ST. LOUIS — Craft Alliance, an arts nonprofit in St. Louis, is celebrating 60 years and will host a fundraiser this weekend to support its community outreach programs, including those for middle and high school students.

The Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis recently awarded Craft Alliance with $40,000 in ARPA funds to support its programming such as ArtSmarts, Crafting a Future, Free Family Saturdays, School Mural Residencies.  

ArtSmarts is a program geared toward high school and middle students in Saint Louis Public Schools and neighboring school districts to learn woodworking, glass, metalsmithing, ceramics, fibers or print and paper arts.

This will be Orchard Farm School District’s third year participating in the ArtSmarts program, which will soon start again.  

“My students have been given access to materials not typically available in an art classroom,” said Madelyne McDuffy, high school art teacher and art club sponsor at Orchard Farm High School. 

“I look forward to my students learning new skills, collaborating with students of other ages and learning from practicing professional artists.”

McDuffy’s students have learned how to make jewelry and bookmarks out of metal, do Gelli-plate printmaking and needle felting. 

“All three of these are not available in my current art room setting, as metal, Gelli-plates, and needle felting tools are pricey for full-class sets,” she said. 

Along with 20 Orchard Farm High School students, 10 eighth-grade Orchard Farm Junior High students and their teacher also participate.

“It is a great opportunity for me to meet incoming freshmen and for the junior high art teacher to catch up with former students,” McDuffy said. 

“As a teacher, I want to provide even more field trip opportunities for my students. I feel they learn to value the arts as a career and see that maybe they could have a career in the arts too,” she added.

McDuffy knows first-hand the importance of ArtSmarts as she is an alumnae of the program. She participated as a senior during the 2016-17 academic year when her art teacher at Freeburg High School first began bringing students to the program. 

“I then became a camp assistant at Craft Alliance the summer of 2017, which helped me solidify that I wanted to go to college to become an art teacher,” McDuffy said.  

“It has truly been a full circle moment for me to have participated in the program and I now get to bring my students to benefit from the program.”

The Craft Battle & Brews fundraiser is Saturday, Oct. 26, from 5-8 p.m. The event will feature a pottery wheel-throwing competition between Craft Alliance artists, and auction items such as City Museum tickets and a personal catered craft event.

“We are excited to celebrate 60 years of craft and especially our community outreach efforts. We are also thrilled to be partnering with our new neighbors in the Delmar Maker District for this new event,” Executive Director Bryan Knicely said.

Attendees also can enjoy a buffet from Steve’s Hot Dogs, local craft beers and purchase artwork by Craft Alliance artists.

Marketing and communications manager Danielle Lee said she hopes people learn more about the organization while attending the fundraiser.  

“A big piece that people don’t know is that we are a nonprofit,” she said. “I think people know us as a place you can take classes, which is great and wonderful, but we do so much community work that I think goes a little bit under the radar.”

Ticket proceeds will support the organization's community outreach programs.

Craft Alliance also offers youth and adult classes in blacksmithing, ceramics, fibers, glass, metals, print and paper, and wood studios.

The nonprofit also displays contemporary art exhibitions and presents gallery talks, workshops and lectures.

For more information about Craft Alliance and to purchase fundraiser tickets, visit the nonprofit’s website.