An Evening with Sean Jones at Il Pizzaiolo
Wednesday, May 22, 6 PM to 9 PM
Join us in Pittsburgh for our first fundraising event of 2013. The season kicks off with a spring evening of spectacular food and the music of jazz dynamo Sean Jones. Sean is the former lead trumpeter of Wynton Marsalis’s Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, a position that he held for over half a decade. This prolific and insightful artist is now pursuing his own musical journey, and has generously offered his talent to Touchstone’s benefit. To make the event even more special, restaurateur Ron Molinaro is contributing the critically acclaimed Neapolitan cuisine and rustic atmosphere of Il Pizzaiolo to the benefit as well. Guests should come prepared to experience an evening of culinary and musical art harmony. All proceeds go to Touchstone’s various scholarship funds, which make the craft school’s dynamic artistic and educational workshops more accessible for many students.
> Tickets: $85 per guest and includes admittance to the Sean Jones performance, and access to Il Pizzaiolo's wonderful food and wine offering. Click here to sign up for this great event!
> VIP Tickets: $180 per guest and includes admittance to the Sean Jones performance, access to Il Pizzaiolo's wonderful food and wine offering, admittance to the post performance reception with Sean Jones, and a signed event postcard by Sean Jones. Click here to sign up for this great event!
5th Annual Jim Campbell Hammer-In
Saturday and Sunday, May 4–5
Touchstone celebrates its Fifth Annual Jim Campbell Hammer-In, a yearly celebration of all things blacksmithing that honors the enduring legacy of longtime volunteer and friend to Touchstone, Jim Campbell. Join us in the Hart Moore Blacksmith Studio for demonstrations in the art and craft of working hot steel. To add a bit of excitement to this year’s event, Touchstone is holding a prize drawing through which a lucky attendee can win an all-expense-paid* summer workshop in the Hart Moore Blacksmith Studio. With instructors like Alison Finn, Tom Latané, and Glenn Horr on the roster for 2013, some lucky person is going get an amazing artistic and educational experience. For this year’s Hammer-In, Touchstone has invited experienced and innovative blacksmiths Stephen Yusko and Marc Yanko to demonstrate.
Stephen Yusko is the artist-in-residence at Rose Iron Works in Cleveland, Ohio, and has worked as a studio artist for nearly 20 years. He teaches and exhibits all across the nation, making forged and fabricated steel vessels, furniture, and sculpture. Marc Yanko was chosen by the Western Reserve Artist Blacksmith’s Association as their 2008 Blacksmith of the Year. He specializes in and is widely known for forged tomahawks and other period iron pieces from American history. These talented blacksmiths bring two distinctive approaches to the Fifth Annual Jim Campbell Hammer-In, and we’re excited to see the conversation in steel unfold.
The weekend will also include artist lectures, forging demonstrations, iron work displays, toe-tapping music, wholesome food, tool vendors, and good old blacksmithing camaraderie. Event registration includes daily activities and delicious meals Saturday through Sunday. Inexpensive lodging and event packages may also be reserved. In addition, we encourage all iron enthusiasts to bring an artful object or forging tool to donate to the auction. All the proceeds will go to scholarships for blacksmithing workshops and studio improvements. *Includes workshop tuition, room and board, and materials fees.
Click here for more information on registration packages, accommodations pricing, and to register for this great event!
Thursday Evening Auctions (June to August)
It’s become a tradition on the Touchstone campus to hold an auction every Thursday evening, from June through August, at 7 PM in the Great Room of the Blaney Lodge. New items - made by that week’s students and instructors - are offered at each auction. Everyone has a chance to bid, and all proceeds go to supporting Touchstone’s operations and programs.
Summer Evening Arts Series
Highmark presents the Summer Evening Arts Series at Touchstone. For each of the three evening events, Touchstone will create a festive environment where beautifully crafted artworks are enjoyed alongside gourmet cuisine, and inspirational Americana music by regional musicians. Outlined below are the activities planned for each event.
Summer Evening Arts 1
Saturday, May 25, 5 PM to 9 PM
> Reception for Uniontown Art Club Juried Show in the Bea Campbell Gallery Store
Featuring artists from Southwestern Pennsylvania, Northern West Virginia, and Western Maryland, this special exhibition will be open to the public from May 25 through June 3, 2013. Since 1927, the Uniontown Art Club (UAC) has been an active supporter of the visual arts in Fayette County. Touchstone is proud to partner with the UAC for a sixth consecutive year in the exhibition of artworks by local and regional artists and artisans. The juror for the event is Loretta Radeschi. Loretta has been writing for nationally syndicated craft magazines since the 1980s. She served on the Arts Grants Review Panel of the PA Council of the Arts’ Rural Art Alliance, established the Basketweavers Guild of Bedford County, and was president of New Jersey Designer Craftsmen.
> Reception for Clearly Trapped: The Sculptural Terrariums of Lindsay O’Leary in the Iron Gate Gallery
Lindsay O’Leary is a Pittsburgh-based glass blower and mixed-media sculptor. She has a BA in environmental studies from Denison University and is a dynamic participant in the region’s arts and cultural ecology. She has participated in a number of exhibitions, including prestigious venues like the Mattress Factory and the Hodge Gallery at the Pittsburgh Glass Center. Her sculptural terrariums use the visually alluring and conceptually contradictory qualities of glass to comment on the isolation of contemporary existence and issues of environmental stewardship. Lindsay’s work will be featured in the Iron Gate Gallery from April 23 through June 2, 2013.
Summer Evening Arts 2
Saturday, June 29, 5 PM to 9 PM
> Reception for the Alloy Group Exhibition in the Bea Campbell Gallery Store
Alloy is a collective of metalsmiths and jewelers who work in Southwestern Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, and surrounding areas. Alloy consists of established and emerging makers whose work encompasses the broad range of skills, techniques, and concepts in the metals field. This exhibition includes jewelry, objects, and small sculpture from a selection of Alloy members. The Alloy Group Exhibition runs from June 22 through August 11, 2013, in the Bea Campbell Gallery Store.
> Reception for Wood, Iron, and Line: The Contemporary Blacksmithing of Greg Gehner in the Iron Gate Gallery
Greg Gehner is a blacksmith and sculptor who forges and fabricates a variety of sculptural, functional, and architectural metalwork from his shop in Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania. He earned an BFA in metalsmithing and blacksmithing at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. His functional and sculptural work is a dynamic synthesis of classical forging skills, industrial fabricating techniques, and a contemporary artistic sensibility. Greg’s work will be on display in the Iron Gate Gallery from June 22 through August 4, 2013.
Summer Evening Arts 3
Saturday, August 24, 5 PM to 9 PM
> Reception for Patrick Daugherty: Influenced by the Right People™ in the Bea Campbell Gallery Store
Patrick has been selected by Touchstone’s membership and the board of directors to be the 2013 Artist of the Year, and this exhibition is a celebration of his skill as a painter and his vision as an artist. Although Patrick is primarily known for his portraits, his detailed and realistic oil paintings are in numerous corporate, private, and museum collections. Patrick’s work will be on display from August 24 through September 30, 2013.
> Reception for Uneven Ground: Abstract Mosaics by Rachel Sager Lynch in the Iron Gate Gallery
Rachel Sager Lynch creates evocative and highly textured mosaics. About her work, Rachel states, “I am specifically dependent on my native Southwestern Pennsylvania geology, so when viewing the details of my work you will see sandstone, limestone, slate, shale, and even coal.” She used these materials to explore a wide range of subjects from the personal to the geopolitical. Rachel’s work will be on display in the Iron Gate Gallery from August 17 through September 23, 2013.
Touchstone's 2013 Volunteer of the Year, Leonora (Lee) Bishop, will also be honored at the Summer Evening Arts III event.
Jazzed About Art VIII
Saturday, October 5, 2 PM to 6 PM
Touchstone is hosting its annual fall benefit. This afternoon of art, music, and food will feature the work of dozens of regional and national artists. Art lovers will find myriad original artworks for bid during the event’s live and silent auctions. Hors d’oeuvres and complimentary wine and beer will be served. Reserve by calling 1.800.721.0177.
Annual Membership Meeting
Saturday, November 2, 1 PM to 3 PM
Current members are invited to the annual membership meeting at which we will review the year’s accomplishments, elect board members, and plan for 2014.
