by the sight of his own image. Technology presents an opportunity for self-reflection and the potential for self-absorption. Does it become an obstacle, a springboard, or both?

This exhibition is a must see! It will be up through January 16, 2011 so there is plenty of time to see it more than once!

The History of Craft Alliance & The Buildings We Call Home

Craft Alliance started as an Artist Co-op in 1964 promoting the production, enjoyment, and understanding of the craftsman artist. A gallery space in the Central West End held monthly exhibits, showing work from regional artists in glass, metal, jewelry, sculpture, wood, and textiles. In 1968 classes were offered to kids aged 12-16 and were held at the Second Presbyterian Church.

Image copyright University City Public Library Circa 1960

In 1970 Craft Alliance moved into the Bond Building on Delmar Boulevard, the oldest surviving building in the Delmar Loop. It was build in 1910 by Max Bond for his tailoring shop. A pharmacy, salon and Italian restaurant were among a variety of businesses that called this building home before Craft Alliance settled in.

Image copyright University City Public Library Circa 1970

In 1976 Craft Alliance renovated space next to its Delmar location creating room for the ceramics studio we have today.

A vintage photograph, from a marketing publication of builder H.B. Deal from buildstlouis.net

In 2008 Craft Alliance opened its second location in the old Woolworths Building. A new Exhibition Gallery, expanded Outreach Programming, and Education Programming with Artist Residencies provide the St. Louis community with greater access to contemporary studio craft art.

Located in the new Big Brothers Big Sisters building right next to the Fox Theatre, Craft Alliance is part of the Kranzberg Arts Center. Classes are offered in Clay, Metal, Fibers, Graphics and more. Craft Alliance and the buildings it occupies have a rich history and a promising future.

Local Designer on Project Runway!

The patrons of our gala were blown away by the fashion show put on by local designer Michael Drummond during our ArtRageous Gala on June 4, 2010. It turns out we weren't the only ones amazed by his work!

Michael Drummond will be on the upcoming season of Project Runway on Lifetime! The premier airs this Thursday, July 29th at 9pm or 8pm for those of us in St. Louis. So tune in and cheer on our fabulous local fashion designer!

Craft Alliance Video by the Vital Voice!

Check out the new Craft Alliance video on the Delmar Loop You Tube Channel. Thanks for yet another great production Andrew Baumgartner and the Vital Voice!

Artist in Residence Rachel Akin

Our Clay Artist-in-Residence, Rachel Akin will be with us at Craft Alliance for a whole year!
Rachel received her BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute in 1999 and MFA from Ohio University in 2006. Recently, she was a resident artist at Red Star Studios Ceramic Center in Kansas City where she was also a gallery assistant.

How many years have you been a ceramic artist?
I have been working in clay for 16 years. I am drawn to the seductive qualities of the smooth, creamy texture of the clay. I create soft, curvaceous forms on the potter’s wheel or by hand. The silhouettes of these forms are accentuated through surface decoration and soothing colored glazes.

Describe the work you are making or hope to make during your time at Craft Alliance:
During my residency, I hope to continue working on my functional porcelain vessels. I see this as a opportunity to fine tune my work as well as having the time to develop new forms that I haven't attempted before.

What inspires your work?
My work is inspired from a variety of sources. I enjoy investigating historical ceramics, especially Chinese Sung dynasty vessels. I am also drawn to Venetian and Depression glass forms and surfaces. Fashion and the female form also inspire me. My work has a distinct feminine silhouette and I embellish my forms with beads of porcelain and ruffled edges to emulate a strand of pearls or decorative fabric.

Be sure to stop by our Grand Center location and check out the Artist-in-Residence studios!

Artist in Residence Mindy Sue Wittock

Our new Fibers Artist in Residence, Mindy Sue Wittock, received a BFA from the University of Wisconsin Green Bay in 2004 and an MFA at Arizona State University in 2008. Walk into her studio at Grand Center and you'll find it coated in candy-like goodness!

"Treats like cupcakes, candies, and pastries are naturally related to human emotion. They are brought to birthdays, weddings, and to close friends who just went through a trying time; they are tied to celebrations and comfort. A delicious confection can make us feel elated, if only for a minute, it’s a minutes of pure sweetness."

How many years have you been a fibers artist?
I started working in fibers as an undergraduate student in 2002 and have continued my research and exploration with the medium into the present day. I really enjoy creating objects with stitching and stuffing and embellishing.

Describe the work you are making or hope to make during your time at CA:
I am working on an installation that Hello Kitty would want to hang out in. A space that is reminiscent of a cross between Munchkin Land and Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. Sweet and edible looking, with large bush like structures and hanging smelling good pieces!

What inspires your work?
My inspiration comes from vintage cookbooks and Martha Stewart, as well as from fictitious icons such as Willy Wonka, Mary Poppins and Hello Kitty. I think a lot about what made me happy as a child when I make my artwork, and the imaginary games I played with my best friend and brother and sister.

Artist in Residence Gwen Oulman-Brennan

We recently ushered in three new Artists in Residence at our Grand Center location! Ceramicist Rachel Akin, Fibers Artist Mindy Sue Wittock and Metals Artist Gwen Oulman-Brennan.

Gwen Oulman-Brennan earned a BFA at the University of Iowa in painting in 1998. After moving to St. Louis she studied Painting at Fontbonne University where she earned an MFA in 2006. As the subject of Gwen’s work became less about the imagery and increasingly more about the materials she was using in her paintings she began to explore small metalwork. Her painting materials ranged from concrete and metal to silk and glycerin. Her instructors at Craft Alliance opened the door to working with metal which inspired her to apply to graduate school to further study Jewelry + Metalsmithing. Gwen completed her masters degree at the Rhode Island School of Design in the spring of 2009.

Some of her recent work explores the act of breathing. Some of her pieces inflate by breathing into them, others explore the aesthetics of the air-flow in and out of our bodies. We recently did a quick interview with her!

How many years have you been a metals artist?
I can't remember a time that I wasn't a maker. I have moved and continue to move between 2D and 3D mediums. It was more than fifteen years ago that I took my first jewelry and metals class, a lost wax casting course. Over the years I came to think of myself primarily as a painter. It was five years ago as I was finishing my MFA in Painting that I noticed my interests shifting away from the imagery and towards the materials. It was around this time that I began taking classes at Craft Alliance. These classes would eventually lead to me to return to school to study jewelry and metalsmithing at the Rhode Island School of Design. A metal artist , maybe only for the last three years but my work is informed by a lifetime of making and material exploration.

Describe the work you are making or hope to make during your time at Craft Alliance:
While in Rhode Island my work focused on breath. I focused on making visual the intimate and communal act of taking air into our bodies and releasing it. The concept I start with is really just that - a starting place - a way to ground my work- parameters in which to create around.

In these first few weeks at Craft Alliance I have begun a new exploration - one of a kind knots and tangles. The pieces I have begun are carvings of shoes strings in bone. I plan to spend these next few months exploring knots through materials like stone, metal, and bone.

I am also continuing a small production line of jewelry that I designed highlighting the facets of a gemstone. By making wax impressions of gemstones I've created "settings" of the absent stone.

What inspires your work?
I am inspired by the everyday and familiar. By exploring an idea over time and through a variety of materials I discover unexpected and new connections that continue to fuel my work. It is these material discoveries and synthesizing of ideas that continue to inspire me.

Interview with Kahlil Irving

Recent high school graduate Kahlil Irving has spent 3 years as part of our Crafting-A-Future program at Craft Alliance. He will be attending Kansas City Art Institute this fall with a full ride scholarship. We are so proud of his accomplishments!

How did you get involved in Crafting-A-Future?
Well, I got involved in Crafting-A-future when Leslie Silverstein came to my high school to put up a mural the students created in some of the upper-level art classes. I was told to apply and then on I have been participating in the program.

What do you love the most about working with clay?
Working with clay is like anything else I have come in contact with, something I need to evaluate and become comfortable with. I have realized through practice I can become better or more knowledgeable about something and clay is amazingly responsive to my practice to the amount of time I have put into learning about it. The response and results that I get are the reasons why I enjoying working with the material.

Where do you go for inspiration?
Inspiration comes from what I see around me. It comes from what I see and feel everyday. My past and the world's past are my biggest influences. Like ancient ceramics from Asia, the studio artists in the Craft Alliance clay studio, and artists/potters that I meet.

What was the best part of being in the Crafting-A-Future program?
The best part of participating in Crafting-A-Future is all of the opportunities I have gotten. The pot sales, volunteering, meeting many different people, all contribute to the great experience I have had.

Do you have any advice for any up and coming Artists?
My advice isnt just to young artists, its to anyone and everyone that will listen and try to understand it. The world we live in is larger than we know. Deep mental and emotional realms exist. If there is anything anyone can do is see all that they can see and try to make the best of every oppurtunity they get to do whats best for themselves and others. Follow your heart and reason with your mind, life will all unfold.

Craft Alliance Gala was ARTrageous!

"Best Gala Ever!" "So Much Fun!" These were just some of the enthusiastic comments overheard during our ARTrageous Gala on Friday night. We honored Emerson and their generous support of our Mural Arts Program and David Charak, whose generosity enables us to inspire and engage people through contemporary craft. All proceeds will benefit Craft Alliance’s education, exhibition and community outreach programs.


The evening began with cocktails and our silent auction. We had so many amazing artists donate artwork!

We had a fashion show featuring local designer Michael Drummond's line The Exquisite Corpse! So many fabulous outfits walked down the runway!


Special Guest Auctioneer Julius Hunter lead this year's Live Auction featuring trips to New York City, Cabo San Luca and a Once-in-a-Lifetime Dutch adventure for two! We also auctioned off artwork including a one of a kind charm necklace made by Craft Alliance artists!


Student Kahlil Irving spoke about his time at Craft Alliance and his work in the Crafting-A-Future program. Afterward we had a dutch style auction and raised over $11,000 in scholarships for the CAF program!

After dinner we ended the night with a wonderful After Party with loads of dancing! It was a fabulous success! We thank everyone that came to show their support for Craft Alliance. For more photos from our Gala visit our Facebook Page!