In 2017, Boston’s Society of Arts and Crafts, the nation’s oldest nonprofit craft organization, celebrates its 120th birthday. It does so in futuristic style, having moved from its sedate quarters in an antiquated building on Newbury Street in the city’s Back Bay to a sleek, modernist high-rise in Boston’s rapidly developing Seaport District. It goes from a 3,000-square-foot space to one that’s three times that size, and all on one level. Like the old space, the new one has both retail and gallery areas, now all on the second floor of a building topped by more than 20 stories of luxury rental units, with a Dale Chihuly chandelier in the lobby. The Society’s hope is that the occupants of those apartments will do their shopping just an elevator ride away.

The opening show is “Radius,” aptly named for the geographical area it covers. All 33 craftspeople live or work within a 1-mile radius of the new facility. It’s fertile ground: Many artists have for several decades inhabited the abandoned factory buildings in the neighborhood, converting them into studios and living spaces. The artists range from ceramist Linda Huey, whose elegant bowls are in the form of petals, to Heather Dawson, whose rows of tiny wooden vessels are partially covered in gold and copper leaf. Then there’s Tim Wallace, director of security at the Institute of Contemporary Art, which is a short walk from the new SAC in what’s become Boston’s most vibrant arts district. Wallace makes large pots, breaks them, then re-forms them.

The new gallery has a space for an artist-in-residence, initially occupied by Jenifer Stark, whose imaginative garments and accessories – everything from slippers to baby bunting – are made with mechanical knitting machines. In keeping with the Society’s mission to educate as well as exhibit, there is a small library of craft books for visitors to peruse while sitting on attractive wooden benches and stools produced by the students of Artists for Humanity, a program that offers paid employment in creative fields to under-served teenagers, who are mentored by professional artists.

“Radius” shows that the Society has room to grow in every sense. In order to fit in the 33 artists, most of the objects are of modest size. An exception is a fully functional rowboat that anchors the space. It was built by Boston middle-schoolers under the auspices of the nonprofit Community Boat Building. Coming up is “Our Cups Runneth Over,” a popular show of ceramic cups, then a solo show by metalsmith Boris Bally.  

Eventually, it would be good to include large, dramatic pieces that would also contrast with the offerings in the shop, which now reads as an extension of the gallery. Altogether, though, the new space is a huge improvement over the old. While it doesn’t include a café – the area is already glutted with eateries – it does boast one welcome amenity the previous space lacked: public restrooms.   

Christine Temin is an arts writer in Boston.