Contact: Mandy Wilson
mwilson@contemporarycraft.org
412.465.1637

For Immediate Release:
Prepping Pittsburgh: A social justice project utilizing art to create positive change in the community
PITTSBURGH, PA - August 2021 – Contemporary Craft (CC) is excited to present Prepping Pittsburgh: Art Sustaining
Community, an exhibition that showcases the collaborative project between artist George Bowes, 10 nationally recognizedceramicists, and Community Kitchen Pittsburgh (CKP). The exhibition will open at CC’s BNY Mellon Satellite Gallery (500Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219) on August 7 and be on view through November 29, 2021. It is a companion exhibition
to CC’s Food Justice: Growing a Healthier Community through Art exhibition, opening September 10, 2021 at its main
facility in Lawrenceville.
The Prepping Pittsburgh project began with George Bowes, a Galveston, TX based ceramic artist, who sees an analogy
between the concept of making small prep bowls for cooking and how organizations prepare individuals to be active
members of the community. By partnering with CKP, an organization that uses food to strengthen communities by turning it
into a life-changing career, Bowes and 10 participating artists created 327 unique prep bowls with diverse styles and forms.
Each bowl represents and honors a graduate of the CKP program. With the project, Bowes intends to amplify CKP’s
mission and programming in the region. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the prep bowls will be donated to CKP.
Bowes received his M.F.A. from the University of California at Davis and received his B.F.A. from the Cleveland Institute ofArt. His work is featured in public and private collections, such as the Smithsonian American Art Museum, The NewarkMuseum, The Akron Art Museum, Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, and more. Bowes has gained recognition with individual
fellowships from the Ohio Arts Council, and a National Endowment for the Arts Regional Visual Arts Fellowship Award.
Prepping Pittsburgh: Art Sustaining Community participating artists includes, George Bowes, Eleanor Anderson, Carole AnnFer, Terry Gess, Louise Rosenfield, Jerry Solomon Jr., Judith Salomon, Yoko Sekino-Bove, Lynn Smiser Bowers, Jerilyn
Virden, and Holly Walker. This exhibition is dedicated in loving memory to Rodrick Desmond Hawkins. Hawkins taught
Bowes about, among other things, the transformational work of Catalyst Kitchens like Community Kitchen Pittsburgh.
CC’s BNY Mellon Satellite Gallery is located in the lobby of the Steel Plaza T-Station in Downtown Pittsburgh. Prepping
Pittsburgh is a contactless exhibition that is free and open to the public daily through midnight. For more information,please contact Mandy Wilson at mwilson@contemporarycraft.org.
Support for Food Justice: Growing a Healthier Community through Art is provided in part by the National Endowment forthe Arts, the Jewish Healthcare Foundation, and JENDOCO Construction Corporation. Media sponsors for this exhibition
are NEXTpittsburgh, 90.5 WESA, and 91.3 WYEP. General operating support for Contemporary Craft is provided byAllegheny Regional Asset District, The Heinz Endowments, Henry L. Hillman Foundation, Opportunity Fund, thePennsylvania Council on the Arts, the Elizabeth R. Raphael Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies,
Jack Buncher Foundation, The Fine Foundation, Giant Eagle Foundation, Anonymous foundation, and by members of theHeart of Craft circle of donors. (As of May 2021)

Contact: Mandy Wilson
mwilson@contemporarycraft.org
412.465.1637

ABOUT CONTEMPORARY CRAFT
Presenting contemporary art in craft materials by regional, national, and international artists since 1971, Contemporary Craft offers
cutting edge exhibitions focusing on multicultural diversity and contemporary art, as well as a range of artist-led studio workshops,
community outreach programs, and a store. Located at 5645 Butler Street in Pittsburgh, PA, Contemporary Craft’s exhibition and Drop-In
Studio are free to the public. For questions related to accessible accommodations, please contact us at info@contemporarycraft.org orvisit www.contemporarycraft.org. CC is currently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, please check CC’s website for updates.
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