Assemble is a nonprofit learning space and art gallery with programs for learners of all ages on the weekends, after school, and in the summer.
Assemble is dedicated to fostering learning and creativity. We envision diverse neighborhoods of empowered people who create, connect, learn, and transform together. We build confidence through making by uniting communities of artists, technologists, makers, and learners. We do this in our space in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA and beyond.
<aside> ⚗️ Try This: Find out what we're up to right now by exploring assemblepgh.org!
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<aside> 📔 as·sem·ble [uh-sem-buhl] ****verb to bring together or gather into one place to put or fit together; put together parts of to come together; gather; meet
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↗ That's what we do. We bring together science, technology, engineering, art, and math. We put together little people (kids and teens) and big kids (young adults, grown-ups). We are artists, scientists, makers, technologists, hobbyists, neighbors, parents, and educators of all demographics who come together.
We make art after school with scientists. We spend Saturday afternoons crafting with new friends. We take inspiration from the art exhibitions on our walls as we hack the future. We have a party about learning on the third Friday of every month. We tinker and dance all summer long.
Assembling during a Saturday Crafternoon in 2014. photo: Ben Filio for Remake Learning
We do all this verbing at the intersection of learning, content, and community:
The Assemble Venn diagram. That's us at the intersection of learning, content, and community!
<aside> 🧠 Please Note: Most of Assemble's programming happens outside of school: in the summer, after school, on the weekends, and in the evenings (though we also do Off-Site Programs).
Being an out-of-school time space has its drawbacks: we're always on the lookout for funding, and people have to find us (or we have to find them). But we wouldn't have it any other way. We're constantly breaking rules, trying new things, and saying "yes." We don't have a rigid curriculum. Our kids and our teachers get to leave their preconceived notions of learning at the door when they enter our space. Out-of-school time is a special environment for exploring the limits of learning outside the confines of the formal education system.
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Assemble provides a platform for experiential learning, open creative processes, and building confidence through making. We elevate art, ideas, activities, and relationships that build agency and relationships to create community. We are hyperlocal—we've been in the same neighborhood from the very start and that's where we're staying. Our Pedagogy is recognizable and replicable. We are welcoming: Assemble is a space where people of all ages and backgrounds are invited to participate.
People gather here. We gather around a set of values. We make things together. Our place is dependable, safe, productive, and welcoming. We are an informal learning environment in an open physical space. We cultivate a culture of transparency, equity, and evaluation of impact.
Our space in action, with Penn Avenue and Garfield bustling right on the other side of the window. ****photo: Ben Filio for Remake Learning
<aside> 🧠 Please Note: Assemble is located in the Garfield neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Garfield is right next to Bloomfield and Friendship and Stanton Heights, which are right next to East Liberty and Lawrenceville (hey, neighborhoods don't float on an island!).
Assemble programs are free to Garfield residents. We intentionally serve our neighborhood, and seek to be a part of it. We do our best to respond to the needs of our neighbors in ways big and small.
Garfield is home to about 3,800 people and covers an area of about half a square mile. Neighborhood residents are 67.2% Black, 18.1% White, 5.3% two or more races, 2.7% Hispanic or Latino, 2.2% American Indian, 1.3% Asian, and 3.2% some other race. The median household income is about $38,000. (source)
Garfield is a vibrant neighborhood of residential, commercial, and institutional spaces. We have stores, churches, parks, restaurants, bars, coffee shops, a bike shop, a community farm, and even a museum of post-natural history. Penn Avenue is our main thoroughfare, and the Penn Avenue Arts District weaves together our neighbors at monthly Unblurred First Fridays events, where art galleries, dance and theater studios, shops, music venues, restaurants, and community centers open their doors and welcome residents to meander the avenue, mix, mingle, and get to know themselves, each other, and their city.
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Garfield, as seen from Penn Avenue on its southern border. photo: Firefly4342 at English Wikipedia
or, return to Chapter About Assemble
or, go all the way back out to the Table of Contents: Some Assembly Required
or, take a break and have a snack! 🥕
