Dear Friends,

When you come to Touchstone you know that you will learn from the best in their fields in professional teaching studios. But you are also enveloped in the serenity of the vast rural campus, the visual treat of moss on rocks and sun through the trees, the sounds of the babbling brook running behind the studios, and the diversity of people who have joined you on your journey. Nostalgia for those things resonates with Sharif as much as the learning that happens in the studios and continues after.

When Pittsburgh native and renowned artist and educator, Sharif Bey, returns to teach a workshop at Touchstone, his love for the organization flows from him freely. Sharif returned this year to teach Teen Week and students had the opportunity to learn about his journey, from growing up in Pittsburgh to his early experiences at Touchstone to becoming a college professor and having a solo exhibition of his work at the Carnegie Museum of Art.

“Touchstone was a big part of my orientation into the arts. I learned things at Touchstone in the 1990s that are still an integral part of the work that I’m doing today.” - Sharif Bey

Sharif’s career has offered him extraordinary opportunities and he chooses to return to Touchstone and give back to a place that offered him inspiration and connections to mentors that he remains close to today. What he values the most is the inter-generational learning that happens naturally on campus; old and young opening up to possibilities and embracing new perspectives simultaneously.

“At Touchstone, we build a unique community of diverse ages and backgrounds, where we are all on this journey together — processing ideas together, side by side — but also on our own unique journeys.” - Sharif Bey

Ensuring inter-generational learning is a sustainable model at Touchstone and requires support from friends like YOU. Through the Fayette Gives Challenge, Touchstone has the opportunity to increase the impact of YOUR GIFT when you give by November 9. Every donation we receive through this challenge earns Touchstone bonus dollars, helping YOUR GIFT create greater impact to continue current programming and increase transformative experiences at Touchstone. This shared commitment results in a continuous vibrant, diverse and creative community that is a cornerstone of the Touchstone Experience.

“I hope we can get more people to open up their checkbooks to help Touchstone continue to grow and offer diverse experiences. I see a bright future for Touchstone.” - Sharif Bey

Join Sharif and his call to action and help Touchstone by paying it forward and making a contribution to this special challenge. Every dollar invested by way of Fayette Gives will be amplified through the bonus pool from the Community Foundation of Fayette County.

With gratitude,

Lindsay Ketterer Gates
Executive Director

Visit fayettegives.org to learn more.

Sharif Bey, Artist, Educator, and Touchstone Supporter SharifBeyCeramics.com

Your contribution today will enable Touchstone
continue to:

Build community and connect makers

Offer a respite from the everyday and an escape into nature where you can disconnect to reconnect

Provide support, learning, and a space to stretch and discover your creativity and yourself

Help build a thriving creative economy in the region