So this collaboration with between Etsy and PNCA, and “PNCA’s Museum of Contemporary Craft” (that still just doesn’t sound right to me) sounds vague, but vaguely promising:
Indie hearts beat strong in Portland, Oregon, one of the craftiest cities in the United States. Working from Brooklyn here at Etsy headquarters, I think of Portland as our sister city.
Today, we are announcing that we are joining forces with the Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) and the Portland Etsy Team. We’re calling our collaboration “I Heart Art: Portland.” We are forging this ongoing relationship to foster opportunities and offer support for the local DIY/craft/vintage community. As a group, we’ll be partnering to host a series of indie business talks at PNCA’s Museum of Contemporary Craft and a series of Etsy Craft Labs this spring. (In addition to our regular Craft Nights at the Etsy Labs in Brooklyn, we’ve started collaborating with other museums such as the Museum of Arts and Design in New York and the Museum of Craft and Folk Art in San Francisco for similar hands-on sessions.)
Supporting local economies — especially through independent businesses — is important for Etsy, as a company and as a website built up on a vast network of local communities. Art schools and museums can help Etsy by serving as a home base for the local art and craft movement’s events, and Etsy can help by connecting curators, professors, students and members through our mutual passion for art, design, collecting and learning. We are thinking of this project in Portland as a pilot for Etsy’s outreach to local communities. Hopefully, Etsy will bring “I Heart Art” to other cities after this first run gets off the ground.
Mmmmhmm, okay. Want to know more? The inaugural “I Heart Art” event is a meet ‘n’ greet at PNCA (1241 NW Johnson) on Friday Feb 26, 6:30 pm. It’s free and open to the public, so grab a light snack and find out just what these crafty peeps have in mind.
