History

SCC was established to encourage the appreciation of crafts by presenting cutting edge exhibits with an emphasis on multi-cultural and non-mainstream art, and to provide educational programming for adults and children. The institution maintains two collections.

In service of our mission, to engage the public in the creative experience as expressed through contemporary craft, SCC maintains a permanent collection of more than 300 objects tracing the historical development of crafts from 1945 to the present day with focus on stylistic trends that emerged after World War II.

The permanent collection had its origins in the traveling exhibition, Pennsylvania Crafts Today, which was organized by SCC's founder Elizabeth R. Raphael and presented at the William Penn Memorial Museum in Harrisburg for the inaugural celebration of Governor Richard Thornburgh in 1979. Of the works in the Pennsylvania Crafts Today exhibition, 148 objects were accessioned into SCC's permanent collection. Since 1979, 162 objects have been added to the collection through gifts, bequests and purchases. With a particular emphasis on the 1970s and early 1980s, the collection represents the full range of craft media including clay, glass, metal, wood and fiber, and features works by such internationally known artists as Dale Chihuly, Wendell Castle and Lenore Tawney, among others.

As a result of SCC's capital expansion that was completed in July 2001, the permanent collection is now housed in a secure, climate-controlled storage space.

Permanent and Educational Loan Collections

The second collection, the primary focus of which is education, is a Study Loan collection of related craft objects and contributes to the understanding and appreciation of the permanent collection. Education of the public, through hands-on experiences and outreach programs, is the primary purpose behind SCC's maintenance of this collection.

Among the many objects in the permanent collection are the following: