pittsburgh glass center

we believe in the
transformational
power of art.

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 20 years
glowing strong
Pittsburgh Glass Center (PGC) has grown to be one of the premier glassmaking studios 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 glowing strong!

Local glass artists Kathleen Mulcahy and the late Ron Desmett
shared a vision in the early 1990s to create an innovative
glass art center that would cultivate community, foster
economic growth, and change the city.

After 12 years their dream became a reality. Pittsburgh

Glass Center opened in 2001. Our mission continues to
guide us: Glass Art: We teach it. We create it.
Ka P
We promote it. We support those who make it. th GC
l e e Fo u
n M nde
Pittsburgh Glass Center cultivates an inclusive and ulc rs
ahy Ron Desmet t and
workin o p.
g in the hot sh
welcoming environment that encourages everyone,
from the casually curious to the master artist, to learn, create, and be
inspired by glass. We share our passion for glass locally and globally
to advance a more diverse, vibrant, and accessible glass art
community.

We believe in the transformational power of art. Artists

synthesize and communicate societal ideals and ask important
ry

questions about the world. The pandemic and other issues

lle
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impacting our community over the last year have shown us

ge

d
Ho tion
.

e firsthand the power of art to bring peace and healing in times of crisis.
th ibi
s of ex h
r t
de firs And because of that, our first priority is always to ensure that our mission
fun
u l e r, n o u r
a remains strong. The recent challenges and uncertainty have reinforced our
an D no
Randi and V e ribbo
t h
at PGC, cut commitment to this community and to our vision for the future.

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 we are
molding
the next
generation of
glass students,
instructors, artists,
and enthusiasts.

gathering
the details
As we celebrate our 20th anniversary, PGC is poised to truly realize
our potential as a center for artistic excellence and a driver of
economic opportunity through a major expansion of our facilities.
Pittsburgh’s glass art community will grow and thrive with PGC
as we expand our vision, our work, and our facilities. By providing
opportunities for people of all ages and skill levels to be connected
to making, we are molding the next generation of glass students,
instructors, artists, and enthusiasts. Our work fuels an ecosystem of
people, facilities and innovative programming that together help
shape our region’s creative economy.

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 This expansion project, funded through a $13 million capital campaign, will allow PGC to create
more studio space, grow our unique tech apprentice program, create a retail store, and allow
space for more community programming. We are investing $13 million, but the return on that
investment for the community will be much greater:

• expanded employment opportunities for artists and makers

• free access to glass art and creative experiences for youth and adults
• a diverse community of artists who call Pittsburgh home
• a vibrant Penn Avenue for visitors, consumers, and art patrons
• affordable exhibition space, meeting rooms, and artist housing

Our current, 16,000 square foot facility, at 5472 Penn Avenue, will be renovated to improve
functionality and expanded by an additional 11,000 square feet. PGC recently purchased a
second, 6,500 square foot building two blocks from our current facility, at the corner of North
Graham Street and Penn Avenue. This, along with our currently available artist housing, will
create much needed additional accommodations for PGC’s tech apprentices and visiting artists,
and a gallery space with street frontage that can host community programming.

FOOD/DRINK

SHOPPING/SERVICES

EXISTING PGC FACILITIES

NEW PGC FACILITIES

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 PGC is bursting at the seams.
We have grown significantly, educating more people than ever through
tours, classes, in-school residencies, summer intensives, and Make-It-Now
experiences. We have gone from serving 187 students in 2002 to serving over
8,300 students in 2019. On average that is more than 200% growth year over
year. This growth led to PGC’s record of strong earned revenue levels as a
percentage of our total budget.

In 2019...
PGC open to the public 82 hours a week— more
than 4,000 hours throughout the year

38,000 visitors attended public tours,

teen programs, classes, open houses,
and community events

350+ classes and workshops

8,300+ students from
36 states and countries from around the world

4,800+ hours
of artist studio time

22 artist residencies
Hot Wheels, our mobile glass studio,
rolled out to 29 events, sharing glassblowing
with over 160,000 people

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Feedback from artists, students, visitors, and other stakeholders confirms that we cannot
continue to serve all of our various audiences in our current building. One participant in
a focus group said, “Right now, the entire space is cramped. In all of the classes I have taken,
there has never been enough room to work without getting in someone else’s way.” Artists
can’t find availability to rent studios at PGC due to our busy class and workshop schedule.
This is especially concerning as the number of artists PGC has attracted to live and work
in Pittsburgh has grown to over 50, not to mention the hundreds of local artists that we
have trained and developed. In order to keep up with the increasing demand for our
programming, we need to expand our physical space.

a year like none other. When the pandemic hit in March, our
focus logically turned to the health and well-being of our staff,
artists, students, patrons and friends. We made the difficult decision to temporarily close our
facility, cancel or postpone our classes and events, turn off our furnaces and partially furlough
our entire team. As safety protocols were put in place and more became known about the
transmission of the COVID-19 virus, we were able to reopen and find new ways to offer hands-
on glass experiences like our Glass-To-Go kits. Pivoting to new earned income opportunities has
been critical as earned income typically comprises at least 50% of our total revenue.

During the pandemic, the number of individuals that we reached in person decreased
drastically; however, new opportunities were created that once again exposed our lack of
space. Even with the studios closed and no visitors in the building, we found it difficult to find
space to fulfill the growing demand for our new Glass-To-Go kits. We have added flexible space
to our new building plans that will allow us to accommodate innovative activities like this one
as well as others we have yet to imagine.

A history of smart financial management helped PGC weather the many

challenges of 2020. While it hasn’t been easy, we are moving
forward confidently and with a greater awareness of
the transformational power of art.

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 lighting the
fire
Our expansion will be transformational for the Pittsburgh Glass
Center, the East End of Pittsburgh, the constituents we serve,
and the wider international glass art community.

in the last five years

PGC hosted...

20
BIPOC
artists in
residence

13
exhibitions
featuring
BIPOC
artists

2
solo
exhibitions
by BIPOC

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 Fostering More
Diverse Voices in Glass inclusion
PGC recognizes the lack of representation of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) artists
in the glass field across the country. To counteract this trend, we prioritize selecting artists who
represent diverse voices and backgrounds to teach classes and participate in our Artist Residencies
& Exhibitions, often introducing non-glass artists of color to the medium through our Idea Furnace
Residency. Over the last five years, we have hosted 20 BIPOC artists-in-residence and 13 exhibitions
featuring BIPOC artists, 2 of which were solo exhibitions. Increased studio space and artist housing
will attract more artists of all backgrounds and allow PGC to continue prioritizing BIPOC artists.
We create a continuum of engagement by encouraging youth artists from our surrounding
community to develop an interest in glass, offering them opportunities for classes and
workshops as high school and college students, engaging them as tech apprentices as
young adults, and providing world-class studio facilities and residencies as they
hone their craft in adulthood. This pipeline creates access to encourage
diversity and inclusion for the glass world of the future.

“PGC gave me my first residency and it did wonders for

not only my artistic development but for my confidence
as a professional maker as well.”
—Corey Pemberton (pictured, right) Artist,
and Director of Crafting the Future, an
organization that works to diversify
the fields of art, craft, and design
by connecting BIPOC artists
with opportunities that will
help them thrive.

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“PGC is truly a community
asset. The Glass Center
has been great for the youth
we serve here at B.A.S.E.
Our children look forward
to going to the center during
our summer camp.”
—Robert M. Jones Jr. (pictured above),
Founder and CEO, Brothers and
Sisters Emerging (B.A.S.E.)

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 Bringing More
People to Penn Avenue

opportunity
This project will allow more people to engage with us at community events
while also allowing us to host pop-up events and exhibitions in a brand-new
community space. Adding a second hot shop in our facility has the potential to draw
even more visitors and tourists to Penn Avenue as it will allow us to dedicate studio
space for activities in which the public can drop in anytime to try their hand at glass on
the spot—no appointment needed. Our market research shows that when people come to
Pittsburgh Glass Center, they also spend money at retail shops and restaurants along Penn
Avenue. Drawing more visitors to Penn Avenue benefits all local businesses.

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 Our newly acquired second
property (at 5431 Penn Avenue) has been
a concern of the community for years—first as
a nuisance bar and then as a vacant storefront. Our
neighbors in the community and at Bloomfield Garfield
Corporation enthusiastically support our redevelopment plan
as it will boost the Penn Avenue Arts District and further connect
the activity occurring at both ends of the Penn Avenue corridor.

Community Focused Development

innovation
The need for artists’ housing has been expressed by organizations across
the East End and PGC’s expanded housing will be a resource for other
organizations too. As the East End’s real estate market continues to be
dominated by large developers, there are fewer venues that offer short-term
rentals for meetings and other events, and many of the existing spaces are
simply not affordable for community members and nonprofits. A benefit for
the community at large will be affordable, creative meeting and exhibition
space for individuals and organizations that might otherwise be priced
out of the neighborhood. Penn Avenue’s most recent strategic plan
called out the need for more opportunities for diverse, community
social engagements; PGC’s new community space will provide
the resource to do just that.

“Pittsburgh Glass Center is an invaluable resource for the regional maker ecosystem, not only as a
unparalleled facility for glassmaking, but as a hub for creative entrepreneurship and champion for
creativity-driven economic development. They remain one of the Creative Business Accelerators
strongest partners, and we look forward to more shared impact helping makers maximize the
recovery economy.”
—Adam Kenney, Director of the Creative Business Accelerator

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 “I moved to Pittsburgh because of PGC, knowing that access to a facility and community of glass
artists was important to the future of my career in glass. It keeps me connected to the pulse of the
community, keeping me engaged in local trends, opportunities, and techniques. Having PGC as a
supplement to my private studio will always be a part of my business plan.”
—Gillian Preston, owner of the local business Broken Plates: Glass Wearables

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 New Business Creation

economic
development
Expanded facilities will allow us to increase production of our Penn/Fairmount glass product line,
incubate new small businesses, provide workforce development for more glass artists, and sell more
artists’ work in a new, more extensive retail space. Pittsburgh Glass Center has already attracted
over 50 glass artists to Pittsburgh, growing the maker community in our
region significantly. As more artists relocate to Pittsburgh, they
purchase homes, studios, employ other makers, and contribute
to the economy in many other meaningful ways.

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 shaping Our current building will be

future
The additions and renovations

the

expanded art studios Square footage will be added to all four studios (hot shop, kiln
shop, flame shop, and cold shop) to grow programs and build capacity. We are also adding a fifth
studio—a fabrication lab to grow our digital capabilities.

TWO HOT SHOPS Our hot shop is our most popular studio. There are four
distinct activities that take place here, each serving very different audiences and
skill levels: classes and workshops, tours with hands-on experiences for novices,
professional artist rental, and PGC production and commissions. It is extremely
challenging to have these different users in the studio at the same time. The
expansion of our current building will allow for a second hot shop to be added
that will be dedicated to professional artists and production. This will allow us to
expand our tour, Make-It-Now, and class offerings in our current studio while also
responding to the demand from local artists for additional rental space.

MORE SPACIOUS KILN SHOP Our kiln shop needs additional room to
add kilns for firing glass and to expand the classroom space to accommodate
more students working on larger projects. This includes a movable partition that
will provide flexibility to run two smaller classes or one large class.

FLAME SHOP VIEWING PLATFORM + NEON A viewing window in

our flameworking studio will allow visitors to safely watch artists working without
disrupting them. Additional space will be utilized to add more work stations, a
neon set-up, and scientific glassblowing lathe.

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renovated and expanded by 11,000 square feet.
are outlined below by building and area of impact.

HIGH TECH COLD SHOP EQUIPMENT Our cold shop needs room to
accommodate new equipment that PGC currently has no space for, such as a wet
drill press, additional sandblaster, and water jet cutting machine.

FAB LAB We are also adding a new fabrication lab to our list of studio spaces.
Now more than ever glass artists are embracing new technologies like 3-D
printing and waterjet cutting into their processes. Continuing to upgrade our
technology and equipment is imperative to remaining a state-of-the-art facility.

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 “Watching PGC grow from its small-but-mighty beginnings into the amazing, world-class arts organization it
is today has been truly energizing. I am incredibly proud to support its continued growth in my role as board
president and as a campaign donor. I’ve witnessed firsthand the impact this organization has in the community. By
providing local school kids with an introduction to an exciting medium, opening its doors to the neighborhood for
demonstrations and events, bringing talented glass artists from around the globe to Pittsburgh,
and offering its studios to aspiring local artists, Pittsburgh Glass Center is unmatched in its
drive to make the methods and medium of glass accessible to all.”
—Alison Brand Oehler, PGC Board President and Owner, Concept Art Gallery

branded bright boutique PGC’s current building was not

designed with retail in mind. As a result, we sell glass supplies to students
and artists out of a back room in the studio building. Our lobby, which is
essentially a wide hallway from the front door to the gallery, the studios,
and the offices, is used as our retail store. With properly staged product
in a dedicated retail footprint, we will increase our potential for art sales
and make a better first impression for visitors.

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rooms to grow In addition to our expanded art studios, more flexible studio space is
needed to accommodate hands-on group experiences such as making tiles, creating mosaics or
pouring molds. Additionally, PGC’s current flexible classroom serves as our board meeting room,
lunch room for summer students, lecture room, and additional exhibition space. Larger space can
be divided into smaller rooms for a variety of uses.

a place for everyone A space for smaller exhibits will open up

opportunities not currently available for students and emerging artists who
are not ready to mount a full gallery show. Additionally, this space will be
a resource for other nonprofits and our neighbors in the East End to utilize
as a community meeting and exhibition space.

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 party on the patio PGC currently has a small patio that artists love to use to take a
break and step outside for fresh air. By adding a larger outdoor deck PGC will have an overflow
area for watching glassblowing demonstrations in the new hot shop as well as a unique place to
host great parties. Event rentals can add meaningfully to our earned income potential.

“We have been involved with PGC for many years, the art inspires us, of
course, but it is the energy and entrepreneurship of the organization and
its leadership that keeps us engaged. This campaign will take PGC to
the next level as a national and international leader in glass art, and as
a cultural institution in Pittsburgh. We are proud to play a small part in
helping PGC shatter expectations.”
—Jim & Kathe Patrinos (pictured right), Campaign Chairs

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an artist home PGC provides housing for our technical apprentices (currently three per
year) and various visiting artists. PGC’s technical apprenticeship is an educational work opportunity
designed for students who either completed their undergraduate study in glass art or have
equivalent experience and are looking to gain professional studio experience in a state-of-the-
art, public-access studio. This program is the only one of its kind in the country, making it highly
competitive. Apprentices work 30 hours/week as a studio tech and have 10 hours/week to focus
on making their own work. Currently, PGC has a four-bedroom townhome property (Clarendon)
adjacent to PGC where the apprentices live. Additional housing for five more tech apprentices will
be added in our new space. These additional tech apprentice positions
will be vital to the expected growth of our programming, as they serve
as the engine driving most of the day-to-day work of the studio.

In addition to the tech apprentices, we provide housing for

visiting artists who come to PGC to teach, create art in
residence, and/or open an exhibition in our gallery. This new
space will add housing for four additional artists and negate
the need to rent additional space.

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 If you’ve ever watched a glassblowing demonstration you know that it takes teamwork
to produce a perfect piece. PGC’s success relies on teamwork too. Like glass, it takes
many people working together including donors, artists, patrons, students, visitors and
community members to create the finest outcomes.

TOGETHER WE WILL:

shape the next generation of glass artists and makers in Pittsburgh

grow Pittsburgh’s creative economy
connect our region’s history as a major producer of glass to its
creative future through the innovative use of glass as art

Join us—together we will cultivate an inclusive and welcoming

environment that encourages everyone, from the casually curious
to the master artist, to learn, create, and be inspired by glass.
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 5472 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15206
412-365-2145
www.pittsburghglasscenter.org

Design by Morgan Hawkins

Photography by
Nathan J Shaulis / Porter Loves
Emmai Alaquiva / Ya Momz House

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