For 25 years, the Pittsburgh Glass Center has invited artists, students and curious newcomers to step closer to the furnace and discover the possibilities of molten glass. For Mt. Lebanon residents involved with the center, the anniversary marks both a personal milestone and a celebration of a regional arts institution that continues to grow.

Finding focus in the hot shop

Glass artist and instructor Thad Davis, Cedar Boulevard, first began working with  glass about 15 years ago after receiving a gift certificate for a class at the center.

“I took a class and I instantly fell in love with it,” he said.

With a background in woodworking, stone and sculpture from Penn State, Davis said glass quickly distinguished itself as one of the most demanding materials he had worked with.

“When you’re working with glass, you can only think about working. You have to really think about what you’re doing at all times.”

Today, Davis primarily works in the hot shop, where molten glass emerges from the furnace at roughly 2,100 degrees Fahrenheit. The medium’s constantly shifting nature requires intense concentration and teamwork.

“The glass always wants to move where it’s hottest,” he explained. “You have this limited time to do it before you have to reheat it.”

What keeps him coming back, Davis said, is not only the creative challenge but also the reactions of first-time participants.

“I really like teaching people that have never seen it before,” Davis said. “The first time you open that furnace and you feel the heat … they’re always so amazed.”

A Hidden Gem Grows

Lori Comber, Outlook Drive, has been connected to the Glass Center for more than two decades. Now in her second year as a board member, she first discovered glass in her late 20s during a flameworking class at the Touchstone Center for the Arts in Uniontown.

“I loved it so much,” Comber said. “It was an instant love with glass.”

She eventually began spending her free time at the Pittsburgh Glass Center and later served as a teaching assistant for flameworking classes. While family life eventually pulled her away from regular studio work, she never fully disconnected. Two years ago, she made a point to reengage by attending the center’s Casbah benefit dinner.

“All I want for Valentine’s Day is to go to this Glass Center event and get back involved,” she recalled telling her husband. “And the rest is history.”

From her perspective, one of the center’s most significant achievements has been how much it has expanded its presence in the community.

“When I first was there a long, long time ago, it was kind of this hidden gem,” Comber said. “Now … it’s so amazing to me how it touches on the community in so many ways.”

She pointed to partnerships with schools and opportunities for students to see glass art displayed in educational spaces as signs of the organization’s growing impact.

Expanding space

That growth has been guided in part by Valerie Bundy, Martin Avenue, the center’s program director, who has been with the organization since January 2020.

“As program director, I oversee all of our educational programming, which is our classes and our workshops, as well as our artist residency program and our exhibitions,” Bundy said.

She joined the organization just months before the pandemic began, a period she described as challenging but formative.

“We had to figure out how to pivot from a place that was very in-person,” Bundy said, noting that the center developed take-home mosaic kits that are still offered today.

More recently, the center completed a major expansion project, allowing it to address longstanding space constraints.

“We realized that we had met our capacity,” Bundy said. “We needed to have an entire other hot shop.”

The expansion resulted in two dedicated hot shops — one focused on education and another for professional artists — along with additional studio, classroom and exhibition space.

“We actually have room for humans again in the building,” Bundy said. “We’ve been able to have more artist residencies and showcase more art throughout the building.”

The changes also made the Glass Center more visible and welcoming along Penn Avenue.

“Our door reaches Penn Avenue now,” she said. “You can see glass in the window. You can see people working from the window. It feels like a place you can walk into.”

Access for artists — and everyone else

Both Davis and Comber emphasized that accessibility remains central to the center’s mission.

Davis noted that facilities like the Glass Center are rare because of the specialized equipment required.

“You don’t really see that sort of facility available to the public,” he said. “It’s really a great thing for Pittsburgh.”

Bundy described the Glass Center as an open-access studio designed to welcome everyone, from first-time visitors to professional artists.

“Anybody can walk in and see folks making glass,” she said. “And they can also try glass for themselves in a wide range of capacity.”

Options range from brief, instructor-led walk-in experiences to intensive, multi-day classes taught by visiting artists from around the world. The gallery space, Bundy added, is always free and open to the public.

Looking Ahead

As part of its 25th anniversary celebration, Comber said the Pittsburgh Glass Center will mark the milestone with events throughout the year, including the return of Art on Fire, its signature fundraising event and the city’s only glass art auction, on September 18.

“The event features nearly 200 one-of-a-kind works by local and internationally recognized artists. Proceeds support the center’s free public programs, including monthly open houses, exhibitions and scholarships, and typically account for about 10 percent of the organization’s annual operating needs,” Comber said.

As the Glass Center enters its next quarter-century, Bundy expects its reputation to continue expanding beyond the region.

“I imagine it being even bigger and more nationally recognized,” she said.

After 25 years, the glow of the furnace continues to draw people in — from seasoned artists to first-time visitors — ensuring the Pittsburgh Glass Center remains both a creative hub and a community gathering place for years to come.

To stay up to date on the Pittsburgh Glass Center’s upcoming programs and events, visit pittsburghglasscenter.org.