Museum of Contemporary Craft

The Museum of Contemporary Craft based in Portland, Oregon is the oldest continuously-running craft institution in the United States. Located in downtown Portland’s Pearl District, the museum is dedicated to promoting craft and strives to contribute to the advancement of craft by exhibiting and documenting work from Pacific Northwest and international artists.

History

Lydia Herrick Hodge founded the Museum in 1937, with donated materials and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) labor. Originally called the Oregon Ceramic Studio, the studio building first opened in 1938. Lydia Herrick Hodge led the OCC as the studio director from 1937 until her death in 1960. The Oregon Ceramic Studio hosted several exhibitions and participated in design campaigns crucial to the cultivation of the Northwest's legacy of craft.

Throughout its history, The Museum of Contemporary Craft has gone by several names, including; Contemporary Crafts Gallery 1965, Contemporary Crafts Museum & Gallery 2002, and Museum of Contemporary Craft 2007.

Today the organization functions primarily as a museum and as a resource for the community. It houses a growing collection, of over 1000 objects that document the active role of both the Museum and the Pacific Northwest in the evolution of craft over the past seven decades.

Partnership with PNCA

In January 2009, the Museum of Contemporary Craft integrated with the Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA), making the joint institution one of the largest organizations devoted to the visual arts in the state of Oregon.^[1]

Location

MoCC has occupied two locations. Its first location, 3934 SW Corbett Avenue, was home to the museum for 70 years. The art deco style building was designed by architect Ellis Lawrence, first dean of the University of Oregon School of Architecture and Allied Arts. The building underwent several renovations, most notably in 1998 when the Marlene Gable Gallery was built, designed by Northwest Regional Style architect William Fletcher. The Marlene Gable Gallery served as the permanent collection space.

In 2005 the museum board decided to move the museum’s location. In July 2007 the museum relocated to its current location, 724 NW Davis Street, in the Historic DeSoto Building on Portland’s North Park Blocks. The new location has increased foot traffic and visibility for the museum. ^[2]

The Gallery at the Museum of Contemporary Craft

The Gallery at Museum of Contemporary Craft is a retail space for craft and design in the Pacific Northwest. The Gallery represents artists working in ceramics, glass, jewelry, wood, metal, fiber and mixed media.

References

1. ^ "Museum of Contemporary Craft: History". http://museumofcontemporarycraft.org/about/c/history. Retrieved 8/30/2011. 
2. ^ Run Up to the DeSoto Opening, Part VI - OregonLive.com: Visual Arts

External links

• Museum of Contemporary Craft (official website)
• Museum of Contemporary Craft Gallery

Coordinates: 45°31′28″N 122°40′40″W / 45.524444°N 122.677759°W / 45.524444; -122.677759