Museum of Contemporary Craft

This article is about the craft organization in Portland, Oregon. For the Museum of Contemporary Crafts in New York, see Museum of Arts and Design.
Museum of Contemporary Craft
Museum of Contemporary Craft is located in Portland, Oregon
Museum of Contemporary Craft
Location within Portland, Oregon
Established1937
Dissolved28 February 2016 (2016-02-28)
LocationPortland, Oregon, United States
Coordinates45°31′28″N 122°40′40″W / 45.524444°N 122.677759°W / 45.524444; -122.677759
Typeprivate: art

The Museum of Contemporary Craft (1937-2016) in Portland, Oregon was the oldest continuously-running craft institution on the west coast of the United States until its closure in 2016. The museum's mission was "to enliven and expand the understanding of craft and the museum experience."[1] It was known as one of the few centers in the United States to focus on the relationships between art and craft, programming robust shows exploring a wide variety of artists, materials and techniques.[2]

The organization was founded by Lydia Herrick Hodge in 1937 as the Oregon Ceramic Studio and led by her until 1960. The original art deco building was designed pro bono by Henry Abbott Lawrence for Lawrence, Holford, & Allyn, and built with assistance from the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and others.[3][4]

Located at 3934 SW Corbett Avenue at its founding in 1937, the museum was relocated to 724 NW Davis Street, in downtown Portland's Pearl District, as of July 2007. The museum housed a permanent collection of over 1200 objects, all of them gifts, that documented the history of craft in the Pacific Northwest for over seven decades.[5]

  1. ^ "Center For Contemporary Art & Culture - 501C3 Nonprofit - Portland, OR - 936028398". Tax Exempt World. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  2. ^ "Museum of Contemporary Crafts (MCC) / American Craft Museum (ACM) Finding Guide". American Craft Council. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Inventory was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Wood was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Hicks, Bob (19 August 2011). "Portland's Museum of Contemporary Craft is crafting a new life with '75 Gifts for 75 Years'". Special to The Oregonian. Retrieved 20 April 2024.