What’s Cooking at Craft Alliance? – Metalsmithing 1-4
Metalsmithing 1 & 2 In Metalsmithing 1, students learn basic skills to create small metal objects like jewelry. Sawing and filing, texturing and hammering, and, of course, soldering are covered so that all the pieces can be put together to create original works of art. Metalsmithing 2 is a continuation, where students have the opportunity […]
Cut/Fold/Press
Juried by Craft Alliance’s inaugural Visiting Artist, Buzz Spector, the Cut/Fold/Press exhibition features artists pushing the boundaries of paper.
Craft Conversations: February 26
The Threads of Memory: How Quilting Connects Us to Craft, Community, and Creativity Bryan Knicely Executive Director Quilting is more than just a craft—it’s a connection to the past, a form of artistic expression, and a way to build community. It’s a tradition that has stitched generations together, preserving techniques, creativity, and shared moments of […]
Spring Student & Faculty Sale
Tuesday, May 27-Friday, May 30, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM Saturday, May 31, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM Sunday, June 1, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM We’re excited to announce that our Student & Faculty Spring Sale has been rescheduled for Tuesday through Sunday, May 27–June 1. This is a great opportunity to shop one-of-a-kind work created […]
Crafting Rainbow – February 2025
Background Information “According to legend, a safe house along the Underground Railroad was often indicated by a quilt hanging from a clothesline or windowsill. These quilts were embedded with a kind of code, so that by reading the shapes and motifs sewn into the design, an enslaved person on the run could know the area’s […]
A Quick Chat With…Nick Merlo
Nick Merlo is a graduate of our Crafting a Future (CAF) program, which he participated in his junior and senior year of high school. He’s currently a sophomore at the Rhode Island School of Design studying textiles. Click on the image to hear about Nick’s work. Crafting a Future Experience The Crafting a Future program […]
Craft Alliance in the News: February 2025
The latest news about Craft Alliance and its community. Click on the article titles to read the full article. Exploring Life & Business with Danielle Lee of Craft Alliance VoyageSTL, Feb 3, 2025 Bridging a Divide: In the growing Delmar Maker District and beyond, restaurants, maker and retail spaces, and nonprofits […]
What’s Cooking at Craft Alliance? – Glass Sea Creatures
https://www.craftalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Insta-reels.mp4 Glass Artist Faculty Max Tsimerman Max says: We use torches that run on propane and oxygen to melt glass rods into marbles, beads, and sculptures. Many of the glass rods come straight from Murano, Italy. Student Work The molten glass is wrapped around a stainless steel mandrel and then annealed (gradually cooled) in a […]
Craft Conversations: January 30
Forged In Metal: How a Ring Crafted in Love Became a Part of Me Bryan Knicely Executive Director You and I share something truly extraordinary: the art of craft. Every creation is one of a kind, infused with intention, skill, and the unmistakable imprint of the maker’s hands. Craft is deeply personal—it reflects who we […]
A Quick Chat With…Artist Moraa Nyaribo
Moraa Nyaribo is a Kenyan textiles artist who teaches in Craft Alliance’s fibers studio and is featured in the Slow/Make exhibition. Nyaribo has a B.A in Fashion and Textiles from the University of Nairobi and an M.F.A in Fibers from Savannah College of Art and Design. She is currently an artist fellow with the Kranzberg […]
Visiting Artist Buzz Spector
Craft Alliance is proud to announce our inaugural Visiting Artist, Buzz Spector. An internationally renowned artist, critic, and writer, Spector’s work has been exhibited in museums and galleries throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia and is held in the collections of the Whitney Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. Spector’s work often […]
What’s Cooking at Craft Alliance? – January
https://www.craftalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Insta-reels.mp4 Let’s open it up! Our soda kilns create special and stunning glazes through chemistry. When they heat to around 2000 degrees, our resident soda kiln expert Dan injects sodium carbonate, aka baking soda. The Na bonds with the silicate in the clay to create a beautiful, unique glaze. Pictured here: a soda glaze on […]
Slow / Make
This fall, we celebrate the transformative nature of craft techniques and materials that have held true for centuries and the makers who continuously challenge and expand the field of craft. Looking towards the next 60 years, Craft Alliance poses the question: What is the role of craft in our collective futures? Whether transforming materials, expanding technique, or challenging personal practices, the artists in this exhibition are building the future of craft.
Now Hiring: Education Manager
Who We Are Founded in 1964, Craft Alliance is a nonprofit art center dedicated to nurturing creativity and engagement, educating and enriching our community through contemporary craft. Located in the Delmar Maker District of St. Louis, Missouri, Craft Alliance offers exhibitions, education classes for all skill levels, free community programs, artist residencies, and a gallery […]
October 21, 2024 – Spectrum News: Craft Alliance celebrates 60 years, will host fundraiser this weekend
“A big piece that people don’t know is that we are a nonprofit. I think people know us as a place you can take classes, which is great and wonderful, but we do so much community work that I think goes a little bit under the radar.” Read the full article here: https://spectrumlocalnews.com/mo/st-louis/news/2024/10/21/craft-alliance-celebrates-60-years–will-host-fundraiser-this-weekend
Craft Alliance in the News: October 14, 2024
Craft Alliance alum Elizabeth Giessow was featured in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for her pottery and sculpture practice. Congrats, Elizabeth! Read the article here. You can find her work in Craft Alliance’s Gallery Shop, as well as the Contemporary Art Museum, Rolling Ridge Nursery, the Lobby at Union Studio, Union Studio in Webster Groves, and […]
Art for the Heart
How creativity can better your health and well-being By Halle Tucker Over the past decade, the relationship between art and health has become an increasingly important study, with new research revealing how powerfully art impacts us. Art, in its many forms, provides profound mental and physical benefits. Reducing stress, enhancing cognitive function, and managing pain […]
Craft Alliance in the News: Sept. 9, 2024
Exciting news! Craft Alliance has been awarded an ARPA for the Arts Tourism Grant from the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis. We will use this historic funding for staffing, marketing, programs, and initiatives that attract more visitors to St. Louis City. Thank you for your support! Click the link to learn more about the […]
2024-2025 Whitaker Artist-In-Residence: Alisha N. Porter
Alisha is an artist and educator drawn to the transformative power of clay and the endless possibilities of mixed media and craft processes. Inspired by personal experiences of joy and trauma, the artist hopefully constructs surrealist worlds where the boundaries between the human and the abstract blur. Through these hybrid forms, Alisha aims to provoke thought and inspire dialogue about the complexities of queer identity.
60 for 60: Support the Future of Craft
Help us celebrate our 60th anniversary and support the future of craft! Craft Alliance is committed to making our programs accessible to everyone, regardless of economic means, background, or artistic experience. Your contribution to the Craft Alliance Scholarship Fund enables us to offer our classes to the broadest possible audience, regardless of financial constraints. Many […]