Impact Community

What Closing The Doors Means and How You Can Help

By Cathy Niland | 3.18.2020

Usually at The Crucible, spring is one of our busiest times of year—full of community events, funding opportunities, and hundreds of classes. While it is unknown how long businesses will be closed in Alameda County, we hope to resume regular scheduling as soon as possible. With the cancellation or postponement of all upcoming classes and events, including our Spring Open House, our Bike Fix-A-Thon, our Field Trip Days, and our Fire & Light Soirée, we are losing essential revenue for operating this unique space and critical funding that helps us fulfill our mission. 

With more than 200 working artists who rely on us for studio space and employment, The Crucible is one of the largest communities of artists in The Bay Area. This health crisis brings all their income (and ours) to a grinding halt.

As an important member of that community, we are asking you for help.

See below for four ways you can help.

Usually at The Crucible, spring is one of our busiest times of year—full of community events, funding opportunities, and hundreds of classes. While it is unknown how long businesses will be closed in Alameda County, we hope to resume regular scheduling as soon as possible. With the cancellation or postponement of all upcoming classes and events, including our Spring Open House, our Bike Fix-A-Thon, our Field Trip Days, and our Fire & Light Soirée, we are losing essential revenue for operating this unique space and critical funding that helps us fulfill our mission. 

With more than 200 working artists who rely on us for studio space and employment, The Crucible is one of the largest communities of artists in The Bay Area. This health crisis brings all their income (and ours) to a grinding halt.

As an important member of that community, we are asking you for help.

field trip days

4 Ways You Can Support Today

1. Donate What You Can (and consider making it monthly)

The Crucible stands out as the only local organization in the Bay Area that gives young people the transformative experience of picking up a torch, blowing glass, and pouring bronze all under one roof. Your donation today will help ensure we can continue to gift over $150,000 in youth and adult scholarships, empower youth artists through our Fuego Youth Leadership Program, and more.

2. Become a Member

Support The Crucible at this hard time by becoming a member. Not only will your membership help sustain our organization and community, it also means you will have access to member-exclusive benefits like two-weeks early registration and 10% off class tuition when we re-open.

3. Get A Gift Certificate

Are you excited about taking a class in the future at The Crucible? It is unclear how long businesses will be closed in Alameda County and we foresee further scheduling changes to our upcoming classes. Buying a gift certificate helps support us now so that when we re-open, we are ready to teach you how to blacksmith, flamework glass, work with clay, and so much more.

4. Have Another Idea?

We have been so grateful to see members of our community reach out to us with creative ways they can support The Crucible. In just a few days, we’d had folks donate Facebook ad dollars, spearhead artist relief efforts, gift class credits back to our bottom line, and spread the word about available resources for artists—if you have an idea, now is the time to get in touch.

We Are In This Together

Your decision to support organizations that make our community stronger, happier, more creative, and more empowered will help ensure the culture and community we love stays intact through this scary time.

We are comforted by the fact that we are truly all in this together. With your help, we can get through this and ensure that fine and industrial arts education remains accessible to all.

What Closing Means For The Crucible

Spring Open House

1200+
1200+ of our community would have visited our studio for a fun, free day of arts making and exposure at our Spring Open House

Fire & Light Soirée

$300K
250 guests would have raised over $300,000 to support our youth and adult scholarships, the Fuego Youth Leadership Progam, free Field Trips, and more

Youth Field Trip Day

342
Over 300 K-12 students, the majority from Oakland public schools, would have visited for a Field Trip witnessing the magic of the fine and industrial arts

Students & Faculty

460
Over 400 students and 60 faculty were registered to learn and teach in upcoming classes in welding, glass, ceramics, and more

Our Staff

50
50 of our full-time and part-time staff rely on The Crucible to survive and are uncertain about their future employment

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