Welcome back to the 100 Delightful Things in Worcester Project, 2017 #RHPFF edition \o/ This year the lovely Rabbit Heart Poetry Film Festival interns, Sarah Meigs & Alli Jutras* are taking the reins & bringing us the good stuff. This week they got to check out the Worcester Center for Crafts.

xoxox,
Apple

If you’re unfamiliar with Worcester, you’d probably have no idea what magical kingdom exists at 25 Sagamore Road. Worcester Center for Crafts is housed in a lengthy brick building near WPI and is a community that welcomes all artists (both experienced and inexperienced) to practice their craft. The organization welcomes anyone to join their community to learn art skills, refresh their arts background, and unite with a wonderful association of creators.

Sarah and I were thrilled to visit Worcester Center for Crafts, and had a wonderful time meeting Honee Hess – the Executive Director with an inspiring spirit. Honee gave us a tour around the facility and offered us background information about the organization. Worcester Center for Crafts has grown immensely over the past century and a half through its ups and downs. It was first established in 1856 in order to provide learning opportunities in the field of crafts, resulting in more job opportunities to sell and create crafts. Since its origin, Worcester Center for Crafts has relayed the importance of crafts in everyday life – whether it be for personal or professional reasons.

Our tour started off in the Gallery Store, where a multitude of jewelry, paintings, dishware, and other crafts were on display and available for purchase. Sarah and I both admitted that we were tempted to buy basically everything in the store. Most of the crafts for sale had been made in Worcester Center for Craft’s studios. The Gallery Store is open Tuesday-Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm.

Next, we checked out the Krikorian Gallery, which features beautiful photographs and paintings by local artists. When we visited the gallery was exhibiting art by female artists, which was inspiring and moving to both hear about and see. I would have spent hours admiring the creations in the gallery if I could, but 10 minutes was enough to realize how amazing the works of art are.

The Sagamore Street campus includes Worcester State studios, where Worcester State students take their studio art classes – a successful integration of  two important elements in the community. We were also excited to see the ceramics studio, a spacious spot with tons of natural light where numerous artists were hard at work. The Glass Studio is located across town, so unfortunately we weren’t able to check out the location on the same day. However, if you’re interested in visiting, the Glass Studio is located at 35B New Street in Worcester.

Whether you’re looking to take classes, visit the Gallery Store, see the work exhibited in the  Krikorian Gallery, or pay a visit to a staff of inspirational and moving people, the Worcester Center for Crafts is a great spot. You won’t be disappointed. The administrative hours are Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm. Stay crafty!
~Alli

*#TeamSalli FTW! Thank you Clark LEEP Program!