Introducing Assemble
A Community Space for Art + Technology
Founded in 2011, Assemble is an open community space for arts and technology located in Pittsburgh’s urban Friendship/Garfield neighborhood. We unite artists, technologists, and makers with our neighbors of all demographics. Assemble provides a platform for experiential learning, opening creative processes and building confidence through making. Assemble presents opportunities for hands-on learning for all ages during classes, workshops, learning parties and more (actively serving over 7,000 kids per year).
Assemble’s educational programs promote connected learning through peer-to-peer education during activities that relate to multiple academic disciplines and activate a diverse set of learning skills. Classes and workshops relate to STEAM curriculum and support development of 21st Century Skills. Classes and workshops at Assemble typically have a 10:1 student to educator ratio.
Adventure Photobooth Community Trash Bins Found Object Art
Assemble Programs
With three years of experience of youth programming and educational experiences, Assemble brings a contemporary way of learning to the city. Making is embedded in all our programs. Assemble’s Make It!, M3 (Materials, Media, and Me), and Saturday Crafternoons programs offer weekly programming for youth in grade K-8th, targeting those who live in and/or attend school within the organization’s neighborhood. All programs integrate opportunities for youth to learn the fundamentals of working with physical and digital materials that are core to making through experimentation, tinkering, open studio time, project-based experiences and facilitation by expert local makers, artists, and STEM professionals.
With Make It!, Assemble envisions empowered middle schoolers who are confident in their knowledge to see their ideas to fruition. The underlying goal of Make It! is to motivate students to develop their ideas through the design process and build their own confidence in working with new materials to problem-solve. Make It! has developed a specific curriculum incorporating STEAM assets, journaling, and creative problem solving.
Assemble’s Saturday Crafternoons promote project-based learning, hands-on making, experimentation, and community engagement for youth ages 5-10 through free DIY workshops with local makers and craft artists. A pilot program that integrates Digital Media Learning and badging, Assemble is the only DIY.org Clubhouse in Pittsburgh. Saturday Crafternoons continue to empower youth to be confident makers, foster a love of DIY projects, promote connected learning, and activate an interest in the community and the city.
Assemble provides opportunities for neighborhood children to look, learn, and make in an informal educational environment during monthly Learning Parties. The goal of Learning Parties is to make topics ranging from visual art to robotics to biological science accessible, understandable, inspiring, and fun for neighborhood children ranging in age from 3 to 14. Local kids will discover local resources for fun and learning available to them through Assemble and beyond. Learning Party activities are organized as stations, which are facilitated by a team of local experts, education specialists, and volunteers. The events are self-navigated by our drop-in visitors, a combination of kids and parents, who may spend as much time as they like at each station. Assemble offers a variety of inquiry-based, student centered activities ranging from art-making, storytelling, scientific and technological experiments, conversations with experts, storytelling, and more.
Our breadth of programming has extended to high school students through our STEAM-based classes with students from Gwen’s Girls, the Hill House and Neighborhood Learning Alliance through off site programming. Assemble also advocates for youth peer-to-peer teaching through teen internships and teaching opportunities.
Our Neighborhood: Garfield
Assemble serves the children from our neighborhood of Garfield, where 19% of the population is under 10 years of age and 18% is in the tween and teen years. The medium household income is $22,880 and there are children living in 28% of the homes.
Facilities and Space
Located in a storefront with total of 2,000 square ft of space. Our facilities include storage, a laser cutter, two 3d printers, woodworking, circuitry, and sewing equipment. Assemble is a 501(c)3 organization with adequate liability insurance and has ample experience with permission and waivers from guardians of participants.
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