Union Project

The Union Project, located in Pittsburgh, PA and founded in 2001 by a group of young Pittsburghers, is a rapidly growing non-profit organization located at the literal intersection of two of Pittsburgh's most diverse and historic neighborhoods -- East Liberty and Highland Park. The Union Project has acted as a national example of creative and innovative community revitalization. By creating an innovative organizational model that both contributes to the growth of community wealth and emphasizes the importance of diversity in the workplace and the community, the Union Project has given people of faith, idealism, creativity, and family a place to connect, create, and celebrate.

With the help of a $150,000 low interest loan, the Union Project's founding members bought an ailing church on the corner of Stanton Ave and N. Negley Ave. Built in 1903, the church had been home to a number of congregations until it was abandoned in the mid-1990s. Purchased for $125,000, the building was dramatically restored through a $1.6 million capital campaign. Funds were raised through a process of grassroots organizing, public grants, and private contributions. The six founding members, Jessica King, Chad Martin, Heather Kropf, Justin Rothshank, John and Milonica Stahl-Wert, asked friends, family, and former colleagues to contribute to the capital campaign.

Throughout the Rust Belt and other formerly industrial cities and towns, decreased economic prosperity has led to the neglect of many neighborhoods, particularly those that are home to lower-income families. But the Union Project has set our to reverse this trend by not only creating wealth in the East End, but also by promoting the vibrant and growing arts and culture scenes in the Pittsburgh region. By creating a place for artists to create and share their work, inviting performers to exhibit their talents, welcoming families and friends to share intimate moments in rental space, and creating a workplace that invites strangers to discover what they have in common, the Union Project displays the best aspect of its city in a way that begs to be mirrored elsewhere.

From the method by which staff is found (mostly through word-of-mouth recommendations), to the unique style of social entrpreneurship that characterizes the Union Project's operational system, this organization stands apart from other nonprofits. It also serves as a model for once-vibrant communities that are in need of revitalization.

The Union Project is run by a small full-time staff and a board of directors. The staff includes an executive director, an associate director, a facilities manager, a community outreach and events coordinator, a cafe manager, a rental assistant, and a bookkeeper. The Union Project also hosts a number of part-time interns pursuing education from the high school to the graduate school level. Of the Union Project's 19 staff members, 15 live within walking distance of the building. The physical proximity of staff's homes promotes a sense of community on the staff. Additionally, it exemplifies the deep commitment that the staff have to the Union Project's cause.

Currently, the Union Project, which takes its name from one of its previous occupants -- the Union Baptist Church -- houses offices for several nonprofit organizations and four social enterprises.

pace Rental at the Union Project

After four years of renovation and development, the Union Project opened its doors to renters in October 2005. Currently, the building houses 6 permanent office tenants: the Open Door church, Caregivers Institute, the Pittsburgh League of Young Voters, Jackson-Clark Partners, PULSE, and Plumb Media. These tenants share in the vision and goals of the Union Project and are active in the Pittsburgh nonprofit community, a well as other sectors in which each specializes. In addition to providing economic support to the Union Project, office tenants attract diverse groups for a vairety of events and help generate name-recognition and press attention.

Additionally, the Union Project offers three spaces for civic gatherings and other rentals. The Bob Foltz Board Room, featuring a large, flat screen, plasma TV, kitchenette, conference table, and stained glass windows, is rented for various meetings, seminars, and events. The Virgil King Atrium, a semi-circle space that is both intimate and airy, is a welcoming place for gatherings of up to 50 people. And the Great Hall, featuring three walls of stained glass windows, a stage, and space for 350 people, has served as gathering space for concerts, political rallies, weddings, and large conferences.

More information about Space Rental at the Union Project can be found at [http://www.unionproject.org/rent_space]

Eat UP Cafe

Eat UP Cafe, which opened in the Spring of 2006, offers a full menu of items for breakfast, lunch, and dinner from 7am-9pm Monday-Saturday. The cafe provides front-of-house and catering service to all events held at the Union Project. The cafe can also cater events held outside the Union Project. The cafe is set up as a job training program for urban youth from Peabody High School as well as youth who have aged out of foster care in Allegheny County. Beginning in Summer 2007 the cafe began a partnership with national coffee retailer Starbucks, to improve its service, and provide Starbucks coffee and teas.

More information about the Eat UP café can be found at [http://www.unionproject.org/cafe]

Glass Action

In following with the Union Project's commitment to promoting stained glass art and restoration, Glass Action is a stained glass restoration studio run out of the Union Project artists' studio. Over the last few years, the Union Project offered a series of Stained Glass Intensives, through which artists of all skill levels and experience learned the art of stained glass restoration. Class fees helped fund the building restoration, and as students learned the craft of restoration, the Union Project's historic windows were cleaned, repaired, and re-installed. This business model has ttracted national media attention from Stained Glass Quarterly, stained glass artists, and the Glass Artists Society. In 2007, Glass Action will begin to provide stained glass restoration services for off-site projects. By generating income for the continued development of the organization and by creating jobs for low-income neighborhood residents, Glass Action will help promote the continued growth and sustainability of the Highland Park and East Liberty neighborhoods.

More information about Glass Action can be found at [http://unionproject.org/glass_action]

Ceramics at the Union Project

Since its inception, the Union Project has also shown a dedication to ceramics art and artists. Currently, the Union Project has developed a clay cooperative for artists in the Pittsburgh area. Clay artists pay a monthly fee for access to clay, glazes, wheels, kilns and other tools and materials. Additionally, the Union Project offers ceramics classes for artists of various skill levels throughout the year.

Ceramics@UP also employs several Pittsburgh area youth to assist in its production studio. The production studio designs and creates custom ceramic ware which is retailed at several museums and galleries in the Pittsburgh area. Some of these include the Society for Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Sweetwater Center for the Arts, and Divertido Gallery.

Ceramics@UP has a well equipped studio including several Brent Electric Potters Wheels, a Skutt kiln, a 30 cu. ft, gas reduction kiln built by [Dale Huffman] and [Justin Rothshank] , and will soon have a new Makigama wood kiln built in partnership with Laurelville Mennonite Church Center.

Ceramics@UP will be one of many Pittsburgh locations to host the National Council on Education in the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) conference in March 2008.

More information about Ceramics at the Union Project can be found at [http://www.unionproject.org/ceramics]