Pittsburgh Glass Center Celebrates 20 Years
Pictured Above: On Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we collaborated with Pittsburgh East Rotary Club to design and install a Little Free Library with some hidden surprises for everyone to enjoy.
We're off to a really fast slow start this year. It's our anniversary! We had big plans but since there's a pandemic, we had to scale it back.
Most importantly we want to THANK YOU all for joining us on this amazing adventure and invite you to stick around for 20 more fun-filled years.
We're OPEN! Come and visit, bring your close friends or family to see our first neon exhibition, and tune in to Netflix at home on Friday to be "Blown Away!"
20 Years Glowing Strong
Over the past 20 years, Pittsburgh Glass Center (PGC) has grown to be one of the premier glass facilities in the U.S, a vibrant contributor to Pittsburgh’s thriving cultural landscape, and an integral member of the East End neighborhood. This year we are proud to celebrate 20 years going strong.
Local glass artists Kathleen Mulcahy and the late Ron Desmett (1948-2016) shared a vision in the early 1990s to create an innovative glass art center that would cultivate community, foster economic growth, and thereby change the city. They envisioned a place that would attract top artists but also welcome the novice artist and non-artists intrigued by glass.
They worked for 12 years to bring the people together who would help make their dream a reality, including artists, foundations, community members, and glass enthusiasts. Pittsburgh Glass Center opened in 2001. Our mission remains the same.
Glass Art: We teach it. We create it. We promote it. We support those who make it.
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10 Years at the Top
We are also proud to celebrate Heather McElwee's 10 year anniversary as executive director. She was recruited by Kathleen and Ron fresh out of college in 2001 to open Pittsburgh Glass Center and begin to grow a community of glass artists in Pittsburgh. She helped paint the walls, fire up the furnace and taught the first classes at PGC. She volunteered to help create new programs, recruit instructors, and attract students. As she spent more in the office and less time in the studio, she realized her passion for arts administration and Pittsburgh. Heather had experienced every task required to run this public access glass art facility until she moved into the executive director role in 2011. We hope she doesn't find a new passion for television.
BLOWN AWAY ON NETFLIX
Guest Judge Heather McElwee
In this ground-breaking competition series, glassblowers are invited into the largest hot shop in North America to push themselves to creative extremes. Season 2 Streams on Netflix Friday!
WATCH
THREADBARE NONPROFIT NIGHT
Benefiting Pittsburgh Glass Center
For one night only, 9.99% of Threadbare takeout pizza and cider bottle sales will be donated directly to Pittsburgh Glass Center. Preorder your to-go dinner now, and enjoy cider and pizza while watching Season 2 of Blown Away!
PREORDER NOW
Friday, February 5
Light in Transmission
A survey of the diverse range of light art within the shared medium of both neon and plasma sculpture curated by Percy Echols II, a first for PGC! LEARN MORE
Blast from the past
Randi Dauler and L. Van V. Dauler, Jr. cut the ribbon at the grand opening of the Emma Clyde Hodge Gallery, one of many capital projects they supported at PGC over the years.
Chris Clarke was also one of the first artists recruited to open PGC and build the state-of-the-art facility. Here he is at the very first Hot Jam!
Attending one of the very first Meltdown celebrations (what is now known as Art on Fire) at PGC are from left to right Karen Block Johnese, Daniel Johnese, Maxine Block, William Block, Kathleen Mulcahy and Ron Desmett. The Blocks were avid glass collectors who supported Kathleen and Ron's vision from the start.