When Andrew Carnegie opened his first public library in the United States 1889 in Braddock, Pennsylvania, he envisioned a place of refuge and relaxation for the workers at the Edgar Thomson Steel Works.  A free library would expand minds; a bath house would improve personal hygiene; a swimming pool and gymnasium would promote physical fitness; a music hall would elevate the spirit.  One hundred and thirty-six years later, through numerous challenges and changes, this institution is still adapting to the needs of the Braddock community and serving the same ideals.

Today, after an extensive four-year renovation project that scattered the organization’s services and programs to a variety of satellite locations, the facility has re-opened and stands ready to engage Braddock citizens in enriching and supportive activities that address the same human needs that Carnegie identified. 

The metro DC area will be alive with potters the weekend of November 13 through 16.  Pottery on the Hill is an annual event sponsored by DC’s local clay community.

For the past two years, Austin Coudriet’s calendar has been marked with engagements, each month sending him to a different country or US state to present his furniture-making workshops.  Coudriet is not a woodworker – he is a ceramic artist – and his large ceramic pieces include chairs, tables, lamps, and sculptural pieces.  This young builder who was named the 2024 Emerging Artist by Ceramics Monthly magazine and the received the 2025 Emerging Artist Award by NCECA has caught the attention of the ceramics world and has ignited interest in big clay pieces.  While Coudriet’s pieces stand out, it is the community behind the work that motivates this artist not only to build big, but to think, plan, and dream big.

Florida-based Sculpture House is a business with a long history in the greater New York area that traces a century old history through the tutelage of two families.  By the end of this summer, Standard Ceramic’s Turnbull family will become the third line of craft-oriented businessmen to extend part of that tradition.  Standard will acquire the Ceramics Division of Sculpture House as Bruner Barrie, the company’s CEO, moves closer to a full retirement.