PIONEER CRAFT HOUSE MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of Pioneer Craft house is to respond to the community by offering vital cultural resources and high standards of art and craft education, programs, and events. Pioneer Craft House will preserve and honor the rich heritage of its collections, artifacts, and exhibits.

PIONEER CRAFT HOUSE VISION STATEMENT

Pioneer Craft House is dedicated to inspiring imagination, exploration transformation, and joy through art and crafts education.

OUR HISTORY

Pioneer Craft House, named for a 1947 project marking the centennial of Salt Lake's settlement, recently celebrated its 60th anniversary on the site of the old Scott School property at 500 E 3300 S. During that time, Craft House has been the home of a valuable international puppet collection, well-used weaving and pottery studios, silversmith and lapidary workshops, an art library, and a peaceful cultural haven for artists and craftspeople. Classes in both heritage and contemporary methods and materials gave students the opportunity to develop interests in fields as varied as tatting, woodcarving, sculpture, flute-making, and even microwave cooking and macrame!

In 2004, Granite School District transferred the property to the City of South Salt Lake. Efforts continue on the part of impassioned artists, educators, and community builders to ensure that Craft House’s serene campus and spacious studios remain a cultural oasis for decades to come. The lovely old buildings are enjoying some TLC in the form of new paint, new pipes, and new populations, and the grounds have been pruned and replanted so that they aptly reflect the vitality of this beloved institution.

This renewed dedication to arts and crafts education means that our sanctuary of learning, the oldest continually operated school in Utah, will carry on for generations.

Did you know?

In its heyday, the 1950s thru the ‘70s, an average of 300 people a day, 2000 a month, participated in Pioneer Craft House classes and activities.

One of the draws was its collection of Western Americana. Since 1947, generous individuals and organizations have donated family heirlooms, one-of-a-kind photograph collections, geological displays, mechanical marvels and much more.

Currently the following items are being inventoried, catalogued, and archived and are not available for viewing at this time.

TEXTILES

• prized looms, one used by the mother of its benefactor, Dr. John A. Widtsoe; one rug loom belonging to Mrs. Mariba Davis, one donated by a blind weaver; and several from the Beeley family, Mr. James Milliken, Mr. and Mrs. Roy Hudson, and others
• a spinning wheel in the design of Mahatma Ghandi
• a piece of hand-made carpet used in the Salt Lake LDS Temple, donated by the Carpenter family
• lace pillows, coverlets, wall hangings, embroideries and a textile collection given by Mr. George A. Williams
• antique knitting machines donated by the Utah Woolen Mills
• historic costumes and clothing from Mrs. Phil Chase, Mrs. H. E. Bassford, and Craft House friends, including the wedding dress worn by Clara Decker Young, one of the wives of Brigham Young that was donated by her family

ARTWORK

• murals painted for the Auerbach Company by Merrill Van Frank in 1947 in celebration of Utah’s centennial year (no longer intact)
• a collection of paintings by early Utah artists Minerva Teichert, William Parkinson, Mabel Frazer, Hilma Payne, Elverta Jacobsen, Joseph Everett, Lee Greene Richards, Louis Heinzman, J. T. Harwood, and A. B. Wright
• a large silkscreen reproduction of the Adoration of the Magi by Fathers Angelico and Filippo from the Samuel H. Kress Collection, a gift from Mr. and Mrs. Guy Emerson of New York City
• a buffalo sculpted by Famed Utah artist Avard Fairbanks

FURNITURE AND FIXTURES

• furniture from Fort Douglas, the Salt Lake City and County Building, Granite High School, Auerbach’s store, and a pine desk used in the Scott School in 1890
• a printing press used by the Catholic Fathers in the early days of Utah and a crimping machine used by the Catholic Sisters to iron their bonnets

PUPPETS

• hand puppets, marionettes, shadow puppets, and more from around the world – some new, some over 100 years old
• an elegant puppet mobile patterned after an old circus wagon

MEMORABILIA

• a Delft plate and silver-and-pewter sacrament set used in Nauvoo, Illinois, donated by LDS Church President and Mrs. George Albert Smith.
• a picture frame brought across the plains by the Smith family, made into atable and decorated by Mrs. Glenn J. Beeley
• hundreds of historic Utah photographs and documents from the Herbert S. Auerbach collection
• art books, magazines, slides, and photos given by the Salt Lake Tribune, the Salt Lake County Library, and private donors
• African artifacts from Mrs. Agnes Stewart; Mexican and Japanese artifacts from Mrs. Charles Bintz; Phillipine artifacts from Mrs. James Matthews
• minerals and mining equipment donated by Mr. and Mrs. Charles Lockerbie
• hundreds of patent models and original patent applications donated by the Auerbach Company

Please note: Pioneer Craft House is a 501c3 organization (non-profit). We are not church owned.