Society for Contemporary Craft
SCC was established in 1971 by Elizabeth Rockwell Raphael to broaden opportunities for craft artists to exhibit and sell their work. She opened The Store for Arts and Crafts and People-Made Things in Verona, PA in recognition that artists working in traditional craft media – clay, glass, wood, fiber, metal – were developing a unique vocabulary for these materials. In the process they were starting on a new avenue of creative effort in contemporary art.

	SCC's location in the Strip District.

In 1986 The Store became the Society for Contemporary Craft and moved to Pittsburgh’s Strip District, a popular retail and entertainment destination within minutes of the city’s downtown. Since that time SCC presents four exhibitions per year in our main gallery, furnishes a Food Gallery installation, and showcases revolving exhibitions at our satellite gallery at One Mellon Place in a downtown Pittsburgh subway vestibule. SCC has shown the work of over 1400 artists in our galleries and another 500 in our modern version of The Store.

The organization expanded to 16,000 square feet in 2001 and added an education center with three classrooms and an art-handling annex complete with loading dock to receive, house, and prepare traveling exhibitions that are produced on site.

The Studio, SCC’s education center, gives student of all ages the chance to learn from expert artisans and crafts teachers of national reputation. One day workshops and ongoing classes accommodate people’s busiest schedules.

SCC’s extensive outreach programs take the creative experience into the community through collaborations with nursing homes, public and private schools and day care centers. SCC also partners with schools to bring students to the galleries for tours and hands-on arts projects.