Touchstone Center for Crafts

Touchstone Center for Crafts Pioneering craft education for over 50 years. A nonprofit arts organization located in southwestern PA.
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Touchstone is a unique three-season crafts school located in the beautiful mountains of the Laurel Highlands, 60 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1972 as Pioneer Crafts Council, Touchstone's original mission was to preserve traditional mountain crafts. Today, Touchstone's offerings include contemporary and experimental approaches in disciplines such as blacksmithing, ceramic

s, glass, fine metals, painting, drawing, and other special topics. Touchstone offers both beginner and seasoned artists week-long and weekend immersive workshops taught by some of North America's finest artists and artisans. Scholarships, Internships, and Artist Residency opportunities.

09/02/2026

Step inside the Bea Campbell Gallery at Touchstone in Farmington. 🎨

We’re open weekends in September! Explore the ‘2026 Instructors of Touchstone Exhibition’ and ‘2026 Touchstone Teen Week Showcase.’

👀 Visit in September: Tuesday–Sunday, 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
🗓 Save the date for our closing reception on Saturday, October 3, noon–2 p.m.

🍄 Step into the vibrant September woodlands of Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands. Look closer. There’s a whole world under...
09/01/2026

🍄 Step into the vibrant September woodlands of Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands. Look closer. There’s a whole world underfoot.

Join Margaret Saylor for ‘Understory Alphabetica: Woodland Curiosities,’ a two-day workshop exploring mushrooms, fungi, mosses, and forest floor plants through observation and botanical art.

Morning walks become the starting point for an A–Z sketchbook inspired by what you discover. Back in the studio, explore graphite, Micron pen, and watercolor while developing your approach to observation, composition, and storytelling.

📅 September 12–13
📍 Touchstone Center for Crafts, Farmington, PA

Make a little more room for creativity in your September. Register at touchstonecrafts.org.

🏺 Start with a flat slab. See where the shape takes you.Join ceramic artist Taylor Mezo for ‘Soft Geometry with Clay Sla...
08/29/2026

🏺 Start with a flat slab. See where the shape takes you.

Join ceramic artist Taylor Mezo for ‘Soft Geometry with Clay Slabs,’ September 4–6 at Touchstone.

Using paper templates and medium leather-hard clay slabs, you’ll explore how flat shapes can become asymmetrical vessels with unexpected forms. Taylor will guide you through designing your own templates, building and joining slabs, developing surface patterns, and finding inspiration in the shapes of everyday objects.

📅 Sept. 4–6
📍 Touchstone Center for Crafts, Farmington, PA
🏺 Beginner–intermediate

There’s still room at the table. Join us at touchstonecrafts.org.

🔥 Get to know bronze at the forge.Join blacksmith and sculptor Mak Henriksen for three days of ‘Bronze Forging,’ Septemb...
08/28/2026

🔥 Get to know bronze at the forge.

Join blacksmith and sculptor Mak Henriksen for three days of ‘Bronze Forging,’ September 4–6 at Touchstone.

Working with silicon bronze, you’ll build foundational forging skills while exploring how the material moves, responds to heat, and compares with steel. Through a series of small projects, Mak will guide you through techniques including tapering, spreading, bending, twisting, and punching.

📅 Sept. 4–6
📍 Touchstone Center for Crafts, Farmington, PA
🔥 No experience–beginner

There’s still room at the forge. Join us at touchstonecrafts.org.

🎨 Members, we want to see what you’ve been creating!The deadline to apply for the 2026 Touchstone Members Exhibition is ...
08/26/2026

🎨 Members, we want to see what you’ve been creating!

The deadline to apply for the 2026 Touchstone Members Exhibition is coming up September 1.

Open to current Touchstone members working in any medium, this annual juried exhibition is a chance to share your work and celebrate the creativity within our community.

🗓 Application deadline: September 1
🖼️ Exhibition: October 17–December 20
📍 Bea Campbell Gallery at Touchstone Center for Crafts

Don’t wait too long—choose your work and get your application in!

🔗 Apply now: touchstonecrafts.org/visit/exhibitions/2025-touchstone-members-exhibition

Not a member yet? There’s still time to join and apply: touchstonecrafts.org

🏺 Join us for An Artist Talk with Mike Seymour this Thursday, August 27, at Touchstone by the Falls.Canadian artist Mike...
08/25/2026

🏺 Join us for An Artist Talk with Mike Seymour this Thursday, August 27, at Touchstone by the Falls.

Canadian artist Mike Seymour will share the creative journey behind his Fallingwater–Touchstone Artist Residency and the creation of sculptural ceramic chandeliers for Fallingwater’s 90th anniversary celebration.

Get a first look at the work and hear how architecture, landscape, and craft came together in this unique project, then stay for a meet-and-greet reception with the artist.

📅 Thursday, August 27
🕕 Artist Talk: 6–7 p.m.
🥂 Reception: 7–8 p.m.
📍 Touchstone by the Falls, 1 Sherman St., Ohiopyle, PA
🎟️ Free and open to the public

Follow Touchstone by the Falls to stay up-to-date on what’s happening at our second location in Ohiopyle, PA.

🏺 Ready to build your skills at the pottery wheel?Spend a weekend learning the fundamentals of wheel throwing with Liana...
08/24/2026

🏺 Ready to build your skills at the pottery wheel?

Spend a weekend learning the fundamentals of wheel throwing with Liana Agnew in a workshop designed for beginners and those looking to strengthen their foundation.

You’ll work on centering clay, pulling walls, and creating simple forms through demonstrations, individual guidance, and plenty of time at the wheel. Learn at your own pace while building the skills and confidence to continue your ceramics practice beyond the weekend.

📅 Sept. 12–13
📍 Touchstone Center for Crafts, Farmington, PA
🏺 No experience–beginner

There’s still room to join us. Register today at touchstonecrafts.org.

Sometimes the smallest changes make the biggest difference in your creative practice.Whether you’re raising copper, refi...
08/22/2026

Sometimes the smallest changes make the biggest difference in your creative practice.

Whether you’re raising copper, refining ceramic forms, forging jewelry, exploring the quiet rhythm of watercolor, or creating with molten glass, this weekend is about slowing down, building confidence, and discovering the details that make your work uniquely your own. Growth often happens one thoughtful step at a time.

September 26–27
⚒ Glen Gardner — Raising Red Metals
🏺 Derek Decker — Sculptural Teapots Using Press Molds and Slabs
💍 Heather Liverman — Forging for Jewelry
🎨 Dean Simpson — Peaceful Watercolor Practice, assisted by Leah Shuck *Act 48 credit available for PA educators
🔥 Jessica Tsai — Once Upon a Pendant: Flameworked Treasures

Find your next creative experience at Touchstone Center for Crafts in Farmington, PA.

After eight years of strategic and thoughtful leadership, Lindsay Ketterer Gates will step down as Executive Director of...
08/20/2026

After eight years of strategic and thoughtful leadership, Lindsay Ketterer Gates will step down as Executive Director of Touchstone Center for Crafts on August 31, 2026.

We celebrate Lindsay’s contributions during a transformative period for Touchstone, from strengthening our programs and operations to expanding our presence in the region through Touchstone by the Falls and new partnerships.

“I leave with tremendous confidence in Touchstone’s future and in the people who will lead the organization into its next chapter. While I am stepping away from executive leadership at Touchstone, I will continue to be a proud supporter of the organization and advocate for artists and the arts.” — Lindsay Ketterer Gates

Pam Komar has been appointed Interim Executive Director effective September 1 while the Board of Directors conducts a nationwide search for Touchstone’s next Executive Director.

Please join us in recognizing Lindsay for her contributions to Touchstone and our region over the last eight years, and in welcoming Pam to her new interim role.

Address

1049 Wharton Furnace Road
Farmington, PA
15437

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+17243291370

Website

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